HSMXpress Help

X-Carve Parts & Files
1

I need some help from someone who knows HSMXpress with SolidWorks. I set my zero at the top of the part and every time I try to cut something the first thing the machine does is move the bit into position…without lifting it first. Which results in a nice line cut across my stock which ruins the part. I’ve tried moving around the various top/feed/retract heights within HSMXpress but nothing works. Am I missing something simple here? I can’t believe my only option is to set zero above the part top but maybe it is.

I’m using UGS to send the GCode to the machine after posting with the “grbl.cps - Generic GRBL” option in case that makes any difference.

2

The issue is with the post processor. It’s set to output XY before Z moves. Not sure why quite a few of the grbl based posts are set up that way in HSMXpress.

You can edit the post .cps file
Look at line 354 in the file

if (!machineConfiguration.isHeadConfiguration()) {
  writeBlock(
    gAbsIncModal.format(90),
    gMotionModal.format(0), xOutput.format(initialPosition.x), yOutput.format(initialPosition.y)
  );
  writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z));

And swap the XY and Z outputs to

if (!machineConfiguration.isHeadConfiguration()) {
  writeBlock(
    gAbsIncModal.format(90),
    gMotionModal.format(0), zOutput.format(initialPosition.z)
  );
  writeBlock(gMotionModal.format(0), xOutput.format(initialPosition.x), yOutput.format(initialPosition.y));

This way it will write a G0 line for Z, followed by a G0 line for XY.

This issue has also come up in a few threads on the HSMXpress forum and that’s where I found the fix since I was seeing the same thing on the Smoothie post processor because it’s based on the GRBL post.

I also set the Z0 at the top of the work piece/material.

3

How HSMXpress exports to Gcode?