The Zund G3 M2500 CNC Cutter is a super versatile machine that can cut, crease, engrave, and route tons of different materials accurately in any shape you want. This versatility also means that the Zund is one of the more finicky machines in the Fab Lab, so proper training and careful operation are super important. This document will cover all three levels of Zund certification, and can be used as a cheat sheet for those already certified in a given level.

Introduction

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Parts of the G3 M2500

Here we’ll go over some of the more important parts to know. This will be useful to refer back to as you work through your certification.

• X, Y, and Z Axes: The three axes along which the modules move.
• When facing the machine from the front, the X axis will be vertical and the Y axis will be horizontal.
• Beam/Gantry: Holds the module carriage and the modules, and moves forward and backward along the X-axis.
• Modules: Adaptable tool holders which attach to the module carriage and connect electronically to the Zund. The modules can be equipped with any of the tools we have, while the Router module is specifically designed for the router and its accessories.
• The Zund will recognize the modules automatically, but will need you to manually input which tool it has equipped.
• Module Carriage: Holds the modules (including the Sensor Module) and moves side-to-side on the beam along the Y-axis. The module carriage can hold up to two modules at a time.
• Sensor Module: A device which contains a specialty camera that can be used to help with registration - telling the machine where the material is and where your path should be cut. It also contains a laser pointer, which can help to locate the exact tool position before starting your cut.
• Light Barriers and Safety Bumpers: Safety devices which turn on whenever the machine is active. The light barrier is like an invisible fence which covers the front and top of the module carriage. If anything crosses over that barrier (like a hand), or gets in the way of the safety bumpers, the Zund will stop the job to prevent injury.
• ITI Blocks: These metal blocks each have a laser which is used to initialize tools - ensuring the cutting edges of tools are where the machine thinks they are.
• Emergency Stops or E-stops: Buttons which immediately shut down all function when pressed, to be used only in emergencies
• The emergency stop protocol cuts power to the tools, which can damage the tools or other parts of the machine.
• Conveyor Belt/Belt: A belt made of specialty felt which allows for the vacuum table to suck down material onto it, while still providing grip. The belt can be moved forwards or backwards to use different areas for different cutting methods.
• Control Panel: A keypad, D-pad, and LCD screen which work together to directly the control the Zund’s functions. Using the control panel you can freely move the module carriage around, move the conveyor belt, initiate tool or module changes, adjust machine parameters, enable router use, and bring the machine on and offline among many other things.
• Computer/Workstation: This computer is loaded with the software needed to prep your files for cutting (CutEditor, CutQueue, and CutCenter) and controls aspects of the machine’s operation through these.
• Safety Area: Unless you are operating the machine, stay outside of the orange lines on the floor when the machine is moving.

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Safety

The Zund has a bevy of safety devices that work together to keep your squishy human body away from the incredibly sharp and fast-spinning parts of the machine. However, there is still the possibility of injury if you are not operating safely. These are the main precautions that MUST be taken when operating the Zund.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Safety Glasses must be worn at all times in the shop - these protect your eyes from any debris that can be flung up by the Zund.
• Hearing Protection must be worn if the router is in use. The router is quite loud, and can easily cause hearing damage if you are in the shop while it is active.

Safe Operation

• Do not touch the machine while it is active.
• Unless you are the one operating the machine, stay behind the orange safety lines on the floor, especially when the machine is active.
• If you need to physically touch or adjust anything on the machine while it is active, first pause the machine by hitting any key on the control panel. This will pause the current job, and take the machine offline. Once you are finished, simply press the ‘ON-LINE’ button on the control panel and the job will resume.
• Do not attempt new operations or new materials without first consulting with a STEAM team member

Level 1: Basic Operation

In this level, we will go over the basic workflow of the Zund, including initialization, importing your file, editing your file and assigning tools, and running a job.

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Operation

Startup Sequence

Let’s start by turning on the machine and initializing the tools we have equipped.

• When the Zund is turned off, you should see a little screensaver on the LCD.
• Start by pressing the F1 key on the control panel to boot up the machine. The Zund will automatically calibrate itself, which takes about a minute, in which time the machine will move around.

Initialization

• Next you will see a user query pop up on the screen that says Tool Manager. Press either of the two leftmost gray buttons for Init.
• Then press 2 for Auto Init, and one of the leftmost gray buttons for Start.
• The machine will then initialize the tool equipped, using the ITI blocks to sense where exactly the tip of the tool is.
• Once complete, hit the ESC key. You will have to repeat this step if there is more than one module equipped.
• Once you have finished initializing, the screen will show another user query that says Magazine scan starts. Press any of the three grey buttons next to ESC to continue. The machine will move again.
• Once it is finished, you will see the main menu show up on the control panel screen, and you’re ready to go!

