[rarcher2]

Hi all.

I am a total newcomer to milling, CNC and this site, so I would appreciate some help please. I have a Taig 3-axis CNC mill with Mach3Mill 3.04 software, and I need to cut PCB traces.

I'm using a slow feed, and cutting a large(ish) PCB takes a long time. The problem is I need some sleep and (more importantly) my wife hates the noise.

I noticed that Mach3 has a 'Pause' button. I pause the software no problem, but how do I make everything continue from there? My idea is to pause the software, turn off the mill and controller for a while (ie get some sleep), and then turn on the mill etc and continue from where I paused.

How do I do that?

Your help would be appreciated!

Thanks
Russell Archer
[email protected]

[TOTALLYRC]

Hi all.

I am a total newcomer to milling, CNC and this site, so I would appreciate some help please. I have a Taig 3-axis CNC mill with Mach3Mill 3.04 software, and I need to cut PCB traces.

I'm using a slow feed, and cutting a large(ish) PCB takes a long time. The problem is I need some sleep and (more importantly) my wife hates the noise.

I noticed that Mach3 has a 'Pause' button. I pause the software no problem, but how do I make everything continue from there? My idea is to pause the software, turn off the mill and controller for a while (ie get some sleep), and then turn on the mill etc and continue from where I paused.

How do I do that?

Your help would be appreciated!

Thanks
Russell Archer
[email protected]

Hit the pause button and leave the computer and controller on. F5 to shut the spindle off. Turn the monitor off. Leave the computer and the drivers on or you will loose position.
In the morning, hit F5 to turn the spindle back on and then hit start. cntrl/s

If your machine has home switches, you could shut down completely and then do a start from here after homing the machine befroe resuming cutting.

You would just need to remember which line you stopped on and make sure to turn the coolant and spindle on before restating from that line you stopped on.

Mike

[JaguarB]

I cannot help you with the problem but I am eagerly waiting on any useful replies as I have almost exactly the same problem.

Paul

[Khalid]

TotallRC gave u a very concise and easy-to-understand explanation... I normally do that when i get some problem.like...If i see my tool going to strike the holding clamp, i just press the pause button..adjust the clamp and then press the start button...

[Eclipze]

An alternative is to split up the milling tasks. So you only do a portion of the job, then load the next file. One one job has finished, you can return the CNC to a known position by the command line, such as G0x0y0z10 and turn everything off. You will likely only loose the precision of <1 step.

How big are the PCBs though? It may be you can decrease the time to mill the PCBs by using faster feedrates (including Z axis), lower tool clearance from surface, better V-tips / fast spindle RPM and using 90 degree V-tips to remove bulk areas to save time. I usually mill the copper tracks around 1000mm/min at 20,000rpm with a 60 degree bit. Z axis at 350mm/min with 2mm clearance. Sometime bump the X/Y to 1200mm/min (if I'm impatient).

[JaguarB]

I have split my 5 hour run time g-code programme into 5 x 1 hour sections returning to X0 Y0 Z5 as you suggested Turning off in between sessions so far I have only done two but I can see it will work Thank you.

[Eclipze]

Great to hear

5 hours... Wow... admittedly I only do small PCBs.
How big are the PCB's you are making?

[JaguarB]

Hello

I am not making PCBs I am hobbyist making small ( 8" x 4" x 3") 3D vacuum forming moulds, trying to fit my hobby around my job and family so I do not get long consecutive periods in my workshop. I have a micro mill (toy) that will not attain the feed speeds that you mention. Now a can do an hour each night it will help my project along.

Paul

[Eclipze]

Ahhh... no probs, I got a little confused between you and rarcher2

Vac forming certainly has a lot of appeal. One day I'II find a need for it and give it a try

[jhowelb]

Here is the way I've "paused" then restarted.

When you need to break off press "stop" and note the line number (presuming you have them, otherwise use edit to insert one) and write down the number. Go to zeros and shut down. When you need to resume set zeros to current position and use run from here. You can give yourself a few lines leeway and let the machine retrace some of it's work.

[TOTALLYRC]

The only problem with shutting down and then restarting from a line is if you don't have home switches you can be a supprising amount of when you restart. You can be a few steps off when you repower the drives.

Mike

[jhowelb]

That is why you "go to zeros" before shutting down and reset everything to zero when you start up again! :-)

[LeeWay]

This is how I do it as well. I always STOP the job and then GO TO ZERO. I remember the line number or write it down.
Then upon returning I scroll down in the code and find that line and then RUN FROM HERE. If the spindle is Mach controlled, you may have to check the box that pops up to start the spindle. You can start the coolant manually on screen too if it doesn't start auto.

[TOTALLYRC]

I find on my router without home switches, that when you go to zero's, shut down and then restart, I am always off buy just a little bit. I think it is caused by the motors cogging. If when you shut down, you are in the middle of a full step, as in the motor is several micro steps from the full step, then motors moves to a point of equilibrium. This means you can be as much as a full step or two off from where you think you are. It may not make a difference to many of us, myself included, but it could cause you problems if you are working to close tolerances.

Micro steps occur by the use of power to hold the motor between its point of magnetic balance in the unpowered state.

I realize I am not being as clear as I would like to be and I may be splittng hairs, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Mike

[Eclipze]

I would think that stopping the machine at a known position would be more accurate than referencing off the home switches. Stopping at a known position shouldn't give more than 1 full step in error, whereas re-homing relies on the mechanical repeatability of a mechanical triggering mechanism... which will vary even with temperature.