Z traveling too far above the table.

[gundog]

I ran some parts today I drew in PW and for some reason the pocket and drill paths would run about 4" above the material. I checked the material setup but it shows safe Z @ .2362" rapid clearance gap is .2362". Home position for Z is set at .7874". I can't see any reason for the Z to imediately raise to 4" above the table and then start the plunge from there it really slowed the job down. The pocket cuts did the same thing but the profile cuts were normal. The pocket cuts were done in two passes and it would raise way up between passes in each pocket. I set the material up and made all the tool paths at one time with this drawing I am not sure what happened. At the time I was cutting I thought I had the safe Z set really high but later when I checked the drawing it was like I posted above??????

Mike

[srwtlc]

Check the .sbp file itself. If it shows 4" in there, then something in the drawing or post is causing it. It sounds like the safe Z and rapid Z are set wrong. I don't know if your version of PW has it or not, but there is (may be) a setting for both clearance and plunge in the rapid Z gap area.

[gundog]

I opened the files in SB editor and I don't see anywhere it called for the Z to be higher than .2362".

I draw my parts on a lap top and save them there and copy those files on a portable USB storage plug I then copy the files off the portable USB device to the computer that runs the SB. I will look at those files saved in the SB computer I don't run them off the USB storage plug. I am thinking somehow the files got curupted but the funny thing is the parts came out correct.

Mike

[gundog]

I finally got a chance to check my file on the SB computer and sure enough it was calling for raising the Z to 3". The USB jump drive was also wrong. I can't figure out how that happened the parts came out right and I never wrote in the original file for it to raise like that. I can't figure out how just coppying and paisting a file could change something like that. I would think if the file was corrupted it would have just screwed up the whole thing. ??????

Mike

[Gary Campbell]

Mike...
Any chance that you set the "safe Z" to the 3" number in a previous file? Possibly to clear jigs or thick material?
Gary

[gundog]

Hi Gary,
Yes on a file I made one time I did use a safe Z @ 3". But that was a long time ago and the safe Z has been set much closer for a long time and I have cut many files since then without this happening. What confuses me is why just the drilling path and pocket paths acted this way the profiles paths acted normal. The important thing is from now on I will look closer at the sbp. files before cutting. I am so glad I did not ruin the material it is $$$$.

On another subject the new dust foot is so much more efficient than the old one. It is great not making such a big mess.

Thanks Mike