Zund Cutting Guide - Harvard GSD Manufacturing Lab (2023)

This page:

As with laser cutting, vector-based 2D drawings are used to define where the machine will cut. The depth of cut is specified in the Zund software and can be assigned to the geometry of each layer.

There are different types of tools that can be used with the Zund cutting system. GSD offers the following options:

Universal Drawing Tool (UDT): for drawing lines with a pen.

Universal Cutting Tool (UCT): For most cutting operations

Electro Oscillation Tool (EOT): For soft materials like cardboard, foam or rubber.

Pneumatic Oscillating Tool (POT) – Same as EOT but with longer blade stroke and faster oscillation for thicker materials.

Powered Rotary Tool (DRT) - For fabrics and fabric-like materials.

V-Cut Tool (VCT): For cutting chamfers and V-cuts in foam cores less than 1/2 inch wide.(Not shown above)

There is a wide variety of blades for any given tool, but the material presets are generally set such that blade changes are extremely rare. Only TAs can switch knives.

Milling Module (RMA) - For 2.5D milling Aluminum, thick plastic and other rigid cardboard materials.

The router has the following tools:

R-118A: 0,236"⌀1.06" milling depth (for foam)
R-133A: 0,1186"⌀0,433" x Frästiefe(for cutting wooden products, rigid foam)
R-136A: 0,236"⌀0,866" x Frästiefe(for cutting wooden products, rigid foam)
R-141A: 0,401"⌀x.157" milling depth (V-shape drill for chamfering upper edges)
R-202A: 0,076"⌀ x 0.23" routing depth (for plastics, wood, aluminum,Aluminum/plastic laminated panels)
R-204A: 0,156"⌀ x 0,55"milling depth(for plastics, wood, aluminum,Aluminum/plastic laminated panels)
R-205A: 197"⌀0,63" x Frästiefe(for plastics, wood, aluminum,Aluminum/plastic laminated panels)
R-206A: 0,234"⌀ x 0,86"milling depth(for plastics, wood, aluminum,Aluminum/plastic laminated panels)
R-208A: 0,118"⌀ x 0,31"Milling depth (only for aluminum/plastic composite panels)
P-201A: 0,217"⌀0.63" reaming depth (for acrylic polish)
E7-A: 60 degrees x4.7mm milling depth engraving drill bit
E8-A: 40 degrees xEngraving cutter with 7.5 mm milling depth

The type and thickness of the material will dictate which cutting or engraving tool to use.

suitable applications

The Zund is ideal for cutting materials that cannot be cut with a laser cutter, such as plastics and synthetic fabrics or foam rubber that emit smoke, highly flammable materials such as foam core and cardboard, or cutting materials larger than the size of the laser cut base . It may be suitable for milling smaller sheet metal that would be difficult to assemble on CNC machines, as well as materials that may require additional setup on CNC machines, such as B. soft metals (aluminium, copper, brass, etc.) and thick plastics. , such as acrylic sheets or expanded PVC, but their three-dimensional capabilities are limited.

Another benefit of Zund is that there are no burnt edges on the materials as it uses blades and does not generate heat like laser cutting.

Zund can also be used for more unusual materials for specific projects, such as: B. wax, wire mesh, corrugated cardboard, plastic film, fabric, foam and felt.

the ignition isNOfor use with materials that can easily be cut with a laser or CNC cutter, or simply time-savers such as foam core rectangles that can be cut by hand. The Zund cannot handle material larger than 1 inch under most circumstances and generally cannot handle more than 1/2 inch with most blades.

the ignition isNOprimarily a router and should not be seen as an alternative to AXYZ or Onsrud routers for routing work. The router is only used for approved projects and under the supervision of FabLab employees.

~~A complete list of usable materials is available in the cuttmp folder on the GSD server.~~If the desired material is not on the list, work with a TA to define a new material process based on similar materials or run a series of tests on the material. You must provide enough sample material for testing.

Because the movement of the blade exerts force on the material as it cuts (unlike a laser cutter), smaller details may not come out as clean or detailed as with a laser cutter. In general, Zund is better suited for larger resources.

Milling does not require entering the drill diameter offset into the file, Zund will automatically apply the appropriate offset and mill along the outside or inside edge of the specified vector, not towards the center.. ENGRAVE cuts through both open and tight turns. The path (open and closed curves) will cut on either side of the curve using the tool radius as the offset. An option in the crop parameters for "in" or "out" controls this; Notice the cut direction in the cut editor or the dotted line in the center of the cut.

