How do I prevent Z zero from resetting itself. I have ruined many parts now and it’s driving me insane.
My routine looks like this:
- Zero X and Y with my Haimer.
- Zero Z by touching off manually with tool (my preferred method)
- Calibrate tool
When I run a setup with tools paths then have to switch to a new tool inside that same setup, I switch the tool. Then ‘auto tool set’. This is when the Z often times resets itself. The tool then cuts in a random height, nowhere near where I need it to be. At this point, part is ruined because Z is usually set at a location that has been already decked off in previous paths….
Help!
Questions, just to help take in all the details.
Each program is based off of the same surface or position in Z?
When you are doing the “calibrate tool” step are you referring to the tool setter calibration option of “with tool"?
Are your programs using the same work coordinate(G54,G55 etc)?
When you are using the tool setter on each tool are you on the work coordinate that your program is using?
Those are just some steps I’ve come to run through when I see something like this occur.
Well my next step would be to note the number in the box on the tool setter panel. Note what it changes to when you calibrate it and see if it’s changing as you set each tool after. See if there’s a correlation between those numbers and how far off the tool is from the intended point
What version of CutControl are you running? I’ve heard there are issue with tool setting on the latest releases. I’m on 24.1.1, running for years with nothing like you are describing.
What you are describing is my nightmare fuel… end mills and materials are too expensive to plunge into material at random depths. I took a nice bite out of my Langmuir vise moving jaw from not paying close attention to CAM. Bad day…
For reference only, I think you are following the process correctly:
The normal process is to get the tool to the work pieces z=0 position and set that as z=0. Then you calibrate the tool. This measures the difference between the workpiece origin and the tool setter platten. When switching a tool, now you can just do an auto tool set operation and it will measure at what position the new tool hits the platten and modify the machine coordinate system accordingly.
Using the Langmuir probe is the same but you use the “calibrate probe” instead of “calibrate tool” since the probe head is much more compliant than the tool home platten.
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