Problem with conforming centerline

[Lloyd]

I have just had a fatal z axis stall after carvingI a five hour carve region. There was to be center line text within the carve area. Is there any way to change the pattern so as not to have to spend another five hours on a carve region that is all ready done?

[Digitalwoodshop]

There is the OLD Un SAFE way to do Centerline Text in a Carve Region.

So you already have the Carve Region Cut. IF it is FLAT this will work.....

You delete the Carve Region on the mpc and set the machine to ask you to jog it to the Bit Position. With NOTHING ELSE in the project mpc you drive the head to the carve region and let the bit do it's board touch inside the carve region... Then run just the Centerline Text mpc.

The DANGER is if the machine does not lift the head up enough it can TRIP over the edge of the Carve Region and SNAP your Z Truck.

OR... Carve the Whole thing over.... Including the Carve Region....

OR.... You could have a problem with the Rock Chuck and the Bit is too short.... You did not say what chuck you have...

OR.... It could be Dirty Z Rails or Belt and the Bit could not reach the Bit Plate OR Work area...

AL

[Lloyd]

It's the carvetight chuck. I was using a 60 degree bit. The carve region is .25 inches deep.
I will try your first suggestion in the morning and keep a close eye on it. hopefully if it starts to hit the lip I can stop it in time.

[Lloyd]

Just tried removing the carve region and just carve the text, no luck. It just kept asking for the 60 degree bit , then I changed the thickness of the board to 1/2 inch, same results. Tried it with the conform box checked and unchecked no difference. I also cleaned the z rails.
So I guess I will start the carve over and see what happens.

[Digitalwoodshop]

IF you removed the carve region then the carving bit would not be needed and the V60 will be the first bit asked for... As in that is the bit that will cut the text... Once you designated the Text as Conforming Text it might have changed... You may need to place a 2nd V60 text over the first one and delete the first one...

AL

[Lloyd]

Thanks for the advice. It didn't seem to make any difference what I did so I am going to reformat the card, reload the machine logic and try again. This time I will use normal instead of optimal and just air carve, I don't think there is much difference in the text or cut path between normal and optimal. Hope it works if not I will start with a new board and try again.

[ktjwilliams]

If ur gonna air carve the carve region, select the 3/16 ths bit,,, it will go much faster...

[fwharris]

If ur gonna air carve the carve region, select the 3/16 ths bit,,, it will go much faster...

Great tip!

[cnsranch]

This will work......

Delete all but the text. When the machine asks for the 60v bit, place it in the machine, but make sure the bit is set .25" shallower than where the bit is usually set (the depth of the Carve Region). Allow the machine to measure the bit's length, find the board surface, etc. (make sure it is touching down on the un-carved part of the board - touching down inside the Carved Region is what's messing you up). Right as the machine spins up to carve the text, open the cover (or press stop, then open it), replace the bit with one that's .25" longer than the one the machine measured (or with the CT, adjust it to that length), close the cover, press enter, and let it go. The machine thinks it's carving at the proper board surface, but it's actually carving .25" deeper due to re-setting the bit.

I did it this way many times before we had Conforming Vectors.

[Lloyd]

I wish I had read this before I started again. Just got home from work and started the machine going, then I started reading this. Oh well I will see what happens, if this doesn't work I will try the other tips.

Thanks everybody