When setting up a cut in WAM, there are lots of things to keep in mind - especially when looking to:
- Cut within tight tolerances
- Cut internal features of an object already true to size
- Nest objects in order to use material as efficiently as possible
To achieve what we’re looking for, manipulating the exact location of the cut is important - this location is called the “Origin”. For all cut features, the origin is the top left corner of the Cut Extents. “Cut Extents” are an imaginary rectangular box that completely covers all of the cut feature. It is normally displayed as a box with black dotted lines (see picture).
The X and Y Position shown in the “Scale and Position” menu of WAM are the coordinates of the “Origin” on the cut bed. You can imagine the cut bed is in the forth quadrant of a graph.
When preparing a cut file, the Order of Operations is the cutting head moving to the “Home” location, and then travel to the “Origin” location.
After some use, the cut bed will warp over time. This can make aligning the material on the bed to the position of the cutting head a little more difficult. When using the “Check Cut Extents” feature to make sure the part will cut where it needs to be, you may find that the cut takes place not where originally imagined. Using the “Move Origin” feature, the gantry will move 10mm with each directional button press - this can help re-orient the cut to the ideal location.
If you are looking to cut an internal feature out of an object that is already cut to size, I recommend using a fixture to hold the piece accurately to the bed. This link will walk through how to create a fixture for this use-case!
I hope this information comes in handy! If you have any special use-cases or origin workarounds, I would love to read about them and check it out further - please share them below! 