How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

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garymkrieg
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How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by garymkrieg »

Doing a multi-day carve where the first roughing carve removes the majority of the surface of the material that I measure the Z zero from. That means that day two I will have no way to measure the Z zero height. Looking for tricks or tips on how to handle that situation.

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gkas
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by gkas »

Use one of the corners that's a clamping spot. Don't remove the clamp, just use the uncut surface. Just add another 1/2" of material. The other choice is to make your Z-Zero spot the spoilboard, not the surface.

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TReischl
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by TReischl »

You can also use a block off to the side that you have milled to the same thickness as your original workpiece. A reference surface if you will.
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JoelWeisbrod
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by JoelWeisbrod »

What about this (I am a NextWave Shark SD120)?
1. First day, set zero to surface.
2. At the end of the first day carve, the head should return to x=0, y=0, and z=safe height (mine is 0.5 inches)
3. Day two, do not move anything manually. Just click in the "Z" axis height, when in key a zero in the z height and then use the machine to move and the vertical axis moves to what was zero on the start of day 1.

Just a thought and maybe will help someone.

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Adrian
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by Adrian »

It's one of the many reasons I always zero to the spoilboard/table surface using an adjustable (to cater for the spoilboard being planed) touch off point just off the main cutting area.

jay pieper
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by jay pieper »

Totally with Adrian on the one, makes life so much easier.

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rscrawford
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Re: How to maintain the ability to measure Z zero

Post by rscrawford »

Most machines with limit switches will save the offset of your tool, and when you turn your machine back on and 'home' it (by touching off on the limit switches) it will 'remember' your XYZ zeros.

For those that don't have this, always zero off the spoilboard. There are very few reasons not to do this. You can measure your substrate thickness with a micrometer and use that value as your thickness, rather than setting Z0 to the top of your material. Then you can always reset Z0 on your spoilboard and have a repeatable value.
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