New to ShopBot not following cut order

[AIP]

Hello all, We have just purchased our first shop bot, although used it had about 30 hours on it, and are already planning our next one from the factory.
Anyway I have a question. We have a PRT alpha and are using Vectric Cut 2d to generate the cut path profile using ShopBot (arcs)(inches) post processor. We recently noticed that the router is changing the sequence of parts being which is causing parts to become damaged. Our First CNC Router required we define the part cut start point and the sequence to cut and we generally start from the farthest point away from 0,0 and work towards home so that we can optimize the sheet and not have loose parts moving into future cut paths. We use plastic Raptor nails to connect attach our plywood to a spoil board and cut all the way thru 3/4" cdx ply. So at first we noticed each new profile caused the router head to move back to home than to the next part. As we were trying to stop that it appears we activated some type of cut path optimizing so now the router cuts from 0,0 out and start profiles at different places and does not come home but we are damaging adjacent parts or they are breaking free before the cut is complete. I hope I have indicated a key so someone have any in-site. We are scheduling a training but as many know parts need to go out the door. Thanks

[dana_swift]

Can you post photos? The description alone does not help.. it also helps to look at the vectric file.

Shopbots just do what they are told, so somewhere the instructions are not what they need to be.

Check your SafeZ height in the job setup of the toolpath panel of Vectric. Be sure you are relative to your zzero.

The cut order should not change the certainty of getting safe motion between parts. Your safe Z height is where I would start looking-

Trying to cut a production job before learning the software is strongly discouraged in the documentation. But the good news is, if you have any CNC experience the learning curve is very short.

Try the vectric tutorials, they only take a couple hours to watch. Follow their steps. You will get success quite quickly.

One last note "Inch arc" post processor is the one to use, so that does not have anything to do with your problem. Any Shopbot post processor should create a working file, the "inch arc" will just cut slightly faster and smoother. The file size will be smaller also.

D

[bleeth]

Let's say you have a series of pieces to cut-out and they have some kind of cut-out in them as well. That would mean two tool paths minimum. One inside cutting on vectors and one outside. Normal routine would be to start with one type and then the other. The software will select what parts to cut first in each toolpath automatically and run the toolpaths in the order you save them.
I'm not sure about Aspire, but if you do combine the toolpaths you may then have an option to do toolpath ordering. This gives you the opportunity to select which cuts happen in your order. It is definitely a feature of Artcam Pro and probably is in Aspire as well.
If you don't have that option, then you will have to create multiple toolpaths and to stop it from going home in between manually edit them out of the file. There may be a way to eliminate this in the postprocessor, but that is not something I have tried to do.

[adrianm]

Cut2D toolpaths are always optimized for the minimum amount of rapid (non-cutting) moves. With VCarve and Aspire you can specify different strategies.

If your part has inner and out profile cuts then Cut2D will automatically do the inside cuts first followed by the outer ones if your cut them with one toolpath.

From your description of the router returning home it sounds like you're running more than one toolpath.

As has been said it's hard to offer concrete help without seeing the file.