Your first job

Power-up order

1. Check the area first. Inspect the wiring, the dust hoses and the table surface [MS 3]. Check the rails and racks. They must be clean, with no chips or scraps [QS 18]. Do not run the machine if a motor cable is damaged [QS 18].
2. Do not push the gantry by hand. If it looks out of square against the end stops, tell staff; squaring and pinion alignment are a staff task [MS 3; TM 19].
3. Turn on the control box. The box must be on before SB3 opens, or the software cannot connect [UG 10; QS 11]. A "thunk" when the motors power up and a hum at standstill are normal [UG 64].
4. Release the E-stop by twisting it if it was latched, then press Reset on the wall-mounted pendant by the monitor (its three buttons are Reset, Start and E-stop). Input 4 on the screen must stop flashing before the machine will move [CR 39; UG 47].
5. Start the PC and launch SB3 (version 3.8.70 on this machine). Double-click the ShopBot 3 icon [QS 10]. The correct machine settings are already loaded on the control PC; do not reload or change them. The ShopBot USB should use the same port every time [QS 9]. Sleep mode and screen savers must be off. If they are on, a long file can stop mid-cut [UG 10]. If SB3 starts in Preview mode, the tool is not connected. Check the box and the USB [UG 10; CR 27].
6. Open Spindle RPM Control (Tools → Spindle RPM Control). Keep this window open the whole session: SB3 talks to the VFD — the spindle's speed controller, the box with the rpm display — only while it is open [QS 15].
7. With everyone clear of the machine, insert the spindle interlock key into the safety lockout next to the power switch and turn it to ENGAGED [QS 12]. Before hands-on work, stop the spindle, turn the key OFF and remove it. Keep it in your pocket [UG 5].
8. Switch the dust collector on at the collector itself; it is switched manually, not by SB3. It stays on for the whole job [MS 3].
9. Warm up, home, then zero: C5 (the lab's standard warm-up), then C3, then C2 [MS 3].

When you are finished

Users never power down the machine. Finish or stop the file and leave the machine powered for lab staff. Do not exit SB3, turn off the control cabinet or switch off the spindle controller. Use the E-stop in an emergency, not as an end-of-session switch. Follow “After the job” for spindle stopping, key removal and cleanup.

Opening and closing the keypad

• Type K (shortcut for SK) or click the yellow keypad icon in the red Position window [QS 11; CR 26].
• The keypad works only in Move/Cut mode and not in Preview [CR 26]. If the icon is missing, select Mode → move/cut [QS 11].
• Opening the keypad lights output 4 in the Position window [QS 12].
• Close it with the X in the corner [QS 11].
• If a part file called SK, the file continues when you press Esc [CR 27].
• Esc generally steps you back one level in SB3 [UG 11].

Moving the axes

• ← → move X. ↑ ↓ move Y. Page Up / Page Down move Z [CR 26; QS 11].
• You can also click the blue arrows on screen [QS 11].
• / moves on the +X+Y diagonal; \ moves on the +Y−X diagonal. Add Alt to reverse the diagonal [CR 26].
• Hold Ctrl with an arrow to move at Jog speed instead of Move speed [CR 26].

Speeds

• Move (feed) and Jog (rapid) speeds appear on the left of the Control Console. You can type new values there [UG 10].
• You can also set them with MS (move), JS (jog) or VS (all eight speeds) [CR 16; CR 20; CR 42].
• Units are in/s or mm/s, not per minute [CR 20].
• Jog speed is normally faster than Move speed and is used for positioning [UG 39].

Continuous vs Fixed keypad modes

• Continuous (normal): the axis moves while you hold the key [XY 5].
• Fixed: click Fixed or press D. Each tap then moves one set increment. Set the increment in the box that appears, or in VD under "KeyPad Fixed Distance" [CR 26; XY 5]. Click Fixed again or press Esc to return to continuous motion [XY 5]. Use Fixed for fine positioning near the stock.

Before a test move

• Park Z at a safe height below the Z proximity switch, near the middle of the deck [QS 11].

Spacebar vs the yellow/red STOP button

• Spacebar (and Enter, or the on-screen Stop button): a ramped software stop. Z pulls out of the material and position is kept, so you can continue [CR 39]. Treat the spindle as live afterwards: it may keep turning, coast, or restart when you resume. A spacebar stop is not isolation. Before reaching near the bit, confirm that the spindle has stopped, the interlock key is OFF and removed, the keypad is closed and no file is loaded or paused. Keep clear before re-engaging the key or restarting [UG 5; QS 5; QS 17].
• Yellow-and-red E-stop on the pendant: a true E-stop wired to ES1–ES4 on the control board. It cuts power to the motors and the spindle [UG 47]. On this machine it is the only E-stop; twist to release.

Limits while jogging

• If a limit (input 2 or 3) stops the keypad, the next keypad move ignores limits so you can drive off the switch. A new limit will not stop that move [CR 38].

• C3 homes X and Y. The machine touches off each proximity switch, giving a repeatable start point [QS 15]. It also sets the table base coordinates correctly [UG 20].
• Input 2 is the X proximity switch and input 3 is the Y proximity switch. Both are configured as limit switches [CR 39; UG 46]. By default, when either one triggers, motion stops and a "table limit" message asks whether to continue [UG 46–47]. VN configures what these inputs do [UG 47; CR 38].
• Students never change VN or disable limits; report a limit fault to staff [CR 39].
• If the machine stops with a limit message and nothing is at the end of the table, tell staff.
• "Move off prox" prompt: C3 asks you to move the spindle carriage off a switch if it starts out sitting on one. Repeated prompts while the carriage is clear mean an input or target fault (polarity, target alignment, wiring). Report it rather than defeating the limits.
• A proximity target must be met before the hard stop.
• Where C3 lands (its offset from the switches) is set in TS (Tools → ShopBot Setup) [QS 15; XY 3–6; CR 30].

When to rehome (C3)

• At the start of every session [MS 3].
• Whenever the power has been off [UG 20].
• After the gantry was pushed by hand or moved with the motors unpowered [UG 20].
• After an E-stop on an alpha. Re-home XY and re-zero Z before cutting again [CR 39; QS 17].
• After a driver fault or "location no longer accurate".
• After you have moved the zero point and want the standard one back [UG 20].

General rules

• Never cut material that is not firmly secured. This includes any cutouts or offcuts the file will free [UG 5].
• Never push material by hand into a moving bit [UG 5].
• Small cut-free parts can be caught by the bit and thrown. Choose the hold-down method as part of planning [HD 5; QS 16].
• The worst hazard is the bit hitting a clamp or screw. Plan every path, including rapids, so clamps are clear [UG 44; HD 6].

Screws

• Screw into the spoilboard. This is quick and suits most materials [HD 5].
• Keep every screw clear of the cut path [HD 5].
• For larger jobs, run a separate drilling file first to make screw holes in safe places, then screw down and run the main cut [HD 5; UG 44].
• While that drilling file runs, one clamp at each end is enough. An end mill drilling puts little sideways force on the stock [HD 5].

Clamps

• Clamps hold strongly where there is no spare material for screws. Plan carefully so the bit avoids them [HD 6].
• Rapids need enough clearance height to pass over clamps [UG 44].
• Scrap-wood clamps can work: a rabbeted block, with the rabbet slightly shallower than the stock [HD 6]; a flexible strip with a stop glued on [HD 6].
• Spring clamps and pistol-grip clamps tend to move. Check that they actually hold rigidly [UG 44].

Tabs and onion skin (holding parts inside the sheet)

• Tabs are bridges of material left between the part and the sheet. CAM programs add them automatically [HD 8]. SB3 can also add tabs when a file runs (FP Tab option, sized in VB) [CR 11–12; UG 45].
• Onion skin: set the final depth slightly short of the stock thickness, typically .010″–.030″ depending on material and part size [HD 8]. It holds better and is easier to sand off than thick tabs [HD 8]. It fails if stock thickness varies or the table is not flat [HD 8].

What this lab uses

• Use screws through the waste into the spoilboard, clamps, and shims under bowed stock. Retain freed parts with tabs or an onion skin. Plan every screw and clamp position in CAM, clear of the full cutter envelope, and verify all paths.

1. Make the spindle safe. Turn the spindle off [UG 5]. Change bits only with the spindle stopped and the key OFF in your pocket [UG 5]. Disengage the interlock key during bit changes.
2. Clean everything. The collet, nut, spindle taper and shaft must be completely clean. Use a wire or brass brush, compressed air and/or mineral spirits to remove dust or excess grease [QS 15; QS 18]. Small contamination causes misalignment, imbalance and slippage [MS 3].
3. Assemble the ER25 collet into the nut first. Press the collet into the nut until it clicks. If it will not seat, press it in at a slight angle [QS 15; TM 15]. Check it: hold the nut upside down. The collet should hang without falling out [QS 15].
4. Insert the bit into the collet [QS 15]. The collet must grip only the shank. No part of the flute may enter the collet. Ideally the shank fills at least 75 % of the collet length.
5. Thread the nut, collet and bit together onto the spindle without compressing the collet [QS 15].
6. Hand-tighten the nut [QS 15; TM 15]. It must go on easily. If it resists, do not force it. Back it off and start again. Once it is finger-tight, check the bit has not slipped.
7. Tighten the matching ER25 collet nut using the hook spanner on the nut and the 27 mm wrench on the shaft. Follow the tightening method demonstrated during induction; do not use a torque value for a different nut [QS 15; TM 15].
8. Do not over-tighten to stop a slipping bit. That damages the threads. A slipping bit means a dirty or worn collet [MS 3].
9. Re-zero Z after every bit change [QS 14].

Collet facts

• This spindle uses ER25 collets with the matching ER25 collet nut. Select a collet that matches the tool shank [TM 15].
• The collet size must match the bit shank. Metric and inch collets are not interchangeable [TM 15].
• Collet life: collets are consumables; staff replace them on schedule or after any crash [MS 3; TM 13].
• Replace the collet immediately after any "event": it was dropped, a bit broke inside it, or a plunge bottomed out on it [MS 3; TM 13].
• Signs of a worn collet [TM 14]: the bit creeps up into the collet and Z position is lost; bits break at sane feeds; a bit falls out; a bit is hard to pull out.

Preview first (SP)

• SP switches to Preview mode. Running SP again clears the preview [CR 28; UG 11].
• FP opens the Part File dialog. Pick the .sbp file, then press Enter to accept the fill-in sheet and Enter again to run it in preview [UG 13].
• FP also runs most G-code files (.tap, .nc). Select "ALL" file types to see them [CR 12].
• In preview the tool does not move. The position readouts reset when you leave Preview [CR 28].
• Use preview with software limit checking (SF/VL) to confirm every move stays inside the table [UG 20; CR 38].

Move/Cut mode (SM)

• SM makes all commands drive the real machine [CR 27].
• Click "Cut Part" or use File → Part File Load (FP) [QS 16–17].

What the FP fill-in sheet asks [CR 12; QS 16–17]

• Proportion X, Y, Z (default 1,1,1).
• Repetitions (default 1).
• Offset: none / 1 = 3D / 2 = 2D. None is the default.
• Plunge, used for template files.
• Tab feature on/off.
• Plunge from Z 0.
• Then click START or press Enter.

Spindle warm-up (C5)

• Before cutting at the start of the day or after more than 4 h idle, open Spindle RPM Control and run C5. It runs 9000, 10 000 and 12 000 rpm for 3 min each, then stops the spindle [QS 16]. Check that the cooling fan runs [MS 3].

Setting RPM (TR / Spindle RPM Control)

• TR opens the Spindle RPM Control window. In a part file, TR,12000 requests 12000 RPM. This is a request, not a measured speed.
• To change speed by hand: with the spindle running, click the RPM value, type the new value, press Enter. The VFD display must match [QS 16].

