Tool Height Setting Probe - Mach3 - solution

[JAZZCNC]

Quick question - In the Auto Zero settings, can I set the tool using my height probe on the bed of the machine, put the height of the probe into the plate thickness box (41mm in my case) and then put the distance from the bed to the top of the job (Z0) in the material offset. This is more or less the same method that I have used on larger CNC machines in the past, only difference is the G54 Z offset is not used and the figure in the material offset box is used in its place. The simple auto zero button seems to achieve this but not played enough yet to see if the material offset workaround will work or not.

You know these four letters. . . RTFM.!! . . . . But here's a snippit.! (Example 2 )

" Material Offset: Use the Material Offset option to zero the Z axis to a position offset from the plate
bottom. Check the box to enable this option. If unchecked, the offset value is ignored.
Example: Say that you have g-code that cuts profiles .74” deep into a .75” thick panel, and you'd like to use
the same code on thinner material, say .50”. There are two ways to use the offset.
1) Set the offset to the difference between the material originally coded for (.75”) and the material your
using (.5”). You'd set the offset to .25”, and zero with the plate on the material. Z zero will be set
.25” above the material.
2) Set the offset to the thickness of the original material, .75”, and zero to the bed of the machine. Z
zero will be set .75” above the bed. This will allow you to cut the profiles from any material
thickness not greater than the original.
Note: Negative values are allowed for the material offset. If a negative value is used, a message will be
displayed to notify the user, followed by a 3 second pause, before the probing operation begins."

Send the £6.64 along with my consultencey fee's to RSPCA for chimps.!!