Here, I have a control program loaded with the Optimum CNC logo, and it is enclosed by this rectangle. Let’s say we’re now at some machine coordinate, say 8 and 4, and we’d like to tie this lower-left corner to this machine coordinate. We’ll do it by pressing this button right here.

As you can see, the actual machine coordinates have not changed; however, the work offset is now different. If we were to press play, the system would begin from this corner and continue moving onward.

Similarly, we can tie this machine coordinate to any of the other four corners. Again, note how the machine coordinate stays the same, but the work offset or the program coordinate changes.

Alternatively, the “crosshair center button” ties the current machine coordinate to the geometrical center of the control program or the rectangle that encloses it. This allows us to more easily reposition the control program on our working material without actually having to go through things like adjusting the control program itself.

These buttons appear in the Work Offsets area:

Trace Job: the system travels according to the dimensions of the program. This allows to limit the cutting zone strictly to the program footprint. (Read more about “Trace job”.)

Torch Probe: runs surface measure procedure M272

Laser Guide Toggle: turns on the laser guide/pointer and automatically applies the laser guide tool position offset (image below shows the button when the laser guide is enabled):

Simulation Toggle: the simulation (jog toolpath) mode allows the user to run through the program at a separate speed without the cutting commands. This is useful to quickly position the machine to a point that the user requires, or to see how the XYZ movement will play out without the actual cutting commands.

Project Position buttons: allow to tie the current working point to one of the four corners of the program area. This allows the operator to quickly change the work offset to tie the current machine position to one of the four corners of the rectangle that encloses the currently loaded G-code program.

NOTE: The Bind button, that appears in the Program Controls panel allows to move the entire program around the cutting sheet. The Work Offset functionality is useful when, for instance, a single part needs to be cut out from a program made up from many different parts at a different location on the working material from that which was used originally.

This functionality calculates the difference of the current selected point and the zero program coordinate, and then interpolates the same difference between the new selected point and the new zero program coordinate, moving the whole program over.