How to set up and use a Genmitsu PROVer 3018 CNC Mill
CNC mills are very much a product of modern times, combining subtractive shaping power and surgical computer-guided precision to enable one to create intricate wooden, plastic, or even metal sculptures in the immediacy of their own home. However, such power is not very simple to utilize, and to this end I have created a guide to help you, the reader, in setting up the Genmitsu PROVer 3018 CNC mill. Being a fairly cheap mill, this model represents a great balance between affordability and quality, and is thus worth looking into for anyone wishing to purchase a mill.
Assembling the PROVer 3018 is fairly easy, as the instructions are sufficient to do so. The challenge comes in getting it to work properly with one’s computer, as well as using the necessary software to make sure that the intended result is achieved. In order to do so, the CNC mill needs to be first connected to power and to a computer. The next step is to install the driver for the mill, as well as installing GRBL Candle, the software the computer uses to communicate with the mill. Candle itself is fairly easy to download, with the download being available on the Genmitsu website. However, the driver itself is somewhat harder to figure out. While it is supplied on the SD card that comes with the PC, it’s more complicated than just installing it onto the computer. First, you need to plug the USB cable into both the mill and the computer. Then, the driver needs to be installed onto the SD card, which can be done by finding the CH341SER file on the website, downloading it, then transferring it onto the SD card and installing it there. From there, the driver is setup, and you can move onto setting up Candle.
Once Candle is open, open the Service tab in the top left and click on Settings.
From there, go to the Connection tab, find the port selection menu, and select the COM port that shows up. Also, make sure that the baud rate next to that is set to 115200.
Then, exit out of the settings menu. Upon doing so, you will see that the menu is locked and an alarm message is present.
This is the case due to the CNC mill not having been homed yet. This effectively means that it doesn’t know where it can and can’t move, or where its boundaries are on the x,y, and z-axes. To fix this, click the “Unlock” button in the bottom right of the group of buttons. This enables you to use the jog keys to move the mill around, as well as changing the feed rate, which alters the speed at which the mill moves. You can also enable keyboard control, which lets you use jog controls with the numpad.
In order to set the limits for your mill, enter $130 =260, $131 = 158, and $132=34 into the console (separately). This confirms that the limit switches are set to the right dimensions in the software, and sets hard limits beyond which the machine will not go. Alternatively, you can set preventative soft limits by entering $20=1 into the console. This tells the software to check if the action you input will surpass the hard limits set, and if so, cancels it. From here, you can press the button with a house and a circle around it to home your CNC mill. This basically sets a starting position for your mill, specifically the maximum of each axis. In practice, the mill will home to the bottom left corner of the surface under it, although you can change this. By entering the command $23=0 into the console, you can make the home point the top right corner of the board, with the spindle all the way up.
At this point, most of the setup is done, meaning that you can now move on to the z-probe. This effectively tells the mill where the surface you want to machine is on the z-axis. It can be done by using the provided z-probe, which is a blue cylinder with a metal top and alligator plug attached. In order to actually use the probe, you need to attach the alligator clip to the mill bit, and place the probe under it at a height even with the top of the surface you aim to mill. From there, all you have to do is make sure the bit is above the z-probe, then hit the second button from the left on the top row to start the z-probe.
Now you’ve finished setting up your CNC mill, meaning that you can now machine an object out of a generic piece of wood! All that’s left to do is import the G-code file that you intend to use. This file is basically a set of instructions that tells the CNC mill where to drill, for how long, how deep, etc. Such a file typically has the .nc file extension, but if you have a CNC mill you probably have a file set up for it. If you don’t, there are calibration cube G-code files that are available online, including this one. All you have to do to import the file is click on the “Open” button at the bottom, and you should see a diagram of the object that will be machined. If it looks like the diagram is a bunch of lines, don’t worry! The diagram is actually the G-code instructions translated into a visual diagram, in that it shows the paths the CNC mill will take to machine the object. These paths are known as toolpaths, and are configured in a CAM software such as Fusion 360.
From there, all you need to do is move the drill bit to the intended height and where you want the bottom left corner of your design to be and press the two buttons to the right of the z-probe button. This will set the x, y, and z coordinates that your bit is at as the 0 coordinate for each respective plane, meaning that it will be the bottom left corner(or bottom right if you changed the previously mentioned setting) of the area in which your object will be machined. Once this is done, you are all set, and you can press the Send button to start machining! If anything goes wrong, make sure to press either the Pause or Abort buttons to stop the machining.
Having a CNC mill can be a gateway into making a myriad of things, from random small objects to more utilitarian things such as keycaps. I hope this guide either started you down this path or gave you a push in the general direction of it, and if it did, I encourage you to look into the hobby of CNC milling!
