Machine cutting wrong

[aliciaj]

Hello, so I am finally able to play with my ShopBot again. I design the job in PartWorks, review the preview, looks good. Bring it into the ShopBot3 program. I do the zeroing plate thing. Everything looks good so I start cutting. For some reason the machine doesn't cut like the way it showed in the ShopBot preview. It cuts deeper. I'm just cutting out a simple letter shape. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong.

[gc3]

check thickness of z zero plate and z axis unit value

[Rob Gunn]

Alicia, I had the same issue with my PRT96 when I first set it up. Turns out I had a bad setting in the VU Z unit value. I ran a test file with a few different Z depths to see if there was a pattern to the issue. I found that each depth was off by a common factor. I adjusted the VU number to compensate and now all is well. Someone from ShopBot may be able to explane this better and tell you what the setting should be for your machine.

[steve_g]

Alicia

Also consider... did you design to file to be Z zeroed at the top of the material and you actually Z zeroed to the bed?

SG

[aliciaj]

Okay, I went back. I put the metal plate under the router bit and the little clamp on the router bit holder "Culet". Did the test and it still cut wrong. I did get this little asterick reading "set Vales" that what I designed is in inches. Maybe I have the machine set in millimeters. Maybe I need to re-set everything to make sure it's all in inches. It does cut the shape, but it's the depth that's all wrong. It goes around in the air a few times then jams down about 3/4" into the material. I am cutting 1/2in. plywood. Not like in the preview with the little tabs. Then it does this, "I will distroy" horizontal cut at whch I hit the stop.

[myxpykalix]

First I would call Shopbot and have them go over all your settings to make sure all those are correct.

Second go back to whatever program you are using to create your files in and make sure you are creating the file in inches and not millimeters because that might be part of your problem.:eek:

[zeykr]

Use the VD command to see if you are in inch or MM.

Use the C2 command and the zzero plate to zero on top of your spoilboard. Now enter the command MZ 1 in the command box and check if you bit is now 1" above the spoilboard surface.

If not your unit values may be off (VU command). You'll probably need to call tech support to get proper values for your machine, or re-run the setup using the UR command and choosing the type of machine you have.

Can you post your partworks file or your .sbp file so we can make sure if the trouble is within the design software or the machine.

Also give us a little info about what machine you have. Are you setting up your cut file to zero at the top or bottom of the material?

[aliciaj]

This is what I'm getting from my computor,,,,http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q14/Trklady/ShotBotFileErrormessage.jpg