Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

Thanks for filling in the blanks Shawn. Not going to have time for a video today, but here's a modified version of the old M6/mfunc6.mac that I posted previously. I ran through the various scenarios on my machine, and it works well. The prompts may be too much, but they can be edited or commented out as desired. Test and run well above the surface to be sure it works before committing to a job. You can run it as a normally loaded job to test, but rename to mfunc6.mac and drop it in C:\cncm for general use. Your job files need to have a tool change command (T#M6) in it for each tool change to call it up.

Since you're not using a touch plate to set the Z on your part/table, it doesn't matter if you leave subtract plate height in the wizard. Attached is my Fixed TT wizard page.

Once I get this activity working I will definately use a simple touch plate. I don't have one now. Setting part zero will be much easier. I have never used one before and I think it is just a simple conductive plate. What do you guys use?

Leo Voisine wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 4:23 pm Once I get this activity working I will definately use a simple touch plate. I don't have one now. Setting part zero will be much easier. I have never used one before and I think it is just a simple conductive plate. What do you guys use?

KP1 probe and Z-Finder TTO

Uwe

Leo Voisine wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 4:23 pm Once I get this activity working I will definately use a simple touch plate. I don't have one now. Setting part zero will be much easier. I have never used one before and I think it is just a simple conductive plate. What do you guys use?

Once you buy a movable tool touch off you'll have to go through all this headache again to reset your system to do it the conventional way the software is set up for. You really like to do things the hard way huh?

I use two identical tool touch off devices with optical sensors in them. They are very low profile and they work great. One is fixed and one is movable. I would never use just a conductive plate, you can easily ruin very expensive router bits with them.

https://topcom.cz/products/digz/digzfix/

I understand Shawn's concerns with a conductive plate, but it doesn't get any simpler than this. Been using it for 24 years, and never chipped a tooth. Yeah, it's got some user induced marks on it, but no bits were harmed, just the soft aluminum plate. Honestly, as long as your approach feed rate is slow, you can't feel it touch off. Maybe someday I'll get a fancy one.

Sword wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 5:27 pm I understand Shawn's concerns with a conductive plate, but it doesn't get any simpler than this. Been using it for 24 years, and never chipped a tooth. Yeah, it's got some user induced marks on it, but no bits were harmed, just the soft aluminum plate. Honestly, as long as your approach feed rate is slow, you can't feel it touch off. Maybe someday I'll get a fancy one.

I have a similar device with a wooden handle in my kitchen

Uwe

Wood isn't conductive though!

Spatulas do work as conductive tool touch offs but they can damage tools if you don’t set up your machine correctly and you don’t know what you are doing. O flute bits are the easiest bits to chip on a spatula. For the larger surfacing bits you can just use a frying pan.

Just don't use the Teflon coated ones!

PTFE is a nice dielectric, low leakage and handy at high frequencies. Not ideal for conductive touch surfaces, that's for sure.

You guys are making me wish I had an insulation tester to try on some wood.