Pause after rapid move?

[jaker2]

I am wondering if there is a way to have my machine pause "before the next cut". I understand that I can use the "pause at the end of cut" in Sheetcam but that doesn't give me access to the most recent cut piece. I would really like to pause after the torch raises and moves to next location. This would allow me to remove cut pieces and allow compressor to catch up.

I am using Sheetcam & Mach3, Thoughts? Sincere thanks.

[acourtjester]

You may be able to put a pause code (m01) in the cut rules at the start of each cut. I have not tested that but if you have a string of cuts in you plan it may not do a you want. Only if you have each part as a start of a new cut. I will look into have later today. I have used the pause to stop things between each cut start. I do a center punch routine that will do all center punching holes then pause so I can change the amp setting before starting the next cut series.

[jaker2]

You may be able to put a pause code (m01) in the cut rules at the start of each cut. I have not tested that but if you have a string of cuts in you plan it may not do a you want. Only if you have each part as a start of a new cut. I will look into have later today. I have used the pause to stop things between each cut start. I do a center punch routine that will do all center punching holes then pause so I can change the amp setting before starting the next cut series.

Appreciate the response acourtjester. Thanks

[acourtjester]

After checking you can insert a pause but it needs to be after each parts operational action. See the attached image showing I had 4 parts and they are planned and a pause (M01) snippet was added after that part plan was created.

test g-code 2.jpg

[djreiswig]

AC, does that put the pause after the rapid move to the next part? I thought the rapid happened after the part was switched. I was thinking it might have to be done in the post processor.

[acourtjester]

it would be better if it was in the post processor, it would then act more automatically so you don't forget to add it. When I used it in the center punching routine it would pause after all the dimples were done, before it moved to do the next full cut operations. I have not used it between singular cuts as the OP wanted. My example above is placing it on each part cut plan, but unsure if it happened before or after the rapid motion.

[PlasmaDon]

I somehow changed my post on sheetcam for mach3 for using my oxy torch to do sort of what the OP wants.
I can't recall how, for the life of me though.
But it was every cut, not every part.
It was so the torch would rapid into position, and then hold for preheat, hitting start again made it continue.

[jaker2]

Thanks a ton for help here. I think I will have a look further on how to edit post processor to insert a 30 second G04 dwell after rapid or before move

function OnRapid()
dist = dist + math.hypot(endX-currentX , endY-currentY)
post.ModalText (" G00")
post.ModalNumber (" X", endX * scale, "0.0000")
post.ModalNumber (" Y", endY * scale, "0.0000")
post.ModalNumber (" Z", endZ * scale, "0.0000")
post.Eol()
end

function OnMove()
dist = dist + math.hypot(endX-currentX , endY-currentY)
post.ModalText (" G01")
post.ModalNumber (" X", endX * scale, "0.0000")
post.ModalNumber (" Y", endY * scale, "0.0000")
post.ModalNumber (" Z", endZ * scale, "0.0000")
post.ModalNumber (" F", feedRate * scale, "0.0###")
post.Eol()
end

[djreiswig]

If you want it to pause after each part, you will want to put the pause in the onnewpart sub. I think that's what it's called. The others will cause it to pause after every move or rapid, which could cause issues if your part has multiple moves or rapids.

[djreiswig]

Cross posted.
https://forum.sheetcam.com/viewtopic.php?p=31208

[jaker2]

If you want it to pause after each part, you will want to put the pause in the onnewpart sub. I think that's what it's called. The others will cause it to pause after every move or rapid, which could cause issues if your part has multiple moves or rapids.

Awesome, great suggestion and insight. Thanks!

[bLouChipBlacksmith]

great discussion. A combination of all of your suggestions solves a similar minor problem for me as well.
I had tried a gcode M1 stmt pause months ago but my grbl1.1i version did not recognize it. I wasn't aware of the nearly identical M0 pause stmt until I looked up M1 again just now and found its partner M0 stmt, which I'm happy to report does work in grbl1.1i ! To Resume the job after M0 or M1, press either the Resume pushbutton on the controller or the Play button in the gcode sender program/sw. So rather than a timed pause (G04 dwell), I can use M0 pause to manually extract my fresh cut part. But I have another use case for it also; my compressor capacity is a little under sized for 45A and 60A nozzles at 75psi, so I have to remember to manually Pause via control panel pushbutton or gcode sender sw button, but now using M0 stmt I can do some math in the scpost to calculate a elapsed runtime segments and drop an M0 in at a shape cut interval only when my compressor needs to catch up. Thanks all for the suggestions as well.

[djreiswig]

Could you possibly put a pressure switch on your compressor and tie it to an input and use it to determine if you need to pause or not? I think this could be done in mach with a macro. Not sure if grbl uses macros or not.
You would insert the macro call into your gcode in SheetCam and then the macro would check the input and if it is active, trigger the pause.

[bLouChipBlacksmith]

@djreiswig- interesting idea. I'll give that some thought. grbl has no user exit macro call, but I have many arduino inputs available if I modify grbl to poll/read them. But it may be easier than that; I may be able to put a N.O. relay contact on the grbl PROBE input and in parallel to the probe switch on the torch floating head. I'll have to test the ability to Resume after a probe alarm; but if that works, then the pause for compressor catch-up would simply be a probe alarm and occur on the next attempt to torch touchoff once the pressure switch trips.
Thanks.

[djreiswig]

Sounds like it should work. Have fun.