Access

Students can submit work requests and book up to 60 minutes a daythe app, reserving only the time slot visited by AATT. Students may request after hours time off through this system, but this time must be reserved by a TA. End-of-semester 120-minute limit, full usage, plus 60-minute daily limit.

Opening hours are usually from 10:00 to 17:00. From 10:00 am to 10:00 pm daily, Fridays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sundays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm or according to the availability of the team each semester.

File organization/preparation

Accepted file types:

EPS/AI (which is better)

DXF (has an issue with curves, possibly preserving layer order)

HPGL

Use layers to organize and assign a machine feature to geometry.Namethe shift corresponding to the desired machine operation. The order of levels also determines the order of operations, use the following order of operations as a guide:

cutting methods/operations

Record
- Register uses the camera's detection of media edges or printed features to precisely align the file to the edges of the media. (Visual alignment of a laser beam can also be used instead of the camera.)
- If using rectangular material, shape the material to match the edges of the material (useful for multiple features cut from a piece of material).
- Dots or the center of other small features can be used to tell the machine where to find 1/4 inch diameter black dots printed on the paper.
- (The file's X0 and Y0 axes can also be used to tell the machine where the right and leading edges of the media meet.)
- If a layer containing geometry is imported as a registration layer, or another layer is converted to a registration layer, the geometry will no longer be visible, but it will still be present, represented by the offset from the origin.

To pull
- Drawing is an operation using a pen to draw curves.
- Vectors (open and closed).
- fills/hatches.

punctuation
- Scoring is a knife cut that partially penetrates the thickness of the material (a specified depth or percentage).
- It uses vectors (open and closed).

Cut
- Shear is a knife cutting action that cuts through the thickness of the material.
- It uses vectors (open and closed).
V cut
- V-Cut is a knife operation using only the VCT, with the blade cutting at an angle ofboth sidesof curve The angle must be physically configured on the tool and specified in cutting center applications.
- Use vectors (open and closed).
bevel cut
- V-Cut is a knife operation using only the VCT, with the blade cutting at an angle ofone pageto curveThe angle must be physically defined on the tool and specified in cutting center applications.
- Use vectors (open and closed)

Grab
- Engraving is a router cut that workspartiallyon the thickness of the material (a specific depth or percentage).
- Vectors (closed).
  - Create separate layers for the shapes where you want the tool to be on the inside rather than the outside of the tight curve.
- Open vectors are cut with the tool following the curve as the centerline.
rota
- Route is a router cut that goesthroughthe entire thickness of the material.
- Vectors (closed).
  - Create separate layers for the shapes where you want the tool to be on the inside rather than the outside of the tight curve.

Set up layers correctly in Illustrator and Rhino

Files should be clean and have as few checkpoints as possible. Check the file for floating control points or unclosed geometry or shapes. When converting from Rhino/AutoCAD to Illustrator, make sure the resulting geometry is completely correct, as some changes may occur during export.

Zund does not read lineweight or color, editing operations are assigned by layer names.

If there are multiple layers with the same characteristic, do not label them Cut 1, Cut 2, etc. Simply label all layers with the desired characteristic and the Zund software will automatically number them in sequence.

Layer-Alias

There are many "aliases" for each operation, representing the range of acceptable designations that Zünd can interpret.

"Login" can be marked as follows:camera, plate, plate, points,record, record, registration
"Tie" can be denoted as follows:draw, draw, mark, pen, mark, pen, lines, lines, line, line
The “score” can be denoted as follows:Mark, Mark, Engrave, Engrave, Cut
"Cut" can be characterized as:cutting, straight cutting, continuous cutting, continuous cutting, contour cutting,CourtOutlineCorteCompleto,CutContourFast, CutContourSlow,Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut
"Recording" can be identified as:CutContourEngraving, Engraving, Engraving, Engraving, Engraving
"Path" can be denoted as follows:Router, CutContourRoute, Route, Route, Router, Routing

Import into Cut Editor, Send to Paste

Import files into editor, assign material type, thickness:

Carefully measure the material with calipers and enter the value in the Thickness field at the bottom of the Select Material and Thickness window. It is recommended that you do thisNOchange other settings, materials or parameters.
- To use the tweezers, fully close the jaws and press the power button. If the display does not show "0.000mm", press "ZERO" to reset the calibrators. Use the thumb wheel to open the jaws, then close them fully on the edge of the material. Take measurements at multiple locations in the inventory to ensure accuracy. To see:Step by step tutorial on how to use calipers
- If your desired cut material is not listed, ask a TA what a reasonably similar material would be, or work with one to define a specific material process for your target.

