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Trial Period or Updates Expiring? Email Trial ID to Support

    Thank you for testing MillMage!

    Release Candidate users who see a "Your trial period has expired" notice when opening MillMage can request an extension to the update period by emailing the MillMage Trial ID to the Support team.

    Find your Trial ID in the License Management window. Email your Trial ID to [email protected] to start your request. The duration of the extended update period may vary.

Warning

The current version of MillMage is a Release Candidate — a stable version of software that is nearly ready for official release, but in need of additional public testing. Please report any unexpected behavior in the MillMage Software Questions section of our forum, including screenshots and as much detail as possible. Ask hardware compatibility questions in the MillMage Hardware Compatibility section.

Users new to MillMage should follow the Getting Started guide.

Video: How to Use a Release Candidate

This video features our sister software, LightBurn. While there may be slight differences in appearance and layout, the demonstrated processes are similar in MillMage.

Warning

This documentation is in active development and in a prerelease state. These documents are not complete and may include missing pages, broken links, and placeholders. Content is being updated as feedback is reviewed. Your patience is appreciated.

Controlling Coolant Accessories With Custom GCode

In this guide we will review what's needed to turn on and off coolant accessories in MillMage using Custom GCode.

Hardware Requirements

To follow this guide, you will need:

  • A coolant accessory, correctly wired into your control board. Refer to your CNC machine and accessory manufacturer's instructions for details.
  • The firmware on your CNC control board needs to have support for M7 and/or M8 GCodes enabled. Check with your CNC manufacturer for details.
  • A CNC machine, properly setup in MillMage

In general, many GRBL users can assign the following GCode commands to these functions:

GCode MCode Primary Use Secondary Use
M8 Turn on flood coolant
M9 Turn off both M7 and M8 accessories
Optional: M7 Turn on mist coolant if using mist and flood coolant Turn on air blast or vacuum

Using Coolant With Vacuum Tables

Verify that your coolant materials are compatible with your vacuum system.

Enabling Coolant Functions

  1. Open Custom GCode Settings

    Open the Device Settings window by selecting Device Settings icon in the Main Toolbar, or by selecting CNC Tools → Device Settings and select the Custom GCode tab at the top of the window.

    Screenshot of the Device Settings window with the Custom GCode tab highlighted

  2. Scroll down in the Custom GCode section on the left-hand side of the Device Settings window until the Coolant On and Coolant Off fields are visible.

    Screenshot of the Device Settings window with the Coolant On/Off fields highlighted

  3. Enable Has Coolant

    In the Custom GCode Options column on the right-hand side of the same Device Settings window, scroll down until the Accessory section is visible and enable Has Coolant. Once enabled, you will be greeted with error messages in the empty Coolant On/Off fields.

    Screenshot of the Custom GCode window with the Coolant On and Coolant Off fields highlighted

    Screenshot of the Coolant On/Coolant Off Error Code: "This block cannot be empty. Enter valid GCode or disable the options; Has Coolant."

    The Stop Coolant toggle will activate to automatically send the M9 stop accessories command when the job is stopped by the user.

  4. Set Coolant On/Off Commands

    Enter M8 in the Coolant On text field and M9 in the Coolant Off text field.

    Screenshot of the Coolant On field populated with M8 and the Coolant Off field populated with M9

    Using Both Mist and Flood Cooling?

    Enter M7 in the Vacuum On text field to assign the Vacuum button in the Move Window to mist cooling.

    Enter M9 in the Vacuum Off text field.

  5. Save Changes

    Click the OK button to save your changes and close the Device Settings window.

    Screenshot of the Custom GCode window with the OK button highlighted

  6. Test Activating Coolant

    With your CNC machine powered on and connected to MillMage, select the Move tab — by default in the right-hand side of the main window, and press the Coolant button to turn on and off your coolant accessory.

    Screenshot of the Move Window with the Coolant button highlighted

  7. Optionally,

    1. Open the Console window and send the Coolant On GCode command you set up (M8) to test turning your coolant accessory on.
    2. Send the Coolant Off GCode command you set up (M9) to test turning your coolant accessory off.

Troubleshooting

If your coolant accessory does not respond as expected, refer to the CNC machine and accessory manufacturer's documentation. Verify that the:

  • Accessory hardware is wired correctly to the coolant controls and to the CNC control board's M7 and M8 assigned pins or connectors,
  • Your CNC machine's firmware has M7 and M8 support enabled,
  • The accessory is connected to power,

  • Your CNC machine is selected and reads ready in the Job Control Window,

    Screenshot of the Job Control Window with the Ready status highlighted

  • Your Custom GCode commands are entered in the correct field.

    • Open the Device Settings window by selecting the Device Settings icon or by selecting CNC Tools → Device Settings and select the Custom GCode tab at the top of the window.
    • Check that the Coolant On Custom GCode field is set to M7 or the command your CNC control board supports to turn off CNC accessories.

    • Check that the Coolant Off Custom GCode field is set to M9 or the command your CNC control board supports to turn off CNC accessories.

      Screenshot of the Coolant On field populated with M7 and the Coolant Off field populated with M9

For more help using MillMage, please visit our forum to talk with MillMage staff and users, or email support.