Ultimate General Purpose Tip

[TReischl]

This tip is pretty simple, and will save you hours of frustration.

Learn to read the G code programs for the machine.

An example: My machine is not cutting square. Is it VCarve? Is it the PP? Is the machine flexing?

Pretty tough to answer if you cannot read G-code. Don't worry about all the prep codes typically at the beginning of a program. There are basically 4 commands you need to understand to read G-code;

G00 - rapid G01- Linear Motion G02-CW arc and G03-CCW. In the case of the square above, all you have to be able to read is the G0 and G1. If you read the G-Code and the moves on all sides of the square are the same length, well, that pretty well narrows the problem down to machine/cutter flex or the part moving on the table, or you could have your step units set wrong in the control software.

When I have a problem I usually use my CAD program to draw out the G-codes to see what is going on. To be honest, I have never ONCE found that VCarve or the Mach 3 PP was causing the problem.

Like all people, we find it easiest to point the finger at the part of the process which we least understand.