• Principle:

During setup or while using your foam cutter, you will need to displace the axis precisely. A hand crank may be enough but when the stepper motor is powered the displacement is quite difficult. This menu allows to an intercative control over the axis displacement. It allows to setup the zero position of your machine.

• Menu:


The arrows allows to move the wire over one axis (X or Y), or even both. If both axis are synchronized (check the option), then both sides of the machine are going to move.
If you press continuously over one of the arrows, the software will drive repetivly the stepper motor (around 1 revolution in 2 seconds).

The speed cannot be faster because the program have to cope with all the graphical interface handling, through Windows, between to consecutive steps. When using the nromal displacement mode, the software precompute a list of displacements which are then executed by the driver whithout any operator intervention.
 

The displacement values could be negatives in ordr to activate an axis in reverse direction.

Last thing, the time between step entries allows to adjust the displacement speed. The value of this filed is identical to those set in the window  CNC:[Configuration]. 

• Steps:

Zéro setup:

1. Setup your axis in order to bring the wire in the desired position,
2. Push on the validation [Set Zero] button
3. Continue with further configuration.

Displacement speed setup and minimum time between two steps

First you have to setup the fieds 'steps per revolution' and 'screw lead' in the CNC[Configuration] menu.
Initally, you should keep the default program value for 'minimum time between steps'. These times have to be determined. Roughly, they are dependant on the motors and trolleys mechanical installation.

In order to proceed to the determination of these parameters, you should use the 'zéro arc' menu. In this menu, with the arrows buttons (and mouse !), first insure that X and Y trolleys are moving in the correct directions.

• First calibrate (simultaneously) the left and right Y trolleys (smaller displacement range than X). In the left axis and right axis Y(mm) boxes, first ask for 10mm displacements (L Ymm 10 and R Y mm 10).In the motor speed window, keep the program default Y(ms) = 5 ms. Then when you click on the 'Move' button, both left and right trolleys should rise from 10mm. Check with a ruler.
• If everything goes right, your wire should be 10 mm above the table. You can check it again with a second click on 'Move' button: Now your wire should be 20mm over the table reference plane. If so, your machine can probably go faster.
• Reduce the Y(ms)  time between step (let say 4.5 ms). Then click again on 'Move' and check the position (30 mm above table). If on one side of the table (or both) the expected displacement is not reached, this means that a motor is loosing some steps (control too fast). In such case, increase delay between steps.
• Once the fastest speed is determined on Y axis (keep a margin if you want to be sure not to loose steps), check it once more with the whole displacement range of the trolleys, as some hard spots may exist, and in both up and down directions. Note that the test is valid only if you are actually driving a wire.
• Repeat the operations for the X axis trolleys:
• For your future wing foam cut, a cutting area marked with scales in X and Z may help. Evenly spaced lines (every 10 cm for instance) may be drawned directly on the table with a pencil. This will also ease X axis speed calibration. Otherwise, use rulers or try to find graduated paper sized to your table.
• In order to calibrate X motors, use the same method than for Y axis, using 100mm displacements for instance and check with your graduations. To insure correct results, scan the whole range of the table, in both directions.
• Final choice of parameters values: use the same values for both X and Y axis, using the speed of the slowest of all four trolley, plus 0.5 ms to keep a security margin.
• Check that the values are installed in the CNC[Configuration] window (fields 'minimum time between steps').