Sheetcam and arc leadin

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pgilley
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 11:09 pm

Sheetcam and arc leadin

Post by pgilley »

In some DXF files the plasma torch sets down for cut, then moves about lead in arc length without cutting. torch then starts cut and stops cut about lead in length before finishing cut. Works great on most files.
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Les Newell
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Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 8:12 pm

Re: Sheetcam and arc leadin

Post by Les Newell »

Could you send me a job file (File->save job) with one of these problem drawings loaded and everything set up ready to cut.
pgilley
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 11:09 pm

Re: Sheetcam and arc leadin

Post by pgilley »

Not very good with PC. Will try to send file.
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American Flag.job
(149.61 KiB) Downloaded 95 times
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Les Newell
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Posts: 3660
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 8:12 pm

Re: Sheetcam and arc leadin

Post by Les Newell »

I can't see anything obviously wrong. I suspect it is an issue with your machine. Is it the first cut that causes problems? Some machines take longer to fire the arc if they have not been cutting for a little while.

By the way I would recommend that you don't draw the lead ins manually. Let SheetCam generate the leadins for you. SheetCam has no way of knowing that the lines you have drawn are leadins so in many cases it is starting at the wrong end of the cut. Also as your shapes don't form a complete closed outline SheetCam has no way of reliably detecting which side is inside and which is outside. In this case it is cutting along the line without compensating for the cutter. That is why you get the 'Open paths were not offset' warning.

Thinking further on your problem it could be that your pierce delay is too short. In that case the machine starts moving before the torch has fired. Not all of your cuts are starting on the drawn leadin so they are effectively cutting backwards. That would explain why it appears that sometimes the cut is stopping too soon. It is in fact starting too soon but from the wrong end of the cut.
pgilley
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 11:09 pm

Re: Sheetcam and arc leadin

Post by pgilley »

Thanks for the reply. I will change the pierce delay and see. I did not do any of the drawing on this file. Came from a dxf file from a friend. When I initially cut this pattern it worked great. Just started doing some of the weird stuff after quiet some time of use. Over time I had cut several of the flags without any problem. The table cuts great on nearly all dxf files that I use.
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