kdur
May 23, 2017, 12:53pm
1
Hi, I’m a complete newbie and have had my machine less than a week. The problem I’m having is as follows:
Actual stock thickness is .25" nickel silver. Trying to cut 2 simple circles in CC. I’ve had to change stock thickness to .30" and max depth to .38". Still leaving a skin. I’ve zeroed x, y, z. Using a .0625 square cutter. Speeds set automatically although I did change Depth per pass from .008 to .010 (thought it would help the cutter go deeper). Other settings are stepover=.028, feed=12.3, plunge=1.537, rpm=9000.
What am I doing wrong? Why won’t it cut through the stock?
Thanks,
Kim, we will need more information to answer that.
Please post your CC file and GCode file as well as a setup sketch showing us your X0, Y0 and Z0 as well as telling us how you are setting your 0,0,0.
If I am speaking a strange language, please feel free to say so.
1 Like
kdur
May 23, 2017, 1:33pm
3
Ok, great! Thank you so much! I’ve attached both the CC file and the gcode file along with a photo of the 2 circles. I send the file to CM from CC, then I go to jog, then put both x and y at the bottom left corner of my stock. Then I drop z until I feel the drag on a sheet of paper. After that I zero out all 3 and click run.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Thanks,circles.c2d (4.3 KB)circles.egc (27.3 KB)
I have 1 silly question, and 2 smart one:
How thick is your feeler gauge?
Do you account for it? (Lower the Z that feeler gauge distance)
Before I look at the CC file, where do you set you Z0 in CC (Top/bottom)?
One request: Do you know how to post your GCode in a text format? Because I can’t look at the EGC file unless I am hooked up to my machine (and I’m sitting on my couch), and I’d really like to read your CGode. If not please feel free to ask.
kdur
May 23, 2017, 1:40pm
5
The feeler gauge is paper thin. I used a #2 on a feeler gauge that corresponds to a sheet of thin paper if that makes sense. I lowered the Z until I feel a slight drag. Z0 set for top.
kdur
May 23, 2017, 1:47pm
6
Hope this is right.
%
Haha, yes, and yo DID what I said (my mistake) but next time save it as a file.nc (or txt) file on your computer and upload the FILE here not the actual text.
FYI: 2 things. You know that your Z is off the thickness of the metal, right? I recommend NOT to use a metal gauge because it can cause micro cracking of the cutter (really). I recommend the use of Post it Note paper. It’s 0.004 inch or 0.1mm, Then after setting your Z0, move the tool off the material, lower the Z to Z0, then advance it the paper (or feeler gauge if I can’t talk you out of it) that thickness (NEVER onto the material, again it can damage the cutter). I guess if you were cutting something really soft you could lower it onto the material, but it is just bad practice.
Ok NOW I will look at your file…
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Stock thickness = 0.25"
CC MAX depth = 0.028 (whichis about 1/32 inch)
If you are trying to cut this material all the way through, max depth should be (at least) 0.25 inch
Do you see the typo?
2 Likes
kdur
May 23, 2017, 2:16pm
9
I’m open for any and all help so I will definitely use the post it paper.
OMG, so I think my mind was reversed. I thought the .028 was going deeper than the .025 so actually it should be either .025 or maybe .024 to be safe. Is that correct?
kdur
May 23, 2017, 2:34pm
11
Ok, got it! My bad on the decimal mistake. I’ll make a new run now. Thank you so much for your help!!!
1 Like
tito
May 23, 2017, 8:42pm
12
And the 0.028 is stepover, which is how much your end mill overlaps itself in the horizontal plane (at whatever depth the plane happens to be)–like drawing with a really thick magic marker, so thick that the edges of the lines overlap. The width of this overlap is the stepover.
2 Likes
kdur
May 23, 2017, 9:13pm
13
Thank you! That makes sense now.
