Aiming Mach3 at a workpiece

[BodaciousBrian]

I'm making a piece that requires milling on both sides. To aim at the piece i have been jogging the machine around and looking at the x and y input lines on mach, and just guessing about where the middle is. This doesn't work when the piece is flipped, it needs to be fairly precise. How can i take the guess work out of finding the center of the flipped side?

Can the x,y 0,0 be changed within mach? I am looking at concentric circles(a target!) for the tool path. its just when i regenerate tool path the x,y moves back to its original spot in the tool path, which isn't the center.

For the z axis I've been putting a piece of paper down on the work piece, and jogging the z down until the paper is stuck, give it one more light tap down and setting it to 0, its usually within .002".

[Kipper]

Can you not work from a corner?....using that as a reference to pick up on when you flip?

Of course you'd have to program the flip in cam software.

Just a thought

[BodaciousBrian]

Well i do start with the corner of the stock model, which is a non square hacksawed piece of aluminum. Its a round piece. The problem is if i start at the bottom left corner, and i flip the piece along the x, then the the corner i started with is now at the top left, making the center of my piece........

Ever realize that your a total moron in mid-sentence? It's a logic problem that to the I failed! Flip along the x axis, rotate 90 degrees. That maintains the 0,0 point =P

I can also readjust my fixture so that the square corner is the one lined up to the fixture, and the 0,0.

[Kipper]

Originally Posted by BodaciousBrian Well i do start with the corner of the stock model, which is a non square hacksawed piece of aluminum. Its a round piece. The problem is if i start at the bottom left corner, and i flip the piece along the x, then the the corner i started with is now at the top left, making the center of my piece........ Ever realize that your a total moron in mid-sentence? It's a logic problem that to the I failed! Flip along the x axis, rotate 90 degrees. That maintains the 0,0 point =P I can also readjust my fixture so that the square corner is the one lined up to the fixture, and the 0,0.

Ah and you thought "I" wasn't a retard eh I've ruined many thousands of £'s worth over the years

Plenty of other ways to do stuff too!