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Cut Editor

Cut Editor is the first piece of Zund software you will use when preparing a file to be cut. In here we will position and edit our paths in the work area, select our cutting methods, input our material details, and generally make our file ready for cutting.

• To open Cut Editor, click the red ‘Z’ icon in the bottom right corner of the desktop, and select ‘Cut Editor’ from the popup menu.

Cut Editor Layout

• Materials Panel - In this panel you can select your material and specify its dimensions.
• Search up your material - most materials already have optimized settings set up in the “Standard” cutting profile, so 99% of the time the default settings should be sufficient.
• Machining/Methods Panel - In this panel you can select which cutting methods are used for which layers, adjust the parameters of those methods, and as well as add in other steps like automatic border detection and pauses.
• Make sure to assign a cutting method to each layer. Any layer that does not have an assigned cutting method will not be processed.
• Paths - This is the content of your file. Anything you did not choose to ignore will be imported. Depending on your cutting method your path may appear differently than in Illustrator.
• Work Area - This is the available workspace that the Zund can operate in. Make sure all of your paths fit within this area or you will get an error from the machine when you try to run the job.
• Send to Server Button - Select this button when you are finished and ready to cut.

Importing Your File

• Next, to import your file, select ‘File’ from the top-left toolbar and select ‘Import’ from the drop-down menu. Select your .ai file from the file explorer and click ‘Open’.

• In the Import Settings window, you will see all of the layers of your file with their names, cut methods, and an ‘Ignore’ column.
• Make sure any layers that you want to be cut are not checked in the ‘Ignore’ column. Click ‘OK’ when you are finished.

Preparing your Paths

Selecting and Transforming

• You can select individual paths by clicking on them, or click and drag to create a bounding box. A selected path or group of paths will be outlined in blue.
• Unlike other programs, this bounding box will only select paths that are fully inside of its boundaries.

• To move your view around, you can press down the scroll wheel and drag.
• To zoom, scroll up or down with the scroll wheel.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• R/T - Rotate your selection 90 degrees either clockwise (R) or counterclockwise (T)
• X/Y - Flip your selection horizontally (Y) or vertically (X)
• ESC - Exit your selection

Moving

• To move your selection, press the space bar and the outline will change from blue to pink, and you can click and drag your selection to wherever you like.
• When in this mode you won’t be able to do anything but move your paths, so hit ESC when you’re finished.

Material Settings

• Click the pencil icon on the left of the materials panel to edit your material settings. Search the material you will be cutting in the search bar, and select it from the search results.
• With very few exceptions, the ‘standard’ parameters have already been optimized for the material and cutting method.
• Double-check the thickness of your material using calipers, and input that measurement in the box labeled “Material Thickness”.
• Optionally, you can input the length and width of your material in the “Length X” and “Length Y” boxes, which will show up as a blue square that you can reference to make sure your paths are all on the material.

How to Use Calipers

• Press the “On/Off” button and press the jaws closed all the way.
• Press the “Zero” button to set the closed position as 0 inches.
• If the measurement on the display reads “mm”, press the “Inch/MM” button to switch the measurement unit to inches.
• Roll the thumb wheel back to open the jaws, insert your material between them and then press the thumb wheel forward to close the jaws firmly around the material.
• While maintaining pressure on the thumb wheel, read the measurement on the digital display. This is the thickness of your material.

Machining/Methods

Machining Steps Panel Layout

• Hide - clicking this button will hide any paths on that layer in the editor. Hidden layers will not be processed in the final cut.
• Order - Each layer is processed in order from top to bottom. If you want one layer to be cut before another, make sure it is above it.
• Delete - deletes the whole selected layer.
• Cutting Method - the current method assigned to a given layer - double-click to edit.
• Layer Color - paths on a given layer will all be this color. Double-click to edit.
• Duplicate Layer - duplicates the selected layer including paths and methods - useful if you need to make multiple passes with different methods.

Setting your Methods

• Double-click the layer to open the “Method Attributes” menu, and select your desired method from the drop-down menu, then click ‘OK’.

Adding Border Detection

• Border Detection is an automatic process that uses the ICC Camera on the Sensor Module to locate the bottom and right edges of your material, and automatically places your paths within these edges.
• In the ‘Tools’ tab on the toolbar, select ‘Border Detection’. A black hatched border will appear on the bottom and right sides of the work area.

