I'm a HS shop teacher, I have limited CNC experience, but not foreign to machining. We just took delivery of a 3 axis CNC knee mill with the Acu-RIte MillPWR G2 controller. We are trying to use Fusion360 to program motion, but I'm struggling with tool height and offsets. This might not be the correct area to post this thread, but since my work is starting in fusion, I thought maybe the problem i'm having is starting there too....
I set up tool heights in the controller, built a tool table, then essentially copied the tool table into fusion. drew up a simple part (4x4x.5 plate with a facing and a simple square pocket) preview and heights in the fusion simulator went flawlessly. post process, load the g code into the millPWR console, set a false zero an inch above the part, ran a graphic only test run, where the face mill dives into the part, rapids over to the starting position, raises the tool, then plunges, ramps, and completes the facing operation at the "correct" height.
then i did a dry run at the same Z zero, with no tool. The physical motion program matched what the graphic only test showed....looked through the code, there is nothing that commands Z to any height below zero until after the table rapids over to the plunge position for the facing op. the same is true for the pocket with a tool change.
I then found that the MillPWR G2 doesn't accept tool height from the g code, only draws that info from its own tool table. Fusion needs a tool height. I'm now lost
thank you for any help and experience you can offer