Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Emc2 beginner help please?

Brian wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> Hoping someone can help me here. I have built a router, installed emc2, done the setups, and everything seems fine, I can run toolpaths (air cutting!) and jog and all that basic stuff. But for the life of me, I can't find out how to start a toolpath at a designated point,

Assuming you are using the Axis screen GUI, you need to set the tool to
a known position and then click the "touch off" screen button, and enter
the specific coordinate for each axis. So, for instance, if you set the
cutter centered above your X=0, Y=0 point, then hit X, touch-off and
enter zero, hit Y and touch-off and enter zero. The touch-off performs
a G92 workpiece offset to align the work coordinate system to the workpiece.

Homing the machine is to allow EMC to know the machine's limits of
travel. This is very useful for two reasons. One, it allows EMC to
tell you when you load a program that it exceeds one of the machine's
travel limits, before you even start the program. This can be a real
help at times when you don't have the workpiece optimally positioned.
Also, it allows you to re-home the next day and recover your
alignments. If you have some dowel pins or whatever that mark the lower
left corner of your workspace, you can rehome and those workpiece
offsets are brought back to the same place.

Jon