Assign methods to the geometry.

Double-click on the levels/methods listed on the right and select the appropriate method for each.
Either select the geometry, then right-click and select an existing method used in the file, or assign a new method type.
The layer/method order determines the cutting order/operation the machine performs.
- Register as the first method
- Geometry on "none" levels/methods will do nothing on the machine
- Cut inside shapes or draw before cutting larger perimeter pieces.

Save and send to queue, tThe file will appear in the edit queueSoftware.

Double-click this job to open the file in Cut Center to assign tools and cut depths to each method, run test cuts and simulations, and set reference positions.

hardware

vacuum gaps

Maximum cutting size is 98.3" x 52.3"

Porous cutting area pulls vacuum and traps non-porous materials.

Can be zoned (running from the front of the machine to the back, starting on the right side and moving to the left) to increase grip on the required section.

Starts automatically when work starts, can be set to automatically adapt (tightly) to the material.

It is better to check the tension before starting work (turn on the vacuum on the cutting center and try to move the material).

Adjustable power (1-10, most materials default to 5 to minimize noise)

"Cover" unused areas, but within the length of the zone, with cardboard or scrap paper to increase adhesion.

If you are cutting porous materials, cover them with a thin, non-porous material such as taffeta.

seal handle

Must be used when routing or recording. Make sure the console display shows "Overlay On" so the machine knows the stamp is in use.

Camera

Used for material borders and 1/4 inch dot registration.

If the camera doesn't capture the edge of the material, you can adjust the lighting and brightness/contrast/etc. adjust. right-clicking the live stream from the camera during the registration step.

Module

Hold the tools. There are two universal tool holder modules and a milling module that must be connected before milling work and removed again immediately after. Tool changes are performed by removing and installing the desired tools in the tool holder modules.

Make a tool change

Tool

Universal Drawing Tool (UDT): for drawing lines with a pen. Useful for labeling parts.
Universal Cutting Tool (UCT): For most cutting operations. Use different stakes. Does not wobble, pulls the blade over the material.
V Cut Tool (VCT): For cutting angles in soft materials. As this tool pulls the blade through the material, it is not suitable for very thin materials as it lifts the material while cutting, nor for very thick materials as the material starts to pinch instead of cutting. 1/8" - 3/18" foam core is a reasonable material choice for this tool.
Electric Oscillation Tool (EOT): For soft materials such as cardboard or foam core. Good if the UCT pulls excessively or deforms the material.
Pneumatic Oscillating Tool (POT) – Same as EOT but with longer blade stroke. Well, with thicker materials, the EOT has trouble cutting cleanly. The POT cuts a little cleaner than the EOT, but since it's pneumatic and runs on the same compressor as the Onsrud and Woodshop air connections, it can't be used while the others are running. Use POT only if onsrud is not currently working.
Powered Rotary Tool (DRT): Uses a rotating circular blade. For fabrics and fabric-like materials. Minimizes the force acting on the material, but has the most overcut due to the geometry of the knife.
Milling Module (RMA): For milling or engraving materials that cannot be cut with a knife. Use cutters whose diameter can also limit the depth of cut. Small parts may require bridges to maintain connection with the surrounding material while cutting.
CTT
PTT

Cutter (knife and strawberries)

Many knives with different geometries are available for use in tooling, depending on the application.

console

The console controls the slicer directly without going through the software. The console is mainly used for tool changes, turning the machine on and off, and switching between online and offline modes.

The gantry can be controlled manually with the scroll keys and quickly moved with the Shift key pressed.
Vacuum can be turned on and off by pressing the Shift and VAC buttons.
Pressing the drive or STOP button during a cut will pause the job and raise the tool until the online button is pressed, which will continue the job.

light barriers

The Zünd has safety features to prevent injuries during operation. The main feature is a series of "light barriers" that protrude from one end of the gantry to the other, in front of and behind the cutter. If these beams are broken by someone entering the work area or if a piece of material is unexpectedly lifted, the mower will stop working immediately. The LCD display will indicate that a photocell has been activated and will list which barrier has been breached. To continue after everything is cleared from the table, press "OK" and then "ONLINE" to resume editing where you left off.

While the light barriers provide a soft stop, the four red Emergency Stop buttons at each corner of the machine are a hard stop. If an emergency stop button is pressed, the operation will stop immediately, aborting the current job and disconnecting the tools. To restart from an emergency stop, the activated button must be turned clockwise to release it, then the instructions on the LCD must be followed. The tools will reactivate and require a restart. The job must be restarted from the PC.

