How to stop Z zero at beginning of programs??

[protoguy]

Just purchased a Shark Pro Plus HD.

Was wondering if there is a way to permanetly stop the unit from moving the bit to Z zero at the start of each program?

[jeb2cav]

There is not - this is a behavior that we can't change. A long standing comment for change to NWA from many forum members (for what it's worth).

[Eagle55]

I didn't realize that others had a problem with this too. I know it is annoying for a high speed carbide bit to run up and kiss my presanded and sometimes finished material. LOL

[ohiolyons]

There is a work around that I just started using. In all my previous Shark/Vcarve/Aspire work I centered my image and therefore had the problem the previous post talk about, that little "kiss of death" at the beginning of each tool path. In both Vcarve and Aspire you can change your 0,0,0 (X,Y,Z) to anywhere. I never did this before because it is easier if your work centered on the table. What I did was offset the X,Y,Z to an area "outside" the carving area so the kiss of death occurs in a waste area of your blank.

it is a different way to think about your setup. I actually cut air without a bit first to make sure it would work!!

John

[pjmayer]

I had the same concern about the bit grazing the surface. My work around is to set the material thickness +.125 inch thicker than my actual stock. I program each toolpath with a start depth (D) of .125 inch (using V-Carve Pro). The only trick is zeroing the bit .125 above the surface of the material. I use a .125-inch-thick scrap of plastic to set the z zero.

Moving the zero off the material is probably easier, but I occasionally cut pieces that are bigger than the Shark table.

PJ