Sometimes, in CNC router work, you have to stop a toolpath in mid-path. It could be that you’re called away from the machine, or that the run time on a toolpath is so long you can’t do it in one sitting. 3D work is a great example of a toolpath that often has a very long run time.
Stop and save your toolpath
The fob or pendant for your CNC router may look slightly different than this one, but the overall process should be similar. Double check the owner’s manual for your CNC router to make sure this procedure is correct for your machine. Watch this video to see stopping and restarting in action.
We’ll need the following buttons to stop and restart your machine: Stop, Arrow up and Arrow down, OK and the 1 button.
Stop the toolpath by pressing the Stop button.
This brings up a screen asking your if you want to Save break or Discard break. Use the Arrow up or down keys to toggle between the two. Highlight Save break and press OK.
The next screen you see is the Break list. Use the Arrow up or down buttons to navigate up and down.
If you haven’t saved a toolpath before all of the lines will say Empty. If you have previously saved a toolpath it will be listed. Navigate to the line you want to use. If there is already a toolpath saved there the current toolpath will overwrite it. By default it will place the name of the toolpath on that line.
Restarting the toolpath
After the toolpath has been saved you can shut the machine off and walk away. When you’re ready to restart the toolpath, turn the machine on and take it through its normal start up routine (typically homing), but don’t rezero the X, Y or Z axes.
Normal toolpath start up probably means only pressing the Run button. To access the Break list you need to press the Run button and 1 button at the same time.
When the Break list opens use the Arrow up or down buttons to navigate to the toolpath that you saved. Press the OK button.
You’ll see a screen showing you the exact line of toolpath you stopped at. If you want to you can use the Arrow up or down buttons to go to a different line. If you move to a lower line number, the toolpath will resume slightly before the stopping point. This is good to know, but it isn’t necessary to back up from the starting point. The toolpath should flow seamlessly if you start at the line where you stopped. Press the OK button.
You’ll now be at this familiar screen. Press OK and your toolpath will be up and running again, pick up right where you left off.
