adapt for pen plotter

Frank:Wed Apr 29 2026

how to adapt for pen plotter (up/down pen) (Z0/Z5)?

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Toolpatch:Thu Apr 30 2026

The system was originally designed for CNC milling, where the Z axis represents cutting depth below the material surface. