Adding starting points in Sophia®

Happy Feature Friday!

In this Feature Friday, we focus on an existing feature, specifically adding starting points when cutting out plates. In our updated Sophia® online software, this process differs slightly differently from the desktop version. Find out why adding starting points is useful, how this works in the Sophia® online software and what the guidelines are for this.

Why add starting points in Sophia®?

To cut a part from a plate, the laser begins by burning a hole through the plate, referred to as piercing. If a starting point is not selected manually, the software chooses a random starting point. This starting point is sometimes visible in the cut part. So, in some cases, it is advisable or even necessary that you determine the position of the starting point yourself. This is simple and there are only a few guidelines to consider.

How to add starting points in Sophia®

There are two ways to add starting points to your drawing. During the drawing process or when configuring in Sophia®. While drawing your DXF file, you can indicate the desired starting point by drawing a 0.4 mm circle in green. 

To add the desired starting point in Sophia®, you proceed as follows: 

1. Import a flat part into Sophia®. (STEP, DWG/DXF or TUB file)

2. Click "Set cutting start points" in the configuration screen with the 3D view.  

3. Place the cursor on the contour where you want to position a starting point. A line with a purple circle appears as an indication of the position of the starting point.

4. Click to place the starting point.  

The position of your manually set starting point is automatically saved in your project.

TIP: You can use this method to add a starting point to each cutting contour, including the outer contour and holes and cut-outs.

How to move or delete starting points in Sophia®

Move the starting point by clicking another position in the contour. The starting point automatically jumps to the new position.

Delete the starting point by clicking the solid purple circle of a previously placed starting point. The edge turns red and after clicking, the starting point disappears.

Guidelines for the position of starting points

Conditions apply to placing starting points. The position of a starting point must comply with the following guidelines:

• Plates up to 10 mm thick: always place the starting point 3 mm from the corner, seen from end of the radius, or 3 mm outside the entity.

• Plates with a thickness of 10 mm or more: place the starting point at least 5 mm from the corner or entity. 

• Do not place the starting point in the middle of the contour of a narrow slot. After all, piercing must be possible perpendicular to the starting point, so there needs to be enough space.

Stay up to date

We have written this Feature Friday as an aid to make working with Sophia® even easier and more efficient for you. Thanks for your time and see you next Feature Friday!