¶ Overview
The Multicam 3000 CNC Router is a machine that can be used to cut a variety of materials. It is capable of cutting wood, plastic, and non-ferrous metals. The machine is equipped with a 5' x 10' bed and a 10 HP spindle. The machine is capable of cutting at speeds of up to 1800 inches per minute.
This machine is located at the basement of the Department of Architecture, NCKU.
¶ Preparation
¶ Safety Protocols
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Adhere to Shop Safety Protocols.
¶ Tooling & Material Prep
- Bit Selection: Select the appropriate CNC bits and collets from the Raccoon CNC room based on material properties (type and thickness).
- Fastening Tools: Prepare the necessary hardware for securing the workpiece, including power drills and wood screws.
¶ Loading Tools & Workpiece
- Tool Installation: Load the milling tool into the tool cradle.
Note: Currently, only Tool Holder #6 is functional. All others are pending vendor repair.
- Workpiece Securing: Fix the first stock material onto the spoilboard. Ensure the material is secured against the spoilboard and that all clamps/screws are clear of the programmed cutting path.
¶ Power & Pneumatic Startup
¶ Power Supply (7 Locations)
Ensure the following Circuit Breakers in the distribution board are ON:
- Dust Collector
- Air Compressor
- Router
- Vacuum Pump
Turn on the following switches:
5. Dust Collector Switch (Located in the rear aisle, adjacent to the unit).
6. CNC Main Switch (Located on the side of the machine near the tool rack).
7. PC Workstation
¶ Pneumatic Setup
Water Separator Valve: Open the air valve for the CNC pneumatic system.
¶ Machine Calibration
- Homing: After power-up, perform the homing sequence: Press Shift + Go Home.
- Spindle Warm-up: Enter 6 and press Enter. Allow the spindle to warm up for approximately 5 minutes, then press Cancel to exit.
- Z-Axis Zeroing: Set Surface Z0.
- XY Origin Setup: Set Home (0,0).
¶ File Upload
Login: Use the public account (User: rccn_admin / PW: cnc).
Directory: Create a folder on the desktop using the yymmdd format. Upload your .cnc files to this folder.
Job Editor: Open the file in Job Editor. Perform a visual inspection to verify the toolpaths and tool parameters.
¶ Executing the milling
Verification: Confirm tool selection, dust collection, and vacuum pump are active.
Path Clearance: Verify XYZ origins. Use Go Home to check the starting position; ensure the travel path is unobstructed.
Feedrate Adjustment: Manually lower the Feedrate Override before starting.
Accessibility: Position the air gun within reach for clearing debris.
Software Initiation: Select File > Execute in Job Editor.
Hardware Initiation: Press Start on the handheld pendant.
Monitoring: Maintain a safe distance from the gantry. Keep the handheld pendant ready to trigger an Emergency Stop (E-Stop) or pause if necessary.
¶ During Operation
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Live Adjustments: Monitor the cut and adjust the Feedrate based on spindle load and sound.
-
Tool Changes: Re-calibrate the Z-axis zero after every tool change.
-
Material Changes: Re-verify XY/Z origins if new stock is loaded.
Warning: Periodically use the air gun to clear excess sawdust. Accumulated chips pose a significant fire hazard due to friction heat.
¶ Post-Operation Procedures
Machine Shutdown
Ensure the tool is unloaded and the gantry is parked near the tool rack before powering down.
Pendant: Return to the main menu and select Shutdown.
Power Down: Switch off the CNC machine, followed by the dust collector and vacuum pump.
¶ Cleanup
Work Area: Use the air gun to clear debris from the machine bed. Close the water separator air valve.
Waste Management: Sweep the floor. Collect all sawdust and wood chips into the designated dust bags.
Breakers: Turn off all marked circuit breakers in the distribution board.
Disposal: Turn off the external dust collector power and transport the dust bags back to the main workshop.
Material: Remove all scrap and remaining stock from the CNC room.
Maintenance & Storage
Tool Care: Remove the tool/collet assembly from the spindle and bring it to the maintenance bench.
Cleaning: Wear protective gloves to disassemble the tool head. Clean and apply a thin coat of lubricating oil to prevent oxidation.
Organization: Return all components to their designated storage slots.
Note: Failure to clean and lubricate tools will lead to corrosion and precision loss.
¶ Teach Pendant
¶ Key Functions
 Go Home |
 Feedrate Increase |
 Jog Z Up |
 Spindle RPM Increase |
 Pause |
 Set Surface |
 Feedrate Decrease |
 Jog Z Down |
 Spindle RPM Decrease |
 Start |
 Set Home |
.jpg) Move (7) |
.jpg) Jog Up (8) |
.jpg) Spindle Test (9) |
 Menu |
 Set Max Depth |
.jpg) Jog Left (4) |
 5 |
.jpg) Jog Right (6) |
 Shift |
 DNC |
.jpg) (1) |
.jpg) Jog Down (2) |
.jpg) Drive Enable (3) |
.jpg) Cancel (exit) |
 Jog Speed |
.jpg) Help(+/-) |
 0 |
.jpg) Soft Homes (.) |
 Enter |
¶ Jogging
The Jog Arrows are used to Jog the location of the spindle and to move through the menu. Jog Speed can be pressed to change the Jogging speed of the machine.
- Press Jog Speed to increase or decrease the Jogging speed of the spindle.
- Left Arrow is the Y-axis Positive Jog Key and Left Scroll Key in the menu.
- Up Arrow is the X-axis Positive Jog Key and Line Up Key in the menu.
- Down Arrow is the X-axis Negative Jog Key and Line Down Key in the menu.
- Right Arrow is the Y-axis Negative Jog Key and the Right Scroll Key in the menu.
- Press and hold Z-axis Up Jog Arrow or Z-axis Down Jog Arrow to raise or lower the spindle.
¶ Set Surface (Z=0)
The Set Surface function allows the operator to identify and set the surface of the material or the software Z reference point as the Z-axis Home (Z=0). Once set, the surface will not have to be reset unless the system is shut off or the material thickness changes.
- Make sure the vacuum pump is on. The vacuum pump will suck the material down so that the router can read the surface dimensions properly.
- Use jogging to position the tool bit anywhere over the material.
- Press Set Surface, input the tool index number if prompted. Slowly jog z-axis down until the tool bit is just touching the material surface.
- Press Enter to set the Z-axis Home position to the material surface. The spindle will retract 12.7mm(1/2") above the material surface after the Z-axis Home position is set. You should see the
Zread-12.7.
¶ Set Home (0,0)
The Set Home function allows the operator to identify the exact location of X=0, Y=0 on the material to be cut. This is the Soft Home location 0. The file that is to be executed on the table will use this location as the software reference point home or origin (0,0): the machine will begin and return to this new origin, and the X and Y coordinate locations are stored in the controller’s memory. The location of the Set Home position will be the new origin (0,0) until a new home is set or the current home is cleared by selecting Clr_Home from the Utility sub-menu. The software reference point must be the material home point.
- Press Jog Arrows to place the center of the bit over the front right corner of the material.
- Press Set Home .
- Press Enter to accept. This will store the absolute X and Y coordinate locations in the controller memory.
¶ Go home
The Go Home function is a return to the current 0,0 Soft Home and Tool Lift. The coordinates can be modified, but most operators prefer using soft homes for establishing different home coordinates during the cutting process.
¶ Move
The Move function allows the operator to enter exact values for X, Y, Z (0,0,0) where the first entry is X (length), the second entry is Y (width), and the third entry is Z (height). The X, Y, and Z values will reference from the Hard Home position until the Set Home and Set Surface functions have been completed. At that point, the X- and Y-axes will reference from the Set Home position. The Z value will reference from the surface of the material.
- Press Move .
- Enter the desired value for X using the number keypad (e.g., 4.0) and press Enter .
- Enter the desired value for Y using the number keypad (e.g., 4.0) and press Enter .
- Enter the desired value for Z using the number keypad (e.g., 0.0) and press Enter .
- Press Enter when the “?” is displayed to accept all settings and move the machine to the new coordinates.
- Press Cancel to return to the main display.
The Move function can also be used to verify a specific location. - Press Move .
- Press Enter three times to verify the current location of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes. The operator should press Enter to keep the axis value from changing when that value is shown on the screen.
¶ Feedrate Override
The Feedrate Override function allows the operator to adjust the X,Y travel of the machine and to change speeds from as little as 10% to as much as 100%. This affects the feedrate or cut speed when the cutter is moving through the material. The Feedrate Override has no effect when the machine is executing a rapid move above the material.
The cut speed will be shown on the keypad display as a percentage of the actual speed: Feed%= ###. The Feedrate Override determines the percentage by which the operator adjusts the cut speed.
- Press Feedrate Override to adjust the feedrate in 1% increments when a file is being executed on the machine.
- Hold Feedrate Override to adjust the feedrate in faster moving 1% increments when a file is being executed on the machine
¶ Spindle RPM Override
The Spindle RPM Override function allows the operator to control the RPM of the spindle from minimum to maximum levels. The spindle RPM can be adjusted while a file is being executed, and the current spindle RPM will be shown on the keypad display as RPM=####. The spindle speed will be set to the new value whenever the system receives a spindle speed command either automatically while a file is being executed or manually when the operator uses the Hot Keys.
- Press Spindle RPM Increase or Spindle RPM Decrease to adjust the spindle RPM by 100 RPM increments.
- Hold Spindle RPM Increase or Spindle RPM Decrease to adjust the spindle RPM by faster moving 100 RPM increments.
¶ Start
Pressing Start will begin a job file or execute a Cut Utility. When a file has been completed, the operator can press Start activate the replay buffer and begin the file again. Operators should never leave the machine unattended during the cutting sequence.
¶ Pause
The Pause function allows the operator to instantly stop any motion of the machine or any file. The Z-axis will move to the Tool Lift position, and the spindle will shut off. At this point, the operator can change any 2D cutting parameters or Jog the spindle out of the way to get a better look at the cut. When Continue is selected, the machine will automatically return to the position before Pause was activated and continue with the commanded motion or the file.
- Press Pause to stop the machine for any reason.
- Press Jog Arrows until the blinking cursor is over the first letter of the command to be executed. a. Continue finishes out the operation or file originally executed. b. Cancel ends the operation or file executed and shows Motion Cancelled... on the keypad display. c. Jog allows the operator to Jog the machine to any location within the table parameters. d. Params_2D allows the operator to make any quick changes in the 2D cut parameters.
- Press Enter to accept the command.