Learn/Router/Machine & sheet setup
Machine profiles
At a glance
- Save and load router machine profiles as portable .jcm files
- Travel limits, units (in or mm), max feedrate, and simplify tolerance
- Spoilboard vs material-top sheet Z origin—WCS Z0 at spoilboard bottom or material top
- Dedicated Router post output path memory—separate from Plasma and Laser jobs
A Router machine profile describes your machine once — travel, units, and post setup — and every
job reuses it. Manage profiles under Edit → Machines; the Router sidebar's Machine dropdown
switches between them. Each profile is a single .jcm file, and each machine row in the manager
has an export icon so a profile can be handed to another JetCad3 install and imported back — useful
for a second seat or for sharing a known-good setup.
What lives in the profile
The General tab sets the machine's name, type, units (inches or millimeters — posts emit G20 or
G21 to match), and the simplify tolerance that controls how finely splines and SVG curves are
approximated (0.001" default for routers). The Axes tab holds per-axis travel, max velocity, and
acceleration — X/Y travel draws the bed in the viewport, sizes new sheets, and bounds
simulation rapids. The Post tab picks which post processor the machine
uses; the list is filtered to router-type posts, so your
GRBL or MASSO choice travels
with the profile along with its per-post options. The machine-scoped
tool library is stored in the same file.
Z origin and output paths
Each sheet chooses its Z origin: Top of Material puts WCS Z0 at the stock's top face (the bottom of a 0.5" sheet is Z-0.5), while Spoilboard puts Z0 at the spoilboard so the material top sits at Z+0.5. Posting and simulation both honor the choice, so the G-code and the 3D preview always agree about where zero is. Router also remembers its own post output folder, independent of Plasma and Laser — posting a cabinet job never overwrites the path you use for plasma work.