Slow Process Time on Sharpcut

[Adam Vreeke]

My Sharpcut has been getting slower and slower every week. At this point it is taking 5 minutes to process the cut after reading the reg marks. Restarts of WinCnC, Optiscout and PC have not affected the speed at all, even on non-complex and low quantity cuts.

Is there a temp file I am missing to empty, or does anyone have any ideas about what might be going on, I would love to hear them. We don't have the best computer, but also not the worst, most confusing of all is that it has been running on the same PC for a while and it keeps getting slower over time.

 

[MGB_LE]

We get free phone support on our machine, so I'd put in an email to service @ colex.com to see what they say. They can remote into the machine and poke around.

 

[JBurton]

No clue on colex's, but every time I generate a file with my shopsabre with optiscout, it makes a file in the Wincnc folder called optiscout.tap. In my case, it is constantly overwritten with the next program, but I wonder if Colex has it set up to generate fresh files every time, and you're just running out of space. Does this pc have an old school hard drive or SSD?

 

[Adam Vreeke]

We get free phone support on our machine, so I'd put in an email to service @ colex.com to see what they say. They can remote into the machine and poke around.

I was told that we get charged, so I will take a look into that.

No clue on colex's, but every time I generate a file with my shopsabre with optiscout, it makes a file in the Wincnc folder called optiscout.tap. In my case, it is constantly overwritten with the next program, but I wonder if Colex has it set up to generate fresh files every time, and you're just running out of space. Does this pc have an old school hard drive or SSD?

Thanks, I'll take a look and see what is happening, I took a peep at the PC's temp files just in case but didn't see anything in there. We switched it from HDD to a SDD.

 

[Think713]

My Sharpcut has been getting slower and slower every week. At this point it is taking 5 minutes to process the cut after reading the reg marks. Restarts of WinCnC, Optiscout and PC have not affected the speed at all, even on non-complex and low quantity cuts.

Is there a temp file I am missing to empty, or does anyone have any ideas about what might be going on, I would love to hear them. We don't have the best computer, but also not the worst, most confusing of all is that it has been running on the same PC for a while and it keeps getting slower over time.

Anytime that our sharpcut does some weird shit like this, we just power the whole thing down, turn it back on and go thru the initialization process all over again. That usually clears out any issues it has.
Also you want to make sure that if you are using colex's cut software (we do) that if a specific tool and material isnt selected, it will completely forget your -0- settings from calibration and just piddle along at a snails pace through its cut path. It wont even drop a tool all the way to the table. So I would double check that you have those things selected.

 

[Adam Vreeke]

Anytime that our sharpcut does some weird shit like this, we just power the whole thing down, turn it back on and go thru the initialization process all over again. That usually clears out any issues it has.
Also you want to make sure that if you are using colex's cut software (we do) that if a specific tool and material isnt selected, it will completely forget your -0- settings from calibration and just piddle along at a snails pace through its cut path. It wont even drop a tool all the way to the table. So I would double check that you have those things selected.

I have done a complete restart of the colex and computer, cleared out any excess job windows that are open and still not getting any results

 

[Think713]

I have done a complete restart of the colex and computer, cleared out any excess job windows that are open and still not getting any results

Hmm... Have you checked the VFD? There is a computer under the bed that communicates to the controller... Make sure you don't have any errors there.

 

[Think713]

I have done a complete restart of the colex and computer, cleared out any excess job windows that are open and still not getting any results

1. Check Software/Controller Settings

• Jog Speed: Ensure the jog speed setting in your software has not been accidentally set to a very low value.
• Motion Parameters: If you are using Mach3 or similar software, check the Motor Tuning settings. The Velocity and Acceleration settings may have been reduced or reset.
• "Exact Stop" Mode: Check if your software is set to "Exact Stop" instead of "Constant Velocity".
• Re-calibrate/Reset: If this started after an emergency stop (E-stop), you may need to recalibrate the axis or restart the controller software. [1, 2, 3]

2. Physical Inspection

• Gantry Jam: Check for debris, scraps, or broken bits in the linear rails or rack-and-pinion system. Clean all debris from the table and rails.
• Belt/Rack Tension: If the carriage moves but feels sluggish, check for loose belts or worn-out rack gears, which can cause erratic or slow movement.
• Lubrication: Ensure the linear bearings are properly lubricated and not binding. [1, 2]

3. Power and Communication

• VFD/Motor Issue: The Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) that controls the spindle or the stepper/servo drives that move the gantry could be experiencing errors.
• Data Issues: If you are running a very large file, the controller might be struggling with data throughput, causing it to "pause" or slow down between lines. [1, 2]

 

[Think713]

Whens the last time its been relubricated? I assume you guys are doing the monthly lube maintenance, but definitely gotta stay on top of that.. This to me sounds like a software issue but ive had a HP latex printer stop working all together simply because a rail needed to be lubed...

 

[Adam Vreeke]

Whens the last time its been relubricated? I assume you guys are doing the monthly lube maintenance, but definitely gotta stay on top of that.. This to me sounds like a software issue but ive had a HP latex printer stop working all together simply because a rail needed to be lubed...

I will go through all the suggestions and see what I can find.

Yes, we keep up with the maintenance. Our machine is very very old, I think coming up on 15 years old now so there is a lot of wear and tear on it. Never thought a dry rail would cause a CnC to stop, was there a sensor on it or something?

 

[Think713]

I will go through all the suggestions and see what I can find.

Yes, we keep up with the maintenance. Our machine is very very old, I think coming up on 15 years old now so there is a lot of wear and tear on it. Never thought a dry rail would cause a CnC to stop, was there a sensor on it or something?

I dont know as far as a censor for the CNC goes, but too much friction on the carriage pass causes errors and stopped the printer all together. So if the rails are lubricated then i highly doubt it has anything to do with that.
Sounds like a software issue.
Colex has been very kind as far as phone service goes. If you have an account with them online put in a service request ticket, and they'll at the very least point you in the direction of proper troubleshooting.

 

[JBurton]

Never thought a dry rail would cause a CnC to stop, was there a sensor on it or something

Motor overload causes the motor to attempt to draw too much amperage, and the controller can detect the amp draw.
I'd very much try to call colex like think suggested, it's likely a stupid simple software fix. My understanding this isn't happening in motion, just between reading the marks and executing the job?