Jump To Line Help Please

[buckmaster1967]

Masso controller, Hypertherm cutter. Cutting out a sing on 16 gauge metal. No height controller. The table was cutting alone and it did not arc on a cut. I hit Stop . The window showed it was on Line No 13105. I hit home and changed the bad tip in the torch. Select the (Jump to Line) button. Enter the line 13105. Select Cycle Start, the torch moves to the X position. I select Cycle Start, and it moves to the Y position, It is now over the spot it needs to start the cut. I select the Cycle Start and the Z drive lowers toward the metal top, but it keeps going, diving into the metal. I can repeat the steps and enter a Line before the line it stopped on. The torch will move to that point but will still dive into the metal. What am I doing wrong?

 

[masso-support]

Hi @buckmaster1967

I don't know but I suspect you have a probing cycle in your file to set the Z height and that is setting the Z axis to the wrong position because in a jump to line the probing does not actually occur.

It is hard to tell without more information and running some tests.

Cheers Peter

 

[buckmaster1967]

Well, What info you need? What testing should I do?

 

[masso-support]

Hi @buckmaster1967

The Gcode file you are trying to restart.

Your settings file to understand how you have your machine set up.

What Masso version are you using a G2 or G3?

What software version are you running?

With that testing can be done to understand what is happening.

Cheers Peter

 

[buckmaster1967]

Thank you, I attached the G Code File. Masso Version G2, Core: v3.10 / Software: v3.44

6ft x 11ft water table, with 3Axis Nema34 Stepper Motor single Shaft 1600oz-in 3.5A &Driver 7.8A .

I had the Price Uni turned off during the cut, torch tip went bad.

 

[breezy]

@buckmaster1967

I had quick look at your gcode file and I can see that there are several G38.2 probing commands through out the file, so I suggest you find the last probe command before the "Jump To Line" point that you wish to re-commence cutting from and try to start from the M05 line that is before that probe. Hopefully when you give the third Cycle Start MASSO will probe down and start cutting with the correct height for the plasma.

I'm NOT a plasma person so I may not know what I'm talking about!

But I found that when I use JTL that things went better if I started from several lines before, from where I stopped, mainly where there was a command to raise the Z axis from the cutting position.

Regards,

Arie.

 

[masso-support]

Hi @buckmaster1967 @breezy

I have done some testing and confirmed that it is the probing cycles that are causing the issue with restarting.

Like Breezy I have never played with a plasma but here is my understanding of restarting plasma's.

Plasma's are very difficult to restart because unlike a mill which can run it's cutter through an existing cut the Plasma cannot arc unless there is metal there. If you do manage to strike the arc it is probably damaging the metal that you want to keep. Add to this the probing cycles that resets your Z axis height causing crashes and your day gets a whole lot worse.

The best option is to create a new file starting from where you want to start. Maybe at the closest point with metal so you can strike your arc. This could be done in your CAM software deleting all the previously cut lines and generate a new file.

There is another way and that is manually editing the Gcode file. Open the file in Windows Notepad and if you scroll down the Gcode and select lines at random it will tell you what line you are on at the bottom of the screen. In your case it is the line numbered N131050 I came back 1 line to N131040 as this set the Z axis height so was needed.

I kept the start of the file with the probing cycle then deleted everything down to the line we want to start at. I copied the coordinate from line N131050 to line N100 so it was probing where you will actually be cutting and saved the new file. If I got it right you can run this file from the beginning and it should continue from where it left off. I think I have it right but I cannot guarantee it so if you can generate new Gcode with your Cam that would be the best way by far.

I have attached the modified file if you want to risk it. I added an M00 just before the plasma turns on to give one last chance to check and if you are happy pressing the Cycle start will fire the plasma and after that it is Fingers crossed. If not, press escape and it will stop. I think this will work for you but use at your own risk as a lat resort. You could turn the plasma off and do a dry run of the file to see it looks right before doing the actual cut. I can see that the cut is almost finished and would hate to see it damaged but this is my best guess to get you going.

Cheers Peter

 

[buckmaster1967]

Quote from Breezy on March 7, 2020, 7:16 am

@buckmaster1967

I had quick look at your gcode file and I can see that there are several G38.2 probing commands through out the file, so I suggest you find the last probe command before the "Jump To Line" point that you wish to re-commence cutting from and try to start from the M05 line that is before that probe. Hopefully when you give the third Cycle Start MASSO will probe down and start cutting with the correct height for the plasma.

