Overview

There are a number of ways to use the touch-off plate. In this article, we go through the process of using the touch-off plate to accurately identify and set the appropriate offsets for your tools.

Installing the Touch-Off Plate

Mechanical attachment of the touch-off plate to the print bed is achieved by using the outermost screw positions on the touch-off plate. Other holes are for use with other setups such as the dovetail bed or rotary vise. Tighten the screws finger-tight so that the touch-off plate is firmly clamped to the bed.  Use the supplied M4 thumbscrews to fasten the touch-off plate to the print bed or dovetail bed. Connect the aviation connector to the mating connector on the left rear of the build enclosure. 

Access the Diabase Web Control interface for your machine and navigate to Control > Offsets. Ensure that the touch-off plate installation is recognized in the Touch-off Plate section before proceeding with the calibration.

Using the Probe to Locate the Touch-Off Plate

Now that the touch-off plate is attached to the machine, we need to accurately identify its location on the bed. Specifically, we will use the probe to help us configure the parameters for a Work Coordinate System (WCS) that we will use to help us measure the tool offsets for each individual tool.

Set WCS Origin for Z-Axis

1. Using the Diabase Web Control interface, Navigate to Control > Dashboard and click "Home All" to home all axes of the machine and select the probe as the active tool.
2. Jog machine in X, Y, and Z to position the tip of the probe approximately 5mm above and roughly centered on the touch-off plate cup.
3. Scroll down on the Control > Offsets panel to the Workpiece Coordinate Offsets section.  For the touch-off plate operations, we will use WCS 9 (G59.3). Select it by clicking the "Change to" icon on the bottom row.
4. Click the  Z⤓ button to begin a "probe z" operation. The probe will move down and stop when it contacts a surface or has traveled 10mm. The probe operation should end with the tip of the probe just barely touching the inside surface of the touch-off plate cup.
5. Click the Set to Current Value button in the Z column. Note that the Tool Position in the Z axis is now 0.000.
6. Carefully jog the probe to a safe height above the touch-off plate cup (approximately 50mm).

Set WCS Origin for X- and Y-Axes

1. Carefully jog the probe in X, Y, and Z to position the tip of the probe roughly centered and just inside the rim of the touch-off cup.
2. Click the “Find Center of Cavity” button to begin the XY probing operation. The machine will probe in the positive and negative X directions, followed by a probe in the positive and negative Y directions, and then a second probe in the positive and negative X direction for fine adjustment.
3. Click the Set to Current Value buttons in the X and Y columns of the 9 (G59.3) row of the Workplace Coordinate Offsets section. Note that the Tool Positions of the X and Y axes are now 0.000.
4. Carefully jog the probe to a safe height above the touch-off plate cup (approximately 50mm).

Measure Z-Axis Position for Tool Changer Touch Off Plate

The H5 Full CNC tool changer is equipped with an upper touch off plate for semi-automatic setting of z-axis tool changer tool offsets. 

1. Activate the probe.
2. Navigate to Macros and click TC Touch Off - Current Tool. The machine will probe toward the upper touch off plate to precisely confirm its location.

Setting Tool Offsets

We’ve now configured WCS 9 (G59.3) to have its origin (X=0, Y=0, and Z=0) located at the precise center of the touch-off cup and we’re ready to configure tool offsets in all three axes.

Setting the X- and Y-Axis Tool Offsets - Extruders

1. Activate the extruder for which you want to set the X- and Y-axis tool offsets.
2. Carefully jog the tool in X, Y, and Z to position the tip of the extruder roughly centered and just inside the rim of the touch-off cup.
   
3. Click the “Touch-Off X-Y” button. This removes the existing X- and Y-axis offsets for the currently selected tool and begins the touch-off X-Y process. The machine will move the tool in the positive and negative X directions, followed by a move in the positive and negative Y directions, and then a second move in the positive and negative X direction for fine adjustment before stopping in the center of the cup.
4. In the Tool Offsets panel, click the “Set to current value” button in the X and Y columns of the row for the currently selected tool.
5. Repeat this process for all other tools as needed.

Setting Z-Axis Tool Offsets - Extruders

1. Activate the tool for which you want to set the tool length offset.
2. Carefully jog the tool down (-Z) to position it about 5mm above the touch-off plate cup.
   
3. Find the Touch-off Plate panel in the Diabase Web Interface by navigating to Control > Offsets and click the “Touch-Off Z” button. This removes the existing Z-axis offset for the currently selected tool and begins moving the tool toward the touch-off plate cup.
4. The tool will move down and stop when it contacts the touch-off plate cup or has traveled 10mm. The touch-off operation should end with the tip of the probe just barely touching the inner bottom surface of the touch-off plate cup.
5. In the Tool Offsets panel, click the “Set to current value” button in the Z column of the row for the currently selected tool.
6. Repeat this process for all other extruders as needed.

Setting the X- and Y-Axis Tool Offsets - H5 Spindle with Tool Changer

Because the centerline of the spindle does not move relative to the x- and y-axes of the machine, you can measure the x- and y-axis tool offsets for a single tool changer tool and copy the results to the remaining tool changer tools.

1. Activate a populated tool changer tool.
2. Carefully jog the tool in X, Y, and Z to position the tip of the extruder roughly centered and just inside the rim of the touch-off cup.
   
3. Click the “Touch-Off X-Y” button. This removes the existing X- and Y-axis offsets for the currently selected tool and begins the touch-off X-Y process. The machine will move the tool in the positive and negative X directions, followed by a move in the positive and negative Y directions, and then a second move in the positive and negative X direction for fine adjustment before stopping in the center of the cup.
4. In the Tool Offsets panel, click the “Set to current value” button in the X and Y columns of the row for the currently selected tool.
5. With the measured tool still active, navigate to Macros and click Tool Offsets - Replicate XY and follow the resulting prompts.

Setting Z-Axis Tool Offsets - H5 Spindle with Tool Changer

1. Activate the tool for which you want to set the tool length offset.
2. Navigate to Macros and click TC Touch Off - Current Tool. The machine will rotate the tool to point upward and use the upper touch off plate to automatically set the z-axis offset for the tool.
3. Repeat this process for all other tool changer tools as needed.