Setting the Origin
For proper operation, the machine has to “match” up the coordinate system with that of the drawing that it is running.
The origins are sometimes referred to the zeroes. Do not confuse this position with the home, which is the end of travel of all of the axes.
The origin of the material is typically at one of the corners of the part. Sometimes it is in the middle of the part. Common to cabinet making and some other woodworking applications where stock isn’t flat and veneers are involved, the Z zero is at the bottom of the material.
The origin of the part in the CAM software relative to the material must match the origin of the machine relative to the material in the real world. If these origins do not match, the part will not be cut properly.
To set an origin, jog the machine to where the origin is and click Zero on the interface and then All.
To quickly set the origin for the Z axis only, use the touchpad by placing the touchpad on the surface that is to be Z zero, hovering above the pad, and clicking Tool, then Touch off Z zero. Note that this will not set the X and Y zero.
To adjust the origins by a set amount without moving, double-click the origin readout in the upper right of the interface and enter values by which to move the origin around. This is especially useful for moving the origin to a spot that is not physically achievable.