Power on machine. Initialize. Measure tool. All good.
Load program from Carbide Create.
Switch to “jog” page so I can zero my axis’s. Prompted to “measure tool” again. Fine, I’ll do it again. Manually set my x/y/and z axis to zero for the job I want to do. All good.
Go back to main page and click “run” and I am forced to “Measure Tool” again!!! Can’t bypass this measurement no matter what.
My main concern is how does that “Measure Tool” effect my Z axis zero on the material height from earlier. I assume it changes nothing. I hope it changes nothing.
But WHY - after “Measuring Tool” twice before, am I required to do it again when I start job? More importantly - does that last “Measure Tool” change anything regarding the Z axis zero coordinate on the material?
I almost always load a 1/4” pin for measuring the first time even though I have the Bitzero V1. Then ignore the prompt prior to jogging to set zero. When I start the program it asks for the real tool so that measurement makes sense.
In your scenario it shouldn’t. As Cullen mentioned, ignore the 2nd message. It’s just a warning reminding you to set your zero. If the last redundant tool change annoys you, you could remove the “M6T___” line from the file before running it. But it’s there in case you want to use a dowel or probe to set your part zero, then change to the first tool in the toolpath. In this case, it should change the Z value.
When you set your X Y and Z zeros the Shapeoko/Carbide Motion remembers that setting. Even if you powered off the machine for a week. The X Y and Z last set is remembered.
So when you initialize you are always prompted for a tool to complete initialization. The machine has no way to know if when you prompted for a tool you left the tool from a week ago or put a new tool.
The machine takes over to the BitSetter and starts lowering until the BitSetter is triggered and the router lifts and slowly comes back down until the BitSetter is triggered again. What is really happening is the remembered Z zero is in memory at a certain height in relation to the homing sequence. So when the bit comes down on the BitSetter a calculation is made and the last set Z is compared to when the BitSetter is triggered and a delta is calculated and the old Z setting is maintained regardless if the bit position has changed or is the same old bit from a week ago. That is how your Z zero is maintained.
Every time you z zero a new calculation is made and held in memory of how far from the homing position is to the position of the new Z zero.
Now as far as being asked over and over and the BitSetter being used over and over that is just the logic C3D builtin to their software. There is no way around the repeated trips to the BitSetter unless you turn the BitSetter off and set everything manually. However even if setting the X Y and Z manually CM remembers those zero positions and uses them even if your machine is powered off for 30 seconds or 30 days.
C3D has been requested to put a production mode in so if you are cutting the same project over and over you will skip the BitSetter except for the initial one but that has not been implemented yet.
The routine is tiresome but necessary for the logic C3D builtin to their machine.