Measuring Sensor Calibration

The Sharpcut’s measuring sensor calibration takes place in two steps. One for the router, and the other for the knife tool stations. The calibrations are stored separately because the router and knife stations are mounted in different locations on the tool head. This action is normally performed when a new measuring sensor is installed on the machine, or if the operator is noticing that the sensor is setting the tools too deep or too shallow. In this tutorial, we will cover the necessary steps to calibrate the measuring sensor for both the router, and the knife stations.

Section 1: Calibrating for the Router

1.1) Install a router bit. A 6mm diameter bit is recommended.

1.2) Place a piece of paper on the table surface.

1.3) Activate T1 (Spindle ON)

1.4) Lower the router towards the paper. Be sure to do this at SLOW speed. Once the bit is nearing the table, switch to incremental movements (0.01”, 0.001”) and continue to plunge downwards until the bit cuts a clear, concise hole in the paper.

If for any reason, the bit does not reach the table, disable the Z Soft-Limit by clicking on the green square next to the “Set Z Zero” button. The GREEN indicator will turn RED. This will allow the router to plunge into negative Z coordinates.

*** THE OPERATOR MUST BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE THE Z SOFT LIMIT IS DISABLED. THERE IS NO DEPTH BOUNDARY TO PREVENT THE SPINDLE FROM PLUNGING INTO THE TABLE SURFACE. IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED TO PLUNGE IN INCREMENTS OF 0.001” to 0.010” ONLY. RESPONSIBILITY IS SOLELY ON THE OPERATOR TO ENSURE PROPER DEPTH ADJUSTMENT ***

1.5) Once a visible hole is drilled, add an extra .005” of depth to ensure cut-through across the entire table.

1.7) Click “Set Z Zero”

*** AT THIS STAGE, COLEX RECOMMENDS RUNNING A TEST JOB TO CONFIRM THE NEW Z-ZERO DEPTH IS SATISFACTORY BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE PERMANENT CALIBRATION. ***

1.6) Place the measuring sensor plate on the table.

1.7) Make sure Tool 1 is active and lower the bit back to the table surface.

*** Check that the Z-Axis depth coordinate “0.00” is displayed. This step is crucial to accurate depth calibration, and must be ensured before moving on to STEP 1.8 ***

1.8) Enter “M40” into the command line and follow the prompts.

The router will now raise, move, and plunge very slowly to the probe on the sensor.

1.9) Verify the new depth by clicking “Rout. Measure” and manually check the depth.

If the new depth looks accurate, the router depth calibration is now complete.

Section 2: Knife Stations (T2 & T3)

2.1) Load a tool into T2. Use the Single Edged Universal, Double Edged, or Coroplast Knife.

*** When calibrating the knife stations, only T2 can be used. The depth setting will be applied to both tool holders (T2 and T3) ***

2.3) Lower the blade to the desired depth. Visually confirm that the tip of the blade is slightly into the mat surface (approximately –0.005” to –0.010”)

If for any reason, the blade does not reach the table, disable the Z Soft-Limit by clicking on the green square next to the “Set Z Zero” button. The GREEN indicator will turn RED. This will allow the router to plunge into negative Z coordinates.

*** THE OPERATOR MUST BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE THE Z SOFT LIMIT IS DISABLED. THERE IS NO DEPTH BOUNDARY TO PREVENT THE BLADE FROM PLUNGING INTO THE TABLE SURFACE. IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED TO PLUNGE IN INCREMENTS OF 0.001” to 0.010” ONLY. RESPONSIBILITY IS SOLELY ON THE OPERATOR TO ENSURE PROPER DEPTH ADJUSTMENT ***

2.4) Click “Set Z Zero”

*** AT THIS STAGE, COLEX RECOMMENDS RUNNING A TEST JOB TO CONFIRM THE NEW Z-ZERO DEPTH IS SATISFACTORY BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE PERMANENT CALIBRATION. ***

2.5) Place the measuring sensor plate on the table.

2.6) Make sure T2 is active and lower the blade to the new Z-zero depth.

*** Check that the Z-Axis depth coordinate “0.00” is displayed. This step is crucial to accurate depth calibration, and must be ensured before moving on to STEP 2.7 ***

2.7) Enter “M50” into the command line and follow the prompts.

The blade will now lift, move, and plunge very slowly to the probe on the sensor.

2.8) Verify the new depth by clicking “T2 Measure” and manually checking the depth.

If the new depth looks accurate, the knife station depth calibration is now complete.