S5 Pro owner and I’m coming to my wits end when beginning a job. It seems like if you don’t follow a very strict initialization/setup regiment and do everything in a precise sequence, you end up crashing your z-axis into the bitsetter. It’s come to the point where I don’t trust the machine from not crashing into the bitsetter and I have my finger on the e-brake whenever a tool measurement happens.
Before I get into it, I also want to ask the question of WHY DO I NEED SO MANY TOOL MEASUREMENTS? Initialize–>Tool measurement #1–>Load job/jog to zero–>Tool measurement #2 before jogging–>Successful job/zeroing–>Start job–>Tool measurement #3–>Job starts. I’m afraid that if I don’t measure it and hit “cancel” I’ll add scenario #3 to the list below…which has happened, I just didn’t document it as thoroughly.
The two scenarios below are just a few examples of the exact steps I took before a z-axis tool measurement crash. Please add your examples if you’ve come across another one.
Scenario 1
Initialize & Measure tool
Load Job
Start (forgot to set zero)
Jog to go set zero
CM asks top measure tool length again
Crash into bitsetter
E-brake, begin again
Reason: Forgot to jog first to set zero before starting a job?
Scenario 2
Complete successful job
Load new file to cut a different job
CM asks to measure tool length
Crash into bitsetter
E-brake, begin again
Reason: Because CM can’t handle back-to-back jobs?
What gives on both so many tool measurements and the inconsistent initialization/start up success rate?
I don’t understand “Tool measurement #2” ??
I follow this process
Initialize (If BitSetter is activated it prompts you to load the probe / dowel / measuring tool & measures it.)
Jog to set zero
Load program
Start → Start
Load your first tool (It measures it to get the difference from your probing tool, then starts the job)
You can use the same tool to set your zeros & start the job. It measures it twice. If this is the case, look at the Z value before you hit OK to measure the tool. It should be the same after measuring.
I cannot connect to my Shapeoko right now but when you initialize and then jog you always get a message that you have not set zero. You can just dismiss that because you are going to set zero anyway. When you power off your machine the last X Y and Z are remembered. I would always check because during initialization you can get millimeter/thousands of an inch difference between the switch triggering last time for the internal coordinates and the new initialization.
A good check is before starting a job is to use jog, rapid positions to position at X and Y zero and Z +6mm. Make a 6MM block to check the z.
This is not what I’m saying. CM is prompting that I need to measure the tool again before doing any jogging. I ualways rapid to last X/Y and double check Z, which usually varies by a few .001 +/- depending on stock thickness variations.