Hello all, I have a 4x4 with height control and half way through a multi piece cut the machine will bottom out on the steel and it looses its Z axis. From here i have to raise the torch all the way up and reset Z. Then i go and reset the torch to steel height and hit run. Is this normal? When i raise the torch all the way up the motor sounds like a clutch breaking free and z axis gets screwed up. Is this normal?
The Z is a stepper motor, when it hits a hard stop the motor will slip, this is why we have the Reset Z function to be able to reset its coordinates to zero when it is at the top of its travel. Ohmic determines where the top of material is, if you bypass ohmic then you need to tell the software where top of material is at. When running in Auto mode it is important to also have Sample Voltage On as well.
Thank you for the response. I have all that turned on and it still does it. Its almost like it is traveling down to fast and cant react fast enough. Is there a way to slow it down? Some times i have to reset it 3-4 times before it will continue to cut and then it might happen on the very next part being cut.
If the retract mode is set to partial under Job Setup then the Z will rapid down a defined distance (as set by retract distance) before it slows down to detect the material. When you hit Reset Z at the top of its travel this defines where Zero is at, you then jog the torch down to 1 or 2 inches above the material and press Set next to Retract Position (always a negative number) setting Retract Mode to Partial as well. Your retract position defines where it will transition from rapid to slow speed to detect the material, keep in mind you want to be high enough to avoid tip ups. If you have a 4x00 then this could be an issue where you do not have enough distance between the torch and the material when it is at the top of its travel, at the top you should have 6-5/8 to the top of the slats.
