In need of a bit of help!! (No, a LOT of help)
I am using Corel draw and export drawing (DXF) to Sheetcam to post process and all loads well into Firecontrol
but when I try to run program all I get is the “feed rate zero” message and machine won’t run the program.
I have gone back into S Cam and all seems to be in order and removed and reinserted feed rate value to no avail. I have made several different drawing and programs but obviously, I am missing something!! Could this possibly be a software issue? Ideas and solutions WELCOME This is making me crazier than my usual crazy
Thanks
Hah! I am replying to my own post: My machine is using Crossfire Pro
Never mind, I just answered my question.
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Are you sure you selected a operation when post processing? Can you post your tap file so we can look.
At least open it up in notepad and see what the last line says.
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The most common reason for this is not creating a jet cutting operation before hitting the post process button.
Sheetcam won’t tell you that you forgot a step. It will just post process and output a .tap file with very minimal commands generated by the post processor.
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On the subject of Post Process and using Sheetcam, I do not use Sheetcam (never have, never will).
However, I did recently help someone yesterday as they have never cut anything before and they were getting frustrated.
Fortunately, I got him squared away and he learned quickly the correlation with cut speed and cut quality.
Before we achieved his first successful cut, he kept getting an error in line 13 I think it was for missing speed only to go through the process of elimination and tell him he needed to input a speed for plunge rate. I gave him a rate of 60ipm per a quick Google search.
What would be appropriate to tell him if he’s cutting 16 gauge mild steel, with what seems like appropriate speed and amps for clean cuts? I’m a Fusion user and I never messed with any “plunge rate” nor have I ever needed to so I don’t know if 60ipm is good or bad.
I would say 60 is a min. F360 defaults at 100. That is what I use. There is a setting in sheetcam where you setup a plunge rate. Sheetcam defaults at a slow rate. I have never experienced that error.
Never say never it’s a good program. I get it people are used to f360 and there are haters both ways.
I use sheetcam and am satisfied I do a equal mixture of brackets and art. Hey whoever is willing to pay you know.
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I’ll rephrase my above - plunge rate was at 0 in Sheetcam by default.
This is where I figured out where the error was when he did his post process, only to receive a missing speed error when opening that file in Firecontrol. Mind you this was via phone, as I had no way to see his screen.
Again because I don’t have a specified value for plunge rate in Fusion (labeled as something else), I was not sure what it is or what it does so the “low value” you reference was non-existent…it was 0.
Only when I did a quick search to look up an appropriate speed did I yield the answer 60, so I told him to enter 60 for his plunge rate, and he was able to achieve his first successful cut.
As for the program itself, I say never because it will be counterintuitive to learn and mess with different values on the trial just to see if I like it, and then buy it when I see no value in it. Not sure where the “hater” plays a part in here though as I often recommend Sheetcam to many people, I’ve never said anything bad about it.
Anyway, back to what’s relevant as it can help the author. You’re saying 60 is the minimum? Should a better recommendation simply be that the plunge rate should equal to that of the feedrate for the material being cut IE if 16 gauge cuts well at 110, set the plunge rate for 110 as well?
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The haters thing wasn’t directed at you. I was referring to some people hate both programs.
F360 doesn’t offer the option to change it from my experience which isn’t much.
The z axis isn’t capable of moving at the speeds of x and y . My advice is to find the settings and default between 60 and 100. I use 100
Sheetcam actually defaults a 3.something. If betting they changed it to zero at some point.
50 to 60 IPM for plunge rate is good for any metal thickness. It’s just the speed that the torch moves from pierce height down to cut height.
The default rate in Sheetcam is just over 3 inches per minute, which is way too slow. I think that is a throwback to machining. It should not have been zero, unless the user deleted the default.
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Awesome, thank you both.
Yeah I don’t know what the program default was, hence the question.
And you’re right, he definitely deleted it because his pierce and cut heights were also at 0 which I addressed.
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Hi
to begin, I am not well versed enough to know how to reply to all who responded but hopefully this will be seen by all who have!
I do appreciate all of your responses and am going to try the suggestions offered up.
It will be a few days, but I will post when I have tried them!! Thanks again!!
caddy
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This is a video that I made, a while ago, to show the process of taking a drawing and making it into a cut file in Sheetcam. It is just a screen recording with no audio. The simulation at the end is not necessary. Perhaps you will see where you missed a step in the process.
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Langmuir says 50 ipm is the minimum. So 60 is good. I use that as well since I tend not to rely on minimums 
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