I wanted to cut a series of full depth holes using #102 1/8" bit and countersink them with #201 1/4" bit. Simple right?
Well, it cut all the small holes fine, but the CM program never paused or asked me to “load new tool”. It just kept running so I had to stop it to install a new bit. But, then I couldn’t zero it anymore and everything was out of alignment.
Why did it not ask to a tool change?!
Do you have it enabled in Carbide Motion?
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I think so.
How do I check that I enabled it?
Thanks.
Settings > Setup Shapeoko >Bitsetter Probe should be selected. For screenshots, please look at the instructions:
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Another potential issue is the tools having the same number — the tool number has to be different.
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Yes, I made sure to name each tool differently. #102, #201, etc.
How do I enable “load new tool”?
Do you have a BitSetter and is it enabled ?
If so, you should see the Load New Tool button in the main screen in CM.
If not, you cannot use multiple tools in a single file, and you should save one g-code file per tool (and then run them separately, which lets you change tools and re-zero manually between jobs)
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Yes, then it’s enabled. I can see “load new tool”. But, it never paused to allow me to change the bit. It started to move to the second toolpath, so I had to abort! Yikes.
Can you post the G-code file here for a check ?
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Ok, I’ll post it tomorrow.
Thank you.
This got me last week also.
My problem was answered by Will in a post recently. I needed to set the post processor in CC to shapeoko.
Mine was defaulted to basic gcode
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Julien,
Here’s my gcode, just for the mounting holes. As I mentioned, my goal was to cut the countersink with my #201 and then use a smaller 1/8" bit, #102 to cut out the through holes (since CC wouldn’t allow me to use #201 1/4" bit, but now I learned I can set it to 0.251 and CC would allow that). In any case, I want to find out why CM didn’t pause to let me change out the bits. It kept going with the same 1/4" bit, then I had to hit STOP. Thanks.
Actually, it’s was this one…
waste brd v4.6 for mounting holes only.nc (452.9 KB)
Hey Gary,
Did you happen to check the post processor like @Jasoni mentioned?
I see different tool names i.e. “T201” and “T102”, but I don’t see any M6 commands to prompt a tool change in your gcode file.
An excerpt from your gcode:
An example from a random gcode file I have:
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Thx Brian,
Yes, I changed the post processor. How does that work?
Bits changes are related to the action of the homing sensors?
I know basic HTML, but do not know how to read gcode yet.
What does “T10 M6” and mine "M0 ;T201 mean?
I have a pretty basic understanding of gcode as I’m still learning too, but the way I see it is that post processors can be viewed as formatting. When you choose a particular post processor they can be more (or less in your case) optimized for your machine’s controller. For example a custom F360 post processor like the one @neilferreri has shared, formats your toolpaths in a way that allows pre-loading the first tool; so what this means is that an M6 command isn’t present in the first machining operation automatically. This is helpful if you have a BitSetter because A, you don’t have to sit through a BitSetter procedure that was already performed; and B, you no longer have to manually remove the first M6 command from the gcode file to bypass the BitSetter procedure in the beginning of a job.
The “T” in “T201” indicates a tool. For my example, my tool name is tool # “10”. G-code like any language, contains universal definitions, if you will. The M6 is a defined command for tool change, and for our GRBL based controllers utilizing a BitSetter, prompts the movements to execute a tool offset measurement whenever an M6 is present. I looked up a table for G-code/M-code and M0 is defined as “program stop” which evidently doesn’t prompt the machine to stop for a tool change when present (on our C3D machines).
Hope that brings a little clarity. Anyone feel free to correct me if I described the concept poorly.
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Thank you!
You taught me a little gcode, cool!
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