Once you have finished all of the above steps and are satisfied with your file, click the ‘Send to Server’ button in the top-right corner, and open Zund CutQueue.

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CutQueue

CutQueue is the intermediary between CutEditor and CutCenter. You will spend about 45 seconds here.

• If it isn’t already open, click the red ‘Z’ icon in the bottom right corner of the desktop, and select ‘Cut Queue’ from the popup menu.

Layout

• Active jobs - (jobs that have not yet been completed) will appear in the top-right panel. If this is the first time running a job, you should see it at the very top of this list.
• Done jobs - (jobs that have been completed at least once) will appear in the bottom-right panel. If you have run a job before, you should see it here.
• If you don’t see your job at first glance, search for it using the search bar at the top of the screen.
• Clicking on a job will show a preview of it in the left window. Double check that it looks like you expect it to.
• When you’re ready, double click the job and it should automatically open Cut Center.

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CutCenter

Cut Center is the last step before excecuting your job. Here you will make sure that all of the parameters you set in Cut Editor will work with the current tools equipped to the Zund.

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Note: Only one instance of Cut Center can be active at once - if you don’t see the “Start Job” button it is likely because another instance is open.

Layout

• Underlay - Unless you are routing, this should be set to “No Underlay”
• Estimated Time - How long your job will take to cut - if this is much longer than you expected, double check that you don’t have any duplicate paths or tiny extra paths that you missed, as these will balloon your job time.
• Module Carriage Panel - Here you will see a representation of the modules and tools you have equipped.
• Module Slot - Shows the module and tool you have equipped as well as the blade or bit you have equipped.
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Note: If the module slot is outlined in orange, double check that you have the correct tool and blade equipped for your cutting process by clicking the pencil icon next to your ‘Material’ tab and making sure that is what you have equipped.
• If it is, right click the ‘Tool’ text and select “Initialize at Job Start”.
• If this does not get rid of the orange outline, ask a STEAM Team member for help.
• Tool - Which tool you have equipped.
• Equipped Blade/Bit - Which blade or bit is equipped to your tool.
• Unlike modules, the Zund does not know which blade or bit is equipped unless you tell it, so if someone changes it and does not input this change properly it can lead to issues.
• Return to Cut Editor - if you need to go back and make changes in Cut Editor, this button will take you back and save any changes you made in Cut Center. To return to Cut Center, press the ‘Send to Server’ button again.

Running the Job

• Make sure to press the ‘Online’ button on the Control Panel
• In Cut Center, press “Start Job”. This will take you to your first step which is Border Detection.
• A panel will appear on the right side of your screen, showing the view of the camera on the Sensor Module with a reticle overlay.
• Select ‘Manual’, then using the arrow keys on the workstation keyboard, navigate to the bottom right edge of your material.

• Once you can see the edge of your material, click on it with your cursor, which will place the center of the reticle on that edge. Then, press space bar to confirm, and the camera will move upwards.
• Repeat this process once more for the right side and twice more for the bottom side. Once you press space for the fourth time, the Zund will execute the job.

Cutting Paper

Lastly, to cut paper on the Zund, make sure to follow the guidelines below:

• You will be using the EOT (Electronic Oscillating Tool) equipped with a Z20 Blade. If this combination is not already set up on the Zund, ask a STEAM Team member for help installing it.
• This setup prioritizes precision over speed, as the thin profile of the Z20 allows for tight radii with very little overcut, but must move slowly to ensure the blade cuts through the paper fully.
• If you want to do a large volume of paper cutting that needs speed over detail, the blade can be swapped for a Z42 Blade which will be able to cut faster at the expense of precision. (Swapping blades is covered in Level 2)
• In Illustrator, take care not to overcomplicate your designs, as small complex designs will balloon the job time significantly.
• In Cut Editor, make sure to accurately measure your paper’s material thickness using the calipers, as even slight variation can result in an incomplete cut.

Once you have successfully completed a paper cutting job on the Zund, you can receive your Level 1 certification from the STEAM Team member training you. Congratulations!

END OF LEVEL 1!

