turn on PC
turn on CNC
turn on dust collector
put material being cut onto table
turn on vacuum table a few minutes prior to making your cut. I've always tried to allow sometime for the table to flatten out.
download G-Code being cut
Open G-Code in text editor
verify G-Code has the spindle turn on command (it will always be within the first 20 lines of code)
modify G-Code z heights according to material thickness (test cuts are done in a single depth pass, verify depth on CNC log book)
Open Mach 3 on computer
disabled soft limits and move the machine on the z-axis
calibrate all machine coordinates
>
> Reference All = Machine Zero
> Zero All = Job Zero
re-enable soft limits
import g-code being cut
Open Mach 3 config and set safe as height to 70 (this is required ever time mach3 is opened with a file for the first time)
verify correct tooling is in the machine per the cut log book (common use tools are below the keyboard for the computer)
zero your job coordinates
set your machine spindle speed per cut log book
set your machine feed rate per cut log book
manually jog machine away from each work 0 point
press go to job zero button (this seems to prevent an issue with the machine loosing its job zero position)
set feed rate at 1%
initiate cut and watch spindle speed on the CNC's display, once the spindle is up to speed increase the feed rate to 100% (or ehat ever is required to reach the desired feed rate according to the CNC log book)
monitor CNC cut until cut is finished
type G28 command in console to home the machine
shut down all systems once all cutting is completed