Owner`s manual

20 MaxMotion for Machines
Start offset values can be set up for all three axis. This is different from
the offset values in limit switch set up. Here is an example of the use of
the start offset:
Dahlgren System 1 table and some of the Scripta tables have bottom
loading chucks for the tools. The tables require upper left as the starting
position. However, the Z axis need to travel away on Y axis to get away
from the table surface in order to load and unload the tools. The tool
will go home (upper left) at the end of a job and then move away from
the table with the prescribed offset value in the Y axis. However, it will
automatically move back to the starting position and then execute the
next job. This allows the user to position the material flush to the upper
left and execute the job without making any adjustments. The whole
process speeds up significantly. There are other uses of this offset when
the Center or Top Center is selected as the starting point. More on that
later.
The lift values for the Z axis
There are three different possibilities for the lift values for the Z axis.
First, there is no need to set any value for the machines that use air
pressure controlled Z axis. There are two different settings for the Z
axis lift for the machines that have motorized control for the up and
down movement of the axis. The different values depend upon whether
there is a limit switch in the Z axis. Let us understand the two possibili-
ties:
(1) MaxMotion is controlling a machine that has no limit switch in
the Z axis or the limit switch in the Z axis is declared to be Not
Present in the Section II of the Machine setup.
In this case, the user is responsible for setting two different values for
the Z axis tool lift. One is the Start Offset value for the Z axis in the
section III of the Machine Setup. This value shall be less than the total
available stroke of the Z axis. The tool is brought over to the material to
be worked on. The user will move the tool down until it touches the top
surface of the material. When the user clicks the Surface key on the
Control Pad, the Z axis will rise to the value declared in the Start Offset
value in the Z axis of the Section III of the Machine Setup. Next Home
the tool and the machine is ready to engrave.