WORK IN PROGRESS

lvl 2 - reset tools/modules to papercutting tools

• machining steps
• double click on method to edit parameters
• default settings should be set, no need to adjust
• tool, blade, clearing distance, base depth, different speeds

• registration (interactive mode)
• explain use of interactive mode on scrap material
• make sure machine is online
• click to move, use keyboard arrows and control to position laser at your desired origin
• ctrl+r or right click and set reference point

Console Controls

• any key will take the machine offline
• dpad, holding shift and arrow keys will move the module carriage around the work area

overcut - blade will cut past the path due to its width, although only one side will be affected

Shots: DPAD GIF

Module/Tool Change

• f4
• position 1 (next to console) or position 2 (next to router mount)

Shots: Control Panel Module/Tool Change GIF

changing the module:

• 4mm allen hex key - loosen the captive bolt on the cleat to the right of the module slot
• holding by the collar, remove cord from ICC module if plugged in
• grasp module and tool with both hands and lift straight up
• return module to cleat behind computer monitor
• load new module - line up feet with the bottom slot and tilt forwards until upright, and let it slide straight down
• lock cleat with 4mm hex key

Shots: One Shot per above step

• press any key under display to continue
• 1 - select tool
• scroll down until you see the tool and press okay
• init > 2- auto init > start
• esc back to main menu

Shots: Initialization GIF

changing the tool:

• depress silver button on the front of the module to lock tool collar in place, then turn it counter clockwise until the slot in the collar aligns with the red dot
• holding by the collar, remove cord from ICC module if plugged in
• grasp the tool and pull firmly straight upwards. it may require some gentle wiggling to get out fully
• take the new tool, and insert it straight down into the tool collar on the module, making sure the tab on the tool goes into the matching slot on the tool collar
• depress the silver button again, and turn the collar clockwise until you feel some resistance. you should hear a faint whir from the servo motors
• insert cord into the matching outlet on the ICC module (red to red, blue to blue, etc)
• press any key under display to continue
• 1 - select tool
• scroll down until you see the tool and press okay
• init > 2- auto init > start
• esc back to main menu

Level 2: Fabric Cutting + Blade Swapping for EOT

Fabric Cutting Guidelines

Overview

The Zund is capable of cutting many different types of fabric, including synthetic and natural fibers, spandex, leather, and terrycloth. As always, if you aren’t sure about how to cut a material, ask a STEAM Team member.

Choosing the Correct Tool

Most designs can be cut from fabric using the Driven Rotary Tool. This tool has a circular blade that spins at a high speed, which allows it to cut through fabric very quickly.

The only exception to this is if your design includes curved edges with a radius of less than 1” as cutting tight curves like these will cause the spinning blade to “drift”, leaving extra cuts on the outside of those curves. For designs with tight , the preferred tool is the Electronic Oscillating Tool equipped with a Z42 Blade.

Both of these options are set up with the correct parameters in Zund Cut Center, so you will be able to select the correct tool based on your design.

Preparing the Material

For optimal results, try to ensure that your fabric is wrinkle-free before attempting cutting. When laying your fabric out on the belt, take care to lay it down flat in a relaxed state. The felt conveyor belt has enough grip that thin stretchy fabrics can be inadvertently deformed when laid out on the belt. If said fabrics are cut in this stretched state, once removed they will snap back and you will have inaccurately cut pieces as a result.

Cut Editor/Center

When choosing your material profile in CutEditor, take your best guess as to your fabric’s categorization. The material profiles only differ slightly, so don’t overthink it.

[WIP - are there any other items that need to be included in this section]

Blade Swapping with the Electronic Oscillating Tool

Safety Zund blades are exceedingly sharp, and can easily cut your hands with very little pressure. In addition to your other PPE, make sure to wear cutproof gloves while handling blades. Additionally, make sure to always grip the blade from the sides or the shank.

Removing the Current Blade

Begin by removing the EOT from its module, following the steps outlined in ‘Changing the Tool’.

Once removed, hold the tool in both hands with the blade pointing away from you. Using both thumbs, push forward on the gliding shoe until you feel a pop, then slide the glide shoe off of the tool.

Using an appropriately sized allen key, loosen the allen screw in the blade holder. Grip the blade from the sides, ensuring the sharp edge is facing away from your palm, and remove it from the blade holder.

There should be next to no resistance from the blade. If it feels stuck, loosen the allen screw further and give the back of the blade a gentle tap with a metal implement. If the blade still feels stuck, contact a STEAM Team member for assistance. Do not try to force the blade out or use pliars to wiggle it out, as this can snap the blade off inside the blade holder.

Replacing the Blade

Once the blade is removed, select the appropriate blade from the drawer.

If you have to remove the protective coating, grip the coating by the sides and pull it up and away from the cutting edge, allowing the edge to cut through what cannot slide off.

Holding the new blade in the same way, insert the shank into the blade holder. Make sure the sharp edge of the blade is facing towards the allen screw. Tighten the allen screw to lock it in place.

Take the gliding shoe you removed earlier and line up the Zund logo on the side with the groove on the tool.

Press the gliding shoe onto the tool, and you will feel it pop back into place.