If something goes wrong during cutting, e.g. B. If the material unexpectedly moves, the process can be stopped by pressing one of the gray directional buttons on the console or "ONLINE". This will bring the machine out of online mode, stop operation and lift the tool. The cut may still be streamed online once the issue is resolved.

Software

Online way

The Zünd has two main modes of operation, online and offline, which are switched by pressing the red "ONLINE" button in the lower right corner of the console. Most setup operations are performed in offline mode, such as: B. Changing tools, editing parameters and changing files via Cut Center or Cut Editor. Online mode is activated before you make cuts or switch to interactive mode through the cut center. The most common errors occur when you are not in the correct mode, but they are easily corrected by pressing the button and switching to the correct mode.

docked tail

The cut queue lists incomplete and completed jobs. The order can be changed by clicking on a header at the top of the list. We typically sort the list by date to keep the most recent jobs at the top of the queue.

After a job is completed, it is moved to the Completed Job queue in the Job Queue. Files can be accessed in the same way, double-clicking them to open them directly in Cut Center, or selecting the "E" icon to open them directly in the editor.

cut notepad

The slice editor is used to make changes to the file's geometry, including adding, deleting, moving, and scaling vectors. In addition, the starting point and cutting order of individual vectors can be specified if the automatic order specified by the program is not successfully cut.

ponte

The Cut Editor is also used to add bridges to routing jobs to ensure that dust extraction does not remove cutting features that would ruin the job and risk damaging the drill and router.

A routing file before and after the bridge. Bridges are formed during the Last Multi-Pass Depth parameter in the Machine Steps Setup window of Cutting Center and must be at least 0.02 to ensure strong bridges.

Set the order/direction/start point of a vector

When a corner or feature of your geometry is grabbed by the sheet and dragged, you can change the order and direction of each line by first selecting the Show Order and Show Direction icons. The most common cause of corner drag is when the blade approaches a sharp angle that has already been cut. The tip has no support and if the blade moves too fast it will get caught and dragged along with the blade. This is most damaging in the foam core, where the paper tears and the inside of the foam warps.

Example of risky cut. Moving off center increases the risk of tearing the edges, and an example of safer cutting is cutting into areas of greater volume.

The pink arrows indicate open contours, while the light green arrow (upper right corner) indicates closed contours.

Selecting "Reverse Direction" under Tools --> Reverse Direction switches the editor into a mode where each time a line is clicked, its direction is reversed, indicated by the little pink arrow at the line's starting point. This is most useful in situations where the blade gets close to thin or sharp objects and ends up deforming or dragging them. Moving away from the center of mass preserves sharp corners.

When selecting Interactive Order, the order of each line can be set by clicking on each line in the desired order.

geometry adjustment

Fine adjustments to geometry are made through the Numerical Geometry window, accessed by highlighting the geometry to be edited and clicking the right mouse button.

Numeric geometry can be used to translate, scale, and rotate geometry by specific values. The boxes in the upper right corner select whether the geometry is moved/resized from the center or from a specific corner.

All more complex operations, especially adding geometry, must be done in the original program, as the Section Editor lacks most of the features that make edits accurate, such as: B. the pressure function.

fillings

When using the Etch tool to remove material from an enclosed area, the toolpath must be generated in that area; Otherwise, the router will just engrave along the perimeter of the shape. Two fill methods are available: island fill and hatch fill. The island fill repeatedly moves from the outer edge until the shape is filled, while the hatch fill creates a series of parallel lines within the frame, horizontally, vertically, or at a specific angle. The drill size and overlap percentage must be set correctly in the Cut Editor to get the desired result when cutting. Using a different size tool to cut material than the one specified in the cut editor when creating the fill can damage the drill, material may not be completely removed from the area, or too much material may be removed at once. At the same time. the extent of the specified area.

cutting center

The main program used to make cuts. With Cut Center, you can assign operation methods to layers (steps) if they are not yet completed, and adjust the settings, for example, B. which tool and which blade to use. With the cut center, you can also adjust the origin offset, make test cuts, and set and test vacuum.

The main toolbar in Cut Center with the most used icons.

Some symbols such as Icons such as "Interactive Mode" are only available when the device is in "Online" mode and appear grayed out unless you are in the correct mode.

