So I've got a Sabre 404. I do not have the proprietary Gerber ART Path software, but I understand that this machine will run G-Code. I have started with a freeware that generates the g-code from a model. I am sending this g-code to the router via the command line.

For example:
c:\> TYPE filename.nc > COM3

This works. To an extent. When I select the incorrect postprocessor format, it errors out and will not start. When I select what I think is the correct postprocessor format, the router will run, but it is not doing what I need it to do. I selected a simple shape with not much going on, but here's what happens when I hit start after setting the home position:

1) It starts the spindle
2) It runs the spindle into the workpiece.
3) It seems like it is running deeper into the workpiece than it should be.
4) I get a table bounds violation error for the X axis on the remote keypad

I have read through the g-code, but do not see anything where the X goes under 0 or over 12, so I'm really not sure where the problem is. So a few questions:

1) Should the g-code be in metric/meters, such as .00003937 meters instead of 1 inch?
2) Any advice for what to include in the g-code at the beginning of any files used on this machine?
3) Does anyone have a sample g-code program for a small item on a Sabre 404 or a 408 that you know works on your machine that you might be willing to share?
4) I would be interested in what an ART Path program completed file would look like as well, if anyone has one of those that they would be willing to share.
5) Can anyone expand on the Z-axis initialization at setup on this machine? Should I do the table initialization or should I do the work piece initialization? I have done both, as the manual states that initializing both the table and the work piece will allow it to know how thick the material is, but I don't know if that makes a difference in a program that is not generated by ART Path. I also don't know if this is the problem that I am having with the program that I am trying to run.
6) Regarding the Z-axis initialization, wherever I do the initialization, I hit the button to accept the point it is currently sitting at and it will then move the spindle up about an inch. Is that the correct function? It does not say one way or another in the manual.
7) I know that there has been quite a bit of discussion of different programs that can be run on this, but I would like to first make sure that the basic functions work. Anyone know of a freeware version of any software I can use to verify functions?

Any thoughts on this are quite appreciated.