Version 1.7.2 has a new workflow to optimise how you use the CNC stylus with SmartBench, new features in file loading, and some minor tweaks to keep SmartBench running as smoothly as possible.

New features

Choice between Router and CNC Stylus

The Console will now ask whether you are using the Router or the CNC Stylus every time you start a new job. 

If you select the CNC Stylus, SmartBench will know not to turn on the spindle or the extractor, and it will always raise the Z Head if you pause the job. 

[This feature is only available with FW v1.0.13 or above.]

If you want SmartBench to always assume that you are using the Router, you can go to the maintenance app to disable the CNC Stylus option. 

As always it is highly recommend to stay up to date with the latest versions of software. If you experience any issues updating, please submit a support ticket

Filechooser sort options

In the filechooser, you now have the option to sort your files in the order they were modified, or by name. Just toggle through the sort modes using this button.

UI Improvements

Square SmartBench any time. 

Up until now, you have only been able to auto-square SmartBench on start-up. You can now home SmartBench at any time with auto-squaring. 

This means that if SmartBench is pushed out of squareness due to an event such as a stall, you can re-square SmartBench without needing to restart. 

Homing when the laser is enabled

We have changed the position that SmartBench goes to after homing if the laser crosshair is enabled. 

Up until now, SmartBench would automatically finish homing, and go to it’s minimum X and Y positions. 

Because of how the laser is mounted on the front of the Z Head, this would mean that the laser crosshair would always be out of the machine bounds after homing, and you would need to move SmartBench back along the X axis before you could set the datum using the laser crosshair. 

With the laser crosshair enabled, SmartBench will now move itself as close to home as it can whilst still having enough space to set SmartBench’s working datum using the laser crosshair. 

Laser crosshair

We have also made some minor tweaks to the maintenance app, so that setting the laser crosshair offset is more intuitive. 

Filechooser

Previously, when you deleted all of the job files on your console, the Filechooser would still show the files as existing - even though the files were deleted from the system. As well as this, certain combinations of scrolling whilst button pressing in this screen could cause a console crash. Both of these issues have now been fixed.

As always it is highly recommend to stay up to date with the latest versions of software. If you experience any issues updating, please submit a support ticket