To change the operating parameters of a plane, double-click the plane to open the Machine Step Settings window. The Method drop-down menu changes the type of edit operation. The tool and knife drop-down menus change the tool to be used for the operation from a predefined list of available tools. Generally only one or two blades and tools are available per method and material to ensure the best tool is used. If the tools installed on the machine do not match any of the tools listed for the operation, the tool must be changed.

set a pattern

If no material edge or registration point is referenced, a reference point must be established. Reference points are most commonly used when using scrap or irregular pieces of material where there are no clean edges to reference and registration points have not been incorporated into the model. This point can be anywhere on the table and will move the work origin point to the defined reference point.

To set a reference point:

Make sure the device is in Online mode.
Select the Interactive Mode icon.
Use the arrow keys to move the laser pointer over the desired reference point.
Right-click and select Set Reference Point.
To ensure that the cut does not go over the edge of the material, run a simulation by selecting the Simulation icon and then Laser Point Simulation.
The laser then tracks each cut made as the job progresses. Be sure to stay within stock limits at all times.

vacuum settings

There are two main settings for holding the vacuum: the vacuum width and the vacuum strength. The vacuum level is indicated on a slider from 1 to 10 by selecting the vacuum level icon. Gap width is the width of the active gap pushed along the y-axis of the table and is indicated by the yellow dashed line on the canvas. The vacuum zones run from the width defined on the right y-axis to the back of the table. The cavity cannot be adjusted front to back along the x-axis, but unused space should be covered with cardboard or scrap metal to increase support under the material. To adjust the width, right-click the table and choose Set Void Width. After setting the width, test the vacuum to ensure the full width of the media is maintained.

'Machine Step Setup' window before assigning an operation to a cutting operation and a milling operation.

Adjustable operating parameters

Method: The type of operation to be performed. Various operations are available for each material, depending on its properties.
Name: How the layer is displayed on the right side of the screen.
Color: The color that represents the layer on the canvas.
Linetype: whether the operation is performed along a solid, dotted, or dashed line.
Slice Mode: Always set to Standard.
Tool Selection - The drop-down menu allows selection of the tool to be used during the operation when multiples are allowed.
Drill Choice - Select the drill (blade or drill) to be used during the operation.
Initialization: Where the tool records elevation from. Always aim at the base.
Safety Distance: How high above the top of the material the tool is retracted to drive. Does not need to be set by default.
Material Thickness: Current thickness of the material. It cannot be changed through this window, it must be defined in the material selection window.
Base Depth - How deep in relation to the table the material will be cut. It should never be greater than +/-.005. Adjust in small increments (+/-0.002) if the blade does not completely cut through the material.
Multi. Pass max depth: The greatest reduction the router makes in a single layer. It must not exceed 0.0500 inches.
Multi. Last Pass Depth: The depth of the last routing layer. If you use bridges it should be at least 0.0200 inch as bridges are formed from this layer.
Machining Depth: The specified depth for engraving operations.
Notch Depth - The specified depth of a notch, either in inches or as a percentage of material thickness.
Acceleration, Tool Down: The maximum acceleration the tool will go through while cutting the material, from 1 to 4.
Speed, Tool Down: The maximum speed at which the tool moves while cutting the material. Reduce speed for a cleaner cut in most materials.
Blade Offset - Offsets the cut to compensate for blade thickness (usually unnecessary).
Rate, Tool Descent: The rate at which a tool descends between steps. Must be >5 in/s for routing operations.
Router Speed - The speed at which the bit turns during routing operations. It must not be adjusted.

Orange parameter boxes mean the default settings have been changed.

On the right side of the window is a plot of the current thickness of the material along with a plot of the specified depth of cut. The red line in the milling process represents the thickness of the Sealgrip base. The alternating light and dark gray rectangles represent the number and depth of each multipass pass to be performed. The green line on the material is the safety distance.

Advanced Settings

The second tab lists advanced cropping settings. They should never be adjusted except for overcutting when less or more overcutting is desired during a cutting operation.

Overcut sets the offset of each vector's original start and end point. Some blades, particularly the wider geometry blades and the DRT rotary blade, produce significant overcut. When trimming thin elements, this overcutting can inadvertently cut those elements completely.

Some over-cutting is unavoidable when using thicker materials such as foam core, and when neat cuts are required the file should be adjusted to use the bottom of the foam core as the clean side, as that side will cut much less than the top. . .

Red tool labels and a red "Start Job" button in the cutting center indicate that the tool specified by an operation is not installed on the machine and requires a tool change.

step by step instructions

Cut/Score/Tie

Create geometry with Illustrator, AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit or any other program that allows you to export to a vector format
1. When using Rhino, be sure to export with a 1:1 model scale and not viewport boundaries.
2. Import into Illustrator to check files for cleanliness (floating control points to ensure closed shapes have no gaps)
Save the file as an AI, EPS, DXF, or HPGL vector file.
Submit jobs to the app to book time or save files to ZUNDTMP for immediate use.
Go to the CNC room (L33) where the ignition is located.
Import the file into Cut Editor, assign methods and materials and upload to the server.
Double-click the file in the job list to open it in Cut Center. If edits are needed, the file can be reopened in the Cut Editor by selecting the little red "E" icon. The editor can also be accessed from the Cut Center.
If operations are not specified by layer names, double-click the operation layers on the right side of the screen to assign a method, tool, and cutter.
When the specified tools and blades are installed in Zünd, the labels below the tool and blade images in the lower right corner of the screen are all green. If the tool is not loaded correctly, or if the tool has been changed in the Machine Step Setup window, one or both labels will turn red.
If a blade or tool was changed to a tool loaded on the machine through the Machine Steps Setup window and the labels are still red, double-click the red label to open a window where you will be asked to initialize before starting the job. This will initialize and scan the tool before making the cut to ensure the Z height of the tool is accurate.
If the loaded tools are not included in any options via the Machine Step Setup window, a tool change must be performed to install the correct tool.
After loading the tools, move the cutting head portal to the back of the table to load the material onto the table.
1. In Cut Center, select the Interactive Mode icon to directly control the gantry and move it to the back of the table using the arrow keys or clicking on the screen.
2. On the physical console, the gantry can be controlled by pressing the gray buttons at the bottom of the directional pad in the direction of travel and holding the middle button to move faster.
Load material onto the table within the marked yellow lines, which represent the maximum cut size.
Test the vacuum by pressing and holding and selecting the vacuum on/off icon.
Try to push the action. If it moves, use the slider next to the suction on/off icon to increase the suction power.
The gap width can also be set by right-clicking the desired width on the canvas and selecting "Set Gap Width". Reducing the width towards the axis increases the suction power at the relevant points.
Once the material is secure and all the correct tools are loaded, the Zund is ready to start cutting.
In general, the order of operations should be Record -> Tie -> Score -> Trim for best results.
Select "Start job" to start recording. Use the arrow keys to move the camera to the right edge of the media when using edge registration. When a green line appears over the image, press Enter or Register to scan the right edge. Do the same for the bottom edge to complete initialization and start cutting.
1. When using best fit (points) registration, first make sure that the marked areas in your material exactly match the marks in the file. Then place a "ring" sticker (near the whiteboard) over the mark on your material. The default "best fit" setting looks for rings with an ID of 0.25" and an OD of 0.5", but this setting can be adjusted for special cases. Once the decals are accurately applied, get to work maneuvering the camera around the ring. A green circle should appear over the inner circle of the sticker. If it isn't, or if the green circle is blinking, right-click the camera stream to adjust brightness, contrast, or backlight settings until the green ring is solid. Log in and continue until all points are scanned. Work should begin normally after registration is complete.

make a test cut

To check the settings and verify the quality of the cut, test cuts should be made.

Switch to "Interactive Mode" and move the laser pointer to an open part of your material that has no geometry.
Right-click on the canvas and select Set Reference Point to select the point on the material where the test cut will be made.
Right-click on the canvas and choose Test Cut Angle. Then hover over the layer operation option to do the test cut (Thru Cut, Score, Engrave, etc.).
Mouse over and select Rectangle - 1 x 1 to test cut a 1" x 1" rectangle with the settings you chose.
Zund immediately moves to the defined reference point and cuts a 2.5 x 2.5 cm rectangle.
Check the cut and adjust header height if not cutting or cutting too deep, or speed up if not cutting clean enough.

Examples of the correct depth of cut

Example of correct cutting depth: Lines should be barely visible.

Example of a very deep cut - easily visible and will snag the nail if you run it lightly across the table. Subtract from the base depth until the lines are no longer clearly visible.

Fabric/tpu DRT cut example: Depth is good, but the tool (mostly DRT) pressed or melted some of the fiber or material into the fibers of the table. The table appears heavily cut, but should not be deeper than a proper cut. Examine it closely to make sure it's just bits of material stuck to the fibers and not a cut too deep.

milling/engraving

Once the milling module is installed, bolted in and initialized, follow the steps above to determine the machining process for each step.
When going through the shops, especially with smaller parts (<6"), it is imperative to add a jumper to the file to prevent the dust collector from sucking in the small parts, ruining the part and damaging the drill and the module can mill.
To "cut" engraved sections, select the closed shapes you want to engrave and choose "Hatch Fill" or "Island Fill" to convert the outline to a filled area. If you cannot record a shape, the shape is probably not a closed polygon, especially when exporting from AutoCAD or Rhino. Check your file in Illustrator to ensure all polygons are closed with no overlapping lines or open control points.
1. To add bridges, open the file in the Section Editor, select all parts by dragging them to highlight or pressing Ctrl+A.
2. Under Tools, hover over the Bridges option and select Auto Bridges to automatically add bridges to the part or Insert to manually place bridges around parts.
3. There should be no less than three jumpers per piece, spaced so that the jumpers are attached to the piece of material that will not be cut and the cut piece is secure and cannot move easily.
In the Machine Step Settings window, specify the desired engraving depth for each engraving layer.
Configure recordings prior to routing operations.
Safety glasses must be worn before each grinding process.
Turn on the router module by pressing the power button surrounded by a circular saw on the control panel.
The Sealgrip Base must be used for all milling jobs. Make sure the Sealgrip is flat and flush with the edges of the screed, with no excessive chips on the surface that could change the flatness of the material on top.
Load your stock on top of the Sealgrip. Use as much Sealgrip as necessary to fully support the axle. No shaft corners may protrude from the Sealgrip.
Before starting work, check the operating parameters to ensure that the cut does not damage tools or materials.
1. "Maximum Multi-Pass Depth" is the maximum reduction the tool will perform while working. In the case of harder materials in particular, it should never exceed 0.025 for harder metals and 0.05 for softer plastics.
2. "Multi Pass Last Depth" is the last step of the operation and determines the thickness of the bridges. This must always be at least 0.015.
3. "Speed - Tool Down" is the speed at which the bit moves through the material. It should not be greater than 5 for very soft materials and not greater than 1.5 for harder materials and metals.
4. If you are unsure of your cut settings, verify your order with a trained TA to review your order and approve or change settings.
Once parameters are set and material is loaded on top of the Sealgrip, test the vacuum to ensure material is not coming loose. Adjust the vacuum strength if the material can move.
Make sure everyone at the table is wearing eye protection and let the CNC TAs have routes in place if they want to check for hearing protection.
Get to work. Before starting a new routing operation, you will be asked to choose whether you want to use a booster. Select Sealgrip and validate.
Work will begin. Watch the edges of the material and watch the cut carefully. If the router appears to be cutting too deep, moving too fast, or making an unusual noise, stop cutting immediately and check the cutting parameters with a TA to be on the safe side.
Constantly monitor all routing operations. If there are unexpected noises, the dust collector does not pick up excess chips, or parts are sucked in due to insufficient bridging, stop the milling process immediately using the gray directional buttons on the console or pressing one of the four emergency stop buttons. and verify settings and jumpers with a trained TA.
After each milling/engraving, the table should be vacuumed to remove any slivers of material left by the milling cutter. Chips on the table can cause material placed later on the table to be uneven, making milling and engraving operations less accurate. Harder materials like aluminum can leave chips that can become lodged in the tablecloth if not cleaned off after cutting. Next to the vacuum cleaner, on the right side of the table, there is a special vacuum attachment that works with the same vacuum cleaner that provides dust extraction. How to change your vacuum cleaner to use this accessory:
1. Disconnect the power cord, located near the bottom right rear corner of the device.
2. Remove the attached hose from the shop vac.
3. Insert the hose connected to the desktop vacuum into the workshop vacuum.
4. Plug the power cord into a wall outlet. The vacuum turns on immediately and is ready to use.
5. When the screed is clean, immediately reconnect the original hose to the shop vac and reconnect the plug to the extension sticking out from under the machine. (If the hose and power cord are not returned to their original configuration, the shop vac will not turn on during the milling process and will not remove the shavings that could jam the bit.)

Problems solution

Knife does not cut completely
1. Adjust the base depth by adding 0.002 to the base depth at a time (adding a positive number decreases the base depth to cut deeper, adding negative numbers increases the base depth and cuts shallower).Note a MAX base depth of 0.01 inch. This value must NEVER be exceeded.
The knife still does not cut all the way through, the cut is rough, or the blade has caught and carried parts of the material.
1. Decrease the Speed - Tool Down parameter to make the blade move more slowly through the material. This is often needed when oscillating tools "pierce" but do not make a continuous cut.
Knife still will not cut after reaching a bed depth of 0.01 inch
1. Cut both sides of the material (use the "Flip" working template). This works well on 1/8" particle board with a deep groove (80+%) on the top and a continuous cut on the top (back). A sharp blade is also essential and the T6 works well as long as it is. The Z16/17 are made from carbide and are a good choice, as is the Z10, but the heavier blade may require more force to cut.
2. Examine the tip of the blade. It may be damaged or chipped. If damaged, notify a TA and ask for a blade replacement.
Excessive cut at the top
1. Ask a technical assistant if using a thinner blade geometry is appropriate for your current material and thickness. In this case, change the blade and use the finer blade.
2. Cut both sides of the material just beyond the center of each side.
My material is moving/breaking under the plate
1. With very fine materials, it is important to maximize vacuum performance by covering the table as much as possible with debris. As more holes are cut into a material, the force of the vacuum weakens as air can escape through the cuts.
2. If the file contains many densely packed slices, it can be useful to specify the order and direction of the slices to ensure that the slices generally move from the center outwards and to avoid slices approaching sharp angles as they are more likely to be captured. . and pulled the sheet. The exact optimal sequence and direction of cuts is geometry dependent and varies from cut to cut. To define the order and direction of cuts, open the file in the cut editor and select these symbols<insert symbols>to show the order and direction of cuts.
  1. To adjust the direction of the cuts, hover over "Tools" in the toolbar and select "Flip Direction". When this tool is selected, the start and end points of each selected line will be swapped, indicated by the direction of the small pink arrow.
  2. To adjust the order, select the Interactive Order tool and click on the lines in the desired order.
  3. To split lines into smaller lines, force the tool up and avoid tricky corners, hover over "Objects" then "Points - Create" to add points anywhere along the line where they should be. Then right-click on the line and select "Split Contour" to split the line at all points on the line or to split closed polygons at their sublines.
3. Try adding the spring-loaded "skid shoe" of the appropriate length (8mm or 12mm) to hold the material while cutting. The 8mm can be used in the UCT and the 12mm in the EOT.
The computer went offline in the middle of my interruption and the job stopped
1. Sign in again and choose to continue working or just press the online button on the console to continue working. If you choose "Exit" or "Retry", your current job position will be lost and the job will have to be restarted.
Knife does not fall into my material/cuts at the wrong height
1. Check the thickness of the inserted material and make sure it is correct.~~Some commonly used material hot bending machines have pre-programmed thicknesses, but most materials have a range of accepted thicknesses that must be entered correctly to cut correctly.~~
The file is incorrectly rotated relative to the table.
1. Click the blue rotation arrow under Cut Center to rotate the file 90 degrees. The file can also be rotated horizontally and vertically to fit the table and material.
The blade is damaging the edge of my material trying to cut through it.
1. If you modeled your stock in Material and intend to use the material stock border, it can be helpful to select and delete the lines in the file that represent the material borders so that the cutter ignores them and you are left with the factory border. . Cutting right on the edge often causes softer materials, especially foam cores, to pill because the edges are not supported by the surrounding material.
My material lifts around my pieces amid cuts.
1. Highly deformed materials, especially foam core and veneer, are constantly trying to return to their original shape. The vacuum table is suitable for supporting large continuous strips, but the more holes are made in the material, for example during shearing operations, the less the vacuum force can withstand the bending force of the chain. When cutting these materials, avoid grouping the pieces too close together, as this leaves less material between the pieces for the vacuum to hold. In general, the wider pieces are on a sheet, the better they will hold up on the table.
2. Try adding the spring-loaded "skid shoe" of the appropriate length (8mm or 12mm) to hold the material while cutting. The 8mm can be used in the UCT and the 12mm in the EOT.
3. When routing, be sure to add bridges and ensure the thickness is sufficient to survive multi-pass steps. Thin material (such as 0.5mm/0.019in. aluminum foil) can be very troublesome and probably shouldn't be cut at the tongue. It will move and jump when the tension is released. The minimum thickness is probably more like 1/32" or 0.0312", maybe 1mm to succeed.
There is no Start Job button in the Cutting Center. (and/or) Tool images in Cut Center do not match those on the machine.
1. Close all open Cut Center windows and restart the file you want to cut from the cut queue.
2. (Explanation: Only the "active" instance of Cut Center can submit jobs to the machine. Apparently it is not possible to specify which window should be the "active" instance, but it seems to default to the first open Cut Center window, then subsequent windows cannot be "activated" without closing and restarting them all).