I'm NOT a plasma person so I may not know what I'm talking about!

But I found that when I use JTL that things went better if I started from several lines before, from where I stopped, mainly where there was a command to raise the Z axis from the cutting position.

Regards,

Arie.

Quote from MASSO Support on March 7, 2020, 9:11 am

Hi @buckmaster1967 @breezy

I have done some testing and confirmed that it is the probing cycles that are causing the issue with restarting.

Like Breezy I have never played with a plasma but here is my understanding of restarting plasma's.

Plasma's are very difficult to restart because unlike a mill which can run it's cutter through an existing cut the Plasma cannot arc unless there is metal there. If you do manage to strike the arc it is probably damaging the metal that you want to keep. Add to this the probing cycles that resets your Z axis height causing crashes and your day gets a whole lot worse.

The best option is to create a new file starting from where you want to start. Maybe at the closest point with metal so you can strike your arc. This could be done in your CAM software deleting all the previously cut lines and generate a new file.

There is another way and that is manually editing the Gcode file. Open the file in Windows Notepad and if you scroll down the Gcode and select lines at random it will tell you what line you are on at the bottom of the screen. In your case it is the line numbered N131050 I came back 1 line to N131040 as this set the Z axis height so was needed.

I kept the start of the file with the probing cycle then deleted everything down to the line we want to start at. I copied the coordinate from line N131050 to line N100 so it was probing where you will actually be cutting and saved the new file. If I got it right you can run this file from the beginning and it should continue from where it left off. I think I have it right but I cannot guarantee it so if you can generate new Gcode with your Cam that would be the best way by far.

I have attached the modified file if you want to risk it. I added an M00 just before the plasma turns on to give one last chance to check and if you are happy pressing the Cycle start will fire the plasma and after that it is Fingers crossed. If not, press escape and it will stop. I think this will work for you but use at your own risk as a lat resort. You could turn the plasma off and do a dry run of the file to see it looks right before doing the actual cut. I can see that the cut is almost finished and would hate to see it damaged but this is my best guess to get you going.

Cheers Peter

Thank you guys for taking the time to help me. I tried the ( G38.2 probing commands through out the file, so I suggest you find the last probe command before the "Jump To Line" point that you wish to re-commence cutting from and try to start from the M05 line that is before that probe.) The torch would still dive into the metal. I ended up going back into SheetCam and used Edit Contours to select the lines that still needed cut. I am sure there is away to use "Jump To Lime" for the plasma table, just need to figure it out. I did figure a few things out playing with the G- Code in Notes. Like I stated before, Lots to learn. Frustrating, but fun.

Thanks Rocky

 

[andyleahy]

Hi Masso,

I have a similar problem, as far as I can see here you have given no fix to the issue.

I am using hypertherm plasma. I use the torch touch function in all my cuts.

The issue is if I am half way through cutting a sheet and the machine stops for whatever reason, I try to use the jump to line function but the z axis just dives down to the work and keeps going until something breaks.

I think it has something to do with the torch touch code.

This issue is causing me an awful headache as I can t jump to line. It deems my whole system useless at the moment as it takes too much time to go back and change codes in sheetcam.

I look forward to your reply.

Thanks

Andy Leahy

 

[keymont]

I think I have it right, but cannot verify...

Peter, you might be interested in taking a look at G Wizard Editor, over on CNCcookbook.com. I was about to make a cut of a piece that was a perfect circle, but on the Masso screen, it was oblong, stretched horizontally. I didn t want to risk the wood becoming scrap, so I opened the code in G Wizard Editor and verified that it was in fact going to cut a circle. It does much more than that, but that s one of my personal examples of it coming in handy.

That, of course, leaves the question of why Masso presents a circular cut as oblong on the preview screen... are 16:9 monitors expressly not supported?

thanks,

- Mike

(BTW, I m not affiliated with CNC Cookbook, but I AM a happy customer. Bob s a pleasure to deal with.)

 

[breezy]

@keymont

Mike

That, of course, leaves the question of why Masso presents a circular cut as oblong on the preview screen... are 16:9 monitors expressly not supported?

MASSO's video output is VGA which 4:3 hence if you stretch that to fit a 16:9 monitor everything will be misshapen. Set your monitor to display 4:3 and all will be OK.

Regards,

Arie.