FlashCut CNC / Precix Router User s Guide v1.2 Brett Ian Balogh 31.October, Ensure the computer is plugged in. Do not plug the spindle in yet.

Transcription

1 FlashCut CNC / Precix Router User s Guide v1.2 Brett Ian Balogh 31.October, Ensure the computer is plugged in. Do not plug the spindle in yet.

2 2. Start the computer by pressing the on/off button on the front of the case.

3 3. While the computer boots, turn on the FlashCut signal generator (blue box to the right of the computer). There are seven lights at the bottom right of the signal generator s front panel. From left to right, the first five represent axes X, Y, Z, A and B. The next one (orange) indicates that the signal generator is connected to the computer via USB. The last one indicates the status of the axis drivers. On startup, the first five will all flash on and off and then in sequence. The last two will be orange and red.

4 4. There are three emergency stop buttons on the machine. One is located to the right of the signal generator. The other two are located on both sides of the gantry. Ensure that the three emergency stop buttons are disengaged by pulling on them.

5 5. Press the green button above the emergency stop button to the right of the signal generator. The axis drive status indicator (PWR) will now turn green.

6 6. Log into the computer using the student account. There is no password, so leave the password field blank and press <Enter>. 7. Start the application FlashCut CNC 4 by clicking on the desktop icon or selecting it in the start menu.

7 8. A dialog box will open asking to connect to the signal generator. Make sure the signal generator is on and then click Connect.

8 9. When the FlashCut software opens, another dialog box will open displaying safety information. Please review the safety information before clicking Agree.

9 10. Familiarize yourself with the FlashCut user interface.

10 11. After going through the initial set-up procedure, it is now time to establish the machine coordinate system by homing the machine. First, click the <Jog> button in the control panel.

11 12. The machine home position is at the front right of the router table with the Z-axis all the way up. If the machine is more than a couple of feet away from this position, select the <Contin> radio button for continuous motion and select either the <Fast> or <Medium> radio buttons to change the jog speed. *Be careful when using the <Fast> setting, as the machine will coast a couple of inches after you release the mouse button. It may coast and run into its axis limit or another obstruction. Jog the machine close to its home position, the directions will generally be X-, Y- and Z+. This saves time, as the homing speed is somewhat slow.

12 13. Click on the <Home> button on the control panel.

13 14. Make sure the checkboxes for all axes are selected (or press the <All> button) and that the machine is clear of all obstructions, including yourself. Click the <Seek Home> button. The machine will now move on its own. Press any key on the keyboard to stop its motion if there is a problem.

14 14. When the machine is home, it s position will look like so:

15 15. Look at the Machine Coordinate System DRO. It should now read for all axes. Before we establish the Part Coordinate System, let s place a tool bit in the router.

16 16. The image below shows the tools you will need to insert a tool into the router. The box and spanner wrenches are for tightening/loosening the collet nut. We have four different collet sizes, ⅛, ¼, ⅜ and ½. Use the size that matches the shank diameter of your tool bit. You can also see the collet nut and three different tool bits: A ¼ straight flute cutter, a ¼ spiral flute cutter and a ¼ ball-nosed cutter.

17 17. If you need to remove a tool, loosen the collet nut with these wrenches and remove the collet nut along with the collet from the router spindle. Grasp the end of the tool with a rag and gently pull it out of the collet. *Be careful, tool bits are sharp and can cause serious cuts! If the tool you re putting in has the same shank diameter as the old tool, again, grasp the tool with a rag and push into the collet. Push the tool bit into the collet almost up to where the cutting edges begin. The end of the tool should protrude most of the way into the collet. Start threading the collet nut, collet and toolbit onto the router spindle by hand and tighten with the wrenches. If you need a different diameter tool, you will have to remove the collet from the collet nut by holding the nut in your hand and by pushing the collet to the side. It should pop out. Press the different diameter collet into the nut, angling it to the side. When the collet snaps in, insert a new tool bit and tighten.

18 18. Now that the tool has been properly installed, you must now establish the Part Coordinate System in X and Y by jogging the tool to your stock. This procedure assumes that the Part/Program Coordinate System will be placed at the top lower left hand corner of your stock. Click on the <Jog> button on the control panel. Select <Medium> or <Slow> speed in <Contin> mode. Jog the tool so it is about 0.1 away from either edge of your stock near where you want the part origin to be. Bring the tool down some distance below the top of your stock. Select <Step> mode, and set the increment to <0.01>. Every time you press one of the axis motion buttons, that axis will move that amount. Move the tool in increments of 0.01 until it is very close to the edge. Change the step increment to <0.001>. Put a piece of paper between the tool bit and your stock edge and continually slide it back and forth. Press the appropriate axis motion button to approach the edge of the stock in increments. When you feel the paper being pinched between the tool bit and the stock, stop jogging. In the images below, the left one depicts setting the Y-axis. The right one is the X-axis.

19 19. Click on the <Set> button next to the Program Coordinate System DRO. Select <Enter> from the dropdown box. You will be presented with an <Enter Program Coordinates> dialog box. Enter the radius of the tool as a negative number for the axis you re setting and click <Ok>. This tells the machine that the center of your tool is away from the zero point for that axis a distance equal to the radius of the bit. Repeat steps 18 and 19 for the other axis, changing from <Step> to <Contin> mode when necessary.

20 20. Now it s time to set the Z-component of the Part Coordinate System. Use the procedure in steps 18 and 19 to jog the tool bit to the top of your stock. Again, when the tool bit drags on the piece of paper, click the <Set> button next to the Program DRO and click select <Enter> from the dropdown box. *Note that this procedure assumes that Z=0 is at the top of your stock. This is common for routing contours and pockets. Z=0 might have to be placed at the bottom of your stock if you are planning to rout surfaces that require both roughing and finishing passes.

21 21. Enter a value of 0.0 into the field for Z and click <Ok>.

22 22. To verify that you have set the Part/Program Coordinate System Origin correctly, click the <Point> button on the control panel. First select <Any Point> from the list, and select <Program> from the dropdown box to the right. In the X-, Y- and Z- fields below, enter 0.0, 0.0 and 1.0, respectively (if you set Z=0 at the top of your stock). If your Z=0 is at the bottom of your stock, Z would be the thickness of your stock plus 1.0. In the dropdown box to the right, select <Feedrate> and enter a value between 10 and 30 inches per minute (IPM). Click <Move>, and the machine will position the center of the tool bit s tip (hopefully) 1 above the corner of your stock. Remember to press any key on the keyboard to stop the machine from moving if there is a problem.

23 23. Now that you ve set the Part/Program Coordinate System Origin, it s time to load and run your G-Code program. To load your program, select <Open G-Code> from the <File> menu. When the program has loaded, you should see a visual representation of the toolpath. You will also be able to see your code in the lower left-hand corner.

24 24. Check the first few lines of G-code. You should see a program line with something like S10000 M03. This commands the machine to turn the spindle on at a speed of 10,000RPM. If you do not see such a line, you will have to turn the spindle on manually before you start the program by pressing the <Manual Spindle (Off)> button to the right of the program display window. You will then have to set the spindle speed with the <Spindle RPM> to the right. Do not run the spindle at a speed less than 10000RPM. If your program does have a line like S10000 M03, the spindle will automatically turn on at the specified speed in RPM, and you do not have to manually control the spindle. In any case, plug the spindle power cord into the receptacle. 25. Click the <G-Code> button on the control panel. Make sure the machine table is clear of everything except for your stock. Also make sure that the area around the machine is clear of obstructions, including yourself. Wear protective eyewear and turn on the dust collector using the red radio remote near the computer. Click the <Start> button. If FlashCut pops up a box saying Program Coordinates are not zeroed. Start anyway?, click <Ok>. The program will now run. Remember, if you need to stop machine motion, press any key on the keyboard. If there is an emergency, press one of the Emergency Stop buttons on the machine. 26. When the program has ended, jog the machine away from your stock to enable easy removal and turn off the dust collector. Please sweep/vacuum any dust/chips from the machine table as well as the surrounding area. Quit the FlashCut application and shut the computer down. Turn off the FlashCut signal generator and unplug the spindle from the outlet.