Axiom CNC Router

Match the VCarve job to the router setup, secure every cut piece, and check the first movement against the preview.

CNC router: Category 2 in the Woods / Construction lab

The router moves a rotating cutter along programmed paths to make pockets and profiles. See G-code and Toolpaths for programmed motion.

Category 2 in the Woods / Construction lab. Use Equipment Categories and Supervision for permission and supervision. This overview follows our lab's Axiom AR4 Basic and VCarve instruction.

Complete Equipment Operating Procedure, Personal Protective Equipment and Machine Hazards and Housekeeping. In our labs, the router instruction requires hearing protection during operation and prior approval for material, including material brought from outside the lab.

In VCarve: match the material, preview the paths, then post

Create or open the .crv job. Measure the material and match its width, height, thickness and units. In the lab's demonstrated setup, XY zero is the bottom-left corner and Z zero is the material surface.
Import the DXF vectors, remove unwanted geometry and join the outlines needed for the paths. Leave space for clamps and check the actual cutter path against their positions.
Create the pocket and profile toolpaths. Match the selected tool to the installed cutter; check cutting depths, feeds and speeds. Plan tabs or other workholding so the cut pieces remain secured.
Preview all toolpaths in their cutting order: pockets first, outside profiles last in this workflow. Check the first cutting location, remaining tabs, cut depth and clearance above clamps.
Save the intended toolpaths with the demonstrated Axiom HHC CNC (mm) (*.mmg) post processor and transfer the .MMG file to the supplied USB drive. Confirm the file selected at the machine is the one you previewed.

The preview checks the programmed cut; it does not prove that the real clamps are clear. The material position and zero settings at the router must match the job.

Before running: secure the cutter, material and every cut piece; Checklist

Before running: secure the cutter, material and every cut piece

With router power off and the machine made safe for tool setup, remove the magnetic dust boot. Check cutter insertion and tighten the collet with the appropriate wrenches, as demonstrated.
Use the installed power-up procedure, insert the USB drive, and select All axis home on the controller with the travel area clear. Homing finds the machine's references; it does not locate the workpiece.
Clamp the material on the spoilboard, the sacrificial surface above the machine bed. Keep clamps out of the entire tool path, leave the zero corner accessible, and tighten clamps progressively in the demonstrated zig-zag order.
Check that the material and the pieces cut from it will remain held throughout cutting. A loose piece can be struck and thrown by the cutter.
Set XY zero at the job's datum and Z zero at the material surface, using the demonstrated touch-off or tool-setting puck method. Clear the puck and its cord from the tool's path after setting.
Raise the router as demonstrated, refit the dust boot, turn on router power, open the dust-collection gate and start dust collection.

Keep clear of the cutter and the moving carriage throughout operation. The dust boot helps collect debris; it does not make the cutting area safe to reach into.

At Run, check the spindle and first movement against the preview

In our lab's demonstrated controller workflow, press RUN/PAUSE, choose UDisk File, select the intended .mmg file and review SetWorkParam. Confirm the parameters with the checkout instruction before accepting them. Accepting starts a countdown, followed by spindle startup and travel to the first toolpath location.

If the spindle does not start or the first location is wrong, press STOP/CANCEL. Resolve the cause with the instructor before restarting. Do not reach in to change the router switch while the program continues moving.

In our labs, watch the process and listen for unusual noises. Keep the controller accessible. Use STOP/CANCEL for a problem with the run or the emergency stop for an emergency, as demonstrated during checkout. Notify the instructor and use Lab Conduct and Emergencies when needed.

After cutting, switch off the router before removing the work

In our lab's sequence, turn router power off, wait for the cutter to stop, raise it to the demonstrated Z clearance, and remove the dust boot before unclamping and removing the workpiece. Refit the dust boot afterward.

Cut the retaining tabs using an approved tool and its own operating procedure; the lab instruction advises against popping the parts out. Stop dust collection when it is no longer needed, return tools and clamps, and complete shutdown and cleanup.

Appears in

DET 130 DET Woodshop Machine Safety