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- Turn on or verify that the compressed air is on as indicated in the photograph.
- Turn on the Vacuum
- Turn on the CNC knife (The on/ off button is on the west(laser cutter) side of router. It takes 2 minutes to boot up)
- The control panel is located on the side of the router.
All commands are written in a shorthand that can be explained as follows:
F31.1, OK, OK means that you would type in F31.1, then press the OK button on the top right of the panel, and then press it again for the next prompt. - Once fully booted up, the panel will display "Seek G54 origin?" Press OK (this will find the machine origin)
- Enter command F31.1, OK, OK (to activate the oscilating knife tool (T1))
- If you need to change the blade (Only staff are permitted to change blades)
- Use command F42, OK, 180, OK (to rotate shank for blade install, 180 degrees)
- Use command F42, OK, 180, OK (to rotate shank for blade install, 180 degrees)
- Using the valves below the table, Turn the proper vacuum quadrant(s) on or off. (If your piece only occupies one or two quadrants, it is best to turn the other quadrants off for a better seal)
KEEP HANDS CLEAR OF BLADE DURING THE NEXT STEP - Take a paper towel to wipe down the metal head of the blade so oil won't splatter on your material.
- Zero the Z axis
- F24, OK, OK (Tool will now turn on)
- *There are three speeds at which the z axis will move during this or any command. You can toggle between them using the +/- button.
- Fast - for getting 1-2 inches above the bed (WARNING: If you move this down too fast and hit the bed, you will break the knife blade.)
- Medium - rarely used, nearly identical to Fast
- Slow - to come closer to bed than 1-2 inches
- Step - for final adjustments to bed top
- Using the z+ and z- buttons, move the tool in the z direction until it just cuts a piece of regular printer paper (see video). The paper test should only be done with a piece of paper - not with other materials.
View file name IMG_1721.MOV height 250 - After the paper test is successful, press OK to zero the z axis to the current position (Tool should now turn off).
- "Set knife?" No
- F24, OK, OK (Tool will now turn on)
- Changing the xy origin
- Use the arrow keys at #2,4,6,8 to position the x-y location of origin.
- Once the knife is at the desired new origin, press F10, OK
- Insert USB directly into the console (west side of router, to the right of the start button)
- Hit the folder button on the control panel to open file saved in "Jobs" folder of USB
- Push green button at the bottom to start
- "Start?" OK (The tool will now turn on, move to it's first position, and begin cutting)
- To turn off:
- Remove USB
- Turn off CNC knife (on button west side of router)
- Turn off the vacuum pump by rotating the switch on the wall adjacent to the laser cutters.
- Turn off the compressed air valve.
TIPS:
-If not cutting continuous vector: go to Edit tab and choose Fit Curves to increase speed and to cut continuous vectors. (screenshots and more details pending)
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-Make sure to match your origins when prepping your file.
-Here is a link to some of the functions for the CNC knife: https://www.axyz.com/us/functions-en/
-If knife is not cutting along its sharp edge (ie. cutting 90 degrees to it) use the following series of commands to solve:
- Enter command F822
- Hit OK for Tang RPM without changing anything
- Hit OK for Lift Angle without changing anything
- Hit OK for REVS without changing anything
- Hit YES for reset OSC knife
- Use the CCW and CW buttons to rotate the knife until the blade edge faces towards the back of the bed and perpendicular to the gantry arm
- Hit OK
- Hit OK for Knife Offset without changing anything
- Hit OK for Twist Radius without changing anything
- When it asks Knife at +90? hit YES if knife edge is facing east wall of room (closest to knife cutter) and NO if it isn't
- Hit NO for test knife
-Make sure to match your origins when prepping your file.