I have a Shapeoko 3 XXL with HDZ and is current on firmware and CC and CM. Can someone please look at this file and gcode and tell me why my router is retracting over an inch on cutting the pocket on the right side of the file. I did not pay attention while cutting the circle but pretty sure it is doing it on each pass of that as well. I have set the retract height to .125 inches.
wood_mg_outdoor_table_leg.c2d (17.9 KB)
wood_mg_outdoor_table_leg_201.nc (676.6 KB)
The G-code goes nowhere above Z=0.125 though
Did the cut complete successfully with correct depths all around ?
Are you using CM to run the cut and, if so, is this might be another example of CMās āanomaliesā?
The cut completed at the correct depth. I was using CM and the cut proceeded normally. I used the BitZero to set the X Y and Z heights. I have an HDZ so I am definitely not losing Z steps. The last job I ran I had disabled BitSetter because of the job size. I did not bother to re-enable it for this job.
I thought this was strange because I used a .125 inch retract height. The .125 retract height is my default that is set in CC.
It is CM 536 and CC 520. I just check a few days ago and these were still the current versions.
Just to be sure, in your first post did you mean the Z retracted one inch above the stock surface, or one inch above the current cut depth while the toolpath was already deep down the stock ?
I did not get a precise measurement because the machine was running but at least a full inch above the top of the project on the pocket of the rectangle. Each pass of doc the router would retract at least an inch and then plunge back for another pass.
If youād like to rerun this (as an air cut for example, at least up to the point where this extra retract happens) to confirm it is repeatable, and grab the logs (filtering out the status messages), Iāll be interested to have a look at them because I donāt see how the machine movement could both not match the G-code AND still achieve correct cutting depthsā¦
I suppose you already checked that when manually jogging 0.125" above the stock, CM reads Z=0.125?
I will run it tomorrow afternoon as an air job. I have got the 3 legs I needed cut and almost finished. I think this has been going on for a while. I just did not pay close enough attention to say if this has been going on for a while or just this job. I have sent the default configuration for a Shapeoko 3 XXL with HDZ and checked in the MDI that the defaults are actually set.
Thanks for looking. It is not the biggest deal but with this high retract height it is slowing down the job.
Well I moved the zero up a little to keep the non running bit from contacting the waste board. I ran the job as an air job and it ran just fine. The first pocket a 1.5 inch circle retracted the 1/8 inch just fine. I videoād the job and things were normal. The second pocket also ran fine. Not sure what changed since last night but the 1/8 inch retract seemed to be working. So not sure what went on between last night and today but the job ran fine with the proper retract height. Thanks for your attention. I will watch on the next job to see if I can duplicate the problem, hopefully not have the problem. The old saying a watched pot never boils seems to be true.
Also a law of physics that observing a phenomenon changes it. You need to be sneaky and pretend you are not watching, the machine can feel it 
Seriously though, thank you for trying to reproduce, I know how annoying it is when a problem goes away with for no apparent reason and one is left with a taste of āthis will come back and bite me later at the worst possible timeā.
I am not a production shop so the only issue is the jobs take longer with a big retract. I will watch over the next few jobs and have my camera ready. Thanks
This topic was automatically closed after 30 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
