Learn/GcodePilot/Running programs
FreeCut
At a glance
- Jog to a start point, capture an end point or intermediate points, and cut the open line directly
- Uses the selected machine's real Plasma or OxyFuel cut settings and post processor
- Supports Plasma cutting and marking plus OxyFuel cutting on JC3-powered machines
- Saves reusable named routines inside the machine profile
- Runs beside the normal program without replacing the loaded file, preview, cursor, or queue
- Preserves X/Y work offsets while the configured process cycle handles Z touch-off and retract
FreeCut handles the quick cuts that do not need a complete CAM job. Jog the torch to the start, capture the point, jog to the next point, and run the open line directly from GcodePilot. Add as many intermediate points as the cut needs; the last point is always the end.
It is available on JC3-powered Plasma and OxyFuel machine profiles. Plasma can Cut or Mark. OxyFuel can Cut. Tube machine profiles do not expose FreeCut.
Capture a FreeCut
- Open FreeCut from the GcodePilot toolbar.
- Choose the process and operation.
- Pick the material, thickness, cut settings, and quality offered by that machine's normal Plasma or OxyFuel setup.
- Jog to the start, let the machine settle, and press Capture Start.
- Jog and press Capture Next Point for the end or for each intermediate point.
- Review the line in the machine view and press Run FreeCut.
Use Undo, Remove Last, or Clear to correct the draft. Place Start moves the whole saved line so its start lands at the current torch position. It does not change work zero.
The Cut Charts and Parameters buttons open the matching process editor, so FreeCut uses the same machine setup you already use in Plasma or OxyFuel.
Your post and process settings
FreeCut sends its exact open centerline through JetCad3's normal Plasma or OxyFuel toolpath generator, then through the post selected in the machine profile. It does not substitute a generic torch command.
That means the machine keeps its real:
- material and thickness chart;
- quality or speed selection;
- rule-adjusted feeds, heights, delays, gas and marking values;
- active torch/head and X/Y head offset;
- Plasma, Hypertherm or Cebora marking cycle; and
- OxyFuel preheat, cutting-oxygen, touch-off and retract cycle.
The complete result is prepared in memory. FreeCut refuses to run if the selected post, process recipe, active head, or required machine subroutine cannot be verified.
Save common cuts
Press Save to keep a line as a named routine. Save As makes a separate copy, and saved entries can be renamed or deleted from the FreeCut dialog.
The library lives in the machine profile rather than the open project. Export that profile and its FreeCut routines travel with the machine setup. Loading a saved routine does not move the machine; use Place Start when you want the same shape to begin at the torch's current position.
Separate from the loaded program
A FreeCut is a small side run with its own Run and Stop state. It does not replace the program in the editor, change the normal backplot or line cursor, advance the queue, or disturb a normal resume point. When it finishes, the program you were working with is still there.
The main GcodePilot Stop and background-run controls still follow the active FreeCut. Plasma Smart Pause turns the process off, retracts safely, and keeps the uncut tail. Resume FreeCut re-posts that tail through the current machine profile and re-pierces before continuing. It deliberately stays at the pause point instead of auto-parking in X/Y.
X/Y work zero stays yours
FreeCut records its line in machine coordinates, then reads the current active G54–G59 frame immediately before running. It posts the line into that existing frame without writing X or Y work offsets.
The prepared program and every configured subroutine are checked for WCS changes, X/Y offset writes, coordinate transforms, machine-coordinate X/Y bypass moves, and unexpected head changes. If the work frame, machine profile, chart, post, head, or line changes, FreeCut prepares again from a fresh Idle controller sample.
Z remains under the normal process cycle. Plasma and OxyFuel may touch off and establish Z, and their configured OFF routine retracts to a positive clearance or machine Z home.