Spindle-start order on a PRSalpha

• Keypad test: turn output 1 on in the keypad, then press the green START on the three-button pendant [QS 12–13].
• Running a file: after Start/Enter in FP, SB3 shows the prompt “Press START on control before pressing OK”. PRSalpha: press the pendant Start BEFORE clicking OK [QS 17].
• Start a job in this order: 1. Spindle RPM Control window open, RPM typed, Enter [QS 15]. 2. FP → Start. 3. Screen prompt “Press START on control before pressing OK” → pendant green START [QS 17]. 4. Verify the spindle is running at the commanded speed; the VFD (Yaskawa V1000) display should show the RPM you typed [QS 16]. 5. OK on screen → cutting begins. There is no separate RUN step on the VFD.
• Never assume the spindle is turning because the axes move; a stationary cutter can break when driven into stock.

Air-cut practice

Method 1, 3D offset [QS 16]:

• Raise the bit above the material and run FP with 3D offset. The current XYZ becomes 0,0,0 and the file runs in the air.
• The gap between the bit and the stock must be larger than the file's maximum cut depth.

Method 2, spindle off [UG 13]: run the file in Move/Cut with the spindle off, above the material, to check the motion. Before the real cut, set Offset back to "No Offset" [QS 17].

Watch the first plunge

• Stay at the keyboard with your hand near the spacebar, and know where the E-stop is [UG 6; QS 5].
• Be ready to pause if anything looks wrong [QS 5].
• Burning, smoke or excessive tool heat means something is wrong. Stop and report it; do not touch the cutter to test its temperature.

Software (soft) stop

• Press the spacebar (or Enter, or the on-screen Stop). Motion ramps down and Z lifts out of the material [CR 39; QS 17].
• Position and zero are kept, so you can resume with no loss of location [CR 39; QS 17].
• SB3 then prompts you for what to do next [UG 14].
• At very slow speeds the stop is immediate [UG 14].
• After a spacebar stop you can resume without resetting the drivers [UG 47]. This is not isolation: before reaching in, stop the spindle, remove the interlock key, close the keypad and end the loaded/paused file. Keep clear before restarting.

Emergency stop (PRSalpha)

• The E-stop immediately stops the tool and removes spindle power. After about 5 s, motor power is removed too [CR 39].
• Position is lost: rehome XY with C3 and re-zero Z with C2 before cutting again [CR 39; QS 17].
• Use the E-stop for emergencies. Use the spacebar for routine stops [CR 39].

Resuming a file

• FG loads a file in Goto/Single-Step mode. You can single-step or start from a chosen line [CR 11].
• FG can jump automatically to the last line executed, for example after a broken bit [CR 11].
• After an E-stop or driver fault: have staff clear the cause, rehome and re-zero first, then use FG [CR 39; CR 11].
• Before resuming, enter the required RPM and press Enter. Confirm the actual speed on the VFD display before allowing cutting to continue; do not assume the previous RPM was retained.
• 3D offset (Offset = 1) treats the current X, Y and Z as 0,0,0 for that run [CR 11–12]. Do not use it to resume a real cut unless you have deliberately set the start position. It shifts Z [QS 16].
• A file can contain PAUSE, which waits for a key, or PAUSE n, which waits n seconds. A comment line just before it is displayed as the message, for example "Change bits" [UG 27].

1. Finish or stop the file. Stop the spindle (output 1 off) and wait until the bit has stopped [QS 13].
2. With everyone clear, raise Z to a safe height and jog the gantry clear of the work. JH raises Z to Safe-Z, then jogs to the current working XY 0,0, not the proximity-switch home; use it only if that route is clear [CR 17].
3. Close the keypad and end any loaded or paused file. Turn the interlock key OFF and remove it before reaching in. Keep it in your pocket during cleanup [UG 5; QS 5]. Switch the dust collector off at the collector.
4. Remove parts, hold-downs and loose offcuts. Vacuum the deck and brush chips from the rails and racks. Remove, clean and stow the bit; inspect the collet and nut [QS 18].
5. Record the material, cutter, feed, rpm and any fault in your job notes. Report faults or damage to staff.
6. Leave the machine powered for lab staff. Users never power down the machine. Do not exit SB3 or switch off the control cabinet or spindle controller. In an emergency, press the E-stop.