ACU-RITE MILLPWR 3 Axes - Manual (Page 46)

PROGRAMMING
MILLPWR ®
Operation Manual 3-10
Establishing Datum
Datum, also known as workpiece zero or absolute zero, is a point of reference that
MILLPWR bases all of your part's coordinates from.
You will need to establish datum for every job. Datum's location may be indicated on
your print; if it's not, then establish a datum that allows you to enter most of your part's
dimensions directly, with the least amount of calculations.
When establishing datum, you may find it easiest to locate a known point on each axis,
such as the edge of your part or a location on your vise or fixture.
Refer to the example below as a basic guide for establishing datum. You may decide to
"touch off" using an edge finder instead of a tool. Datum could be set at a point on
the top surface, a position beneath the surface, or at a point where there's no material
present (such as in the center of a circular part). The possibilities are endless—do what's
easiest for your particular job.
MILLPWR will retain the datum you've set after your system has been powered down.
Note: When the “Datum” menu appears, you will also be asked to establish a Z-axis
retract position. The Z-axis retract position is the position that the quill returns to
between program steps (refer to Conventions located in Section 1).
To establish datum:
As we’ve already mentioned, where and how you establish datum will vary from job
to job. Here we’ll walk you through one of the most common methods of establishing
datum. Once you’ve learned the basics, apply the same principle when setting datum for
your own parts, making adjustments to the procedure as needed.
We’ll establish datum on the corner where the left, front and top surfaces of our part inter-
sect. We’ll accomplish this by “touching” each face with the tool that we’re planning to
cut the part with.
Define datum one axis at a time. Here we’ll begin with the X-axis:
• From the DRO screen, press the DATUM softkey.
• Insert the tool you are planning to cut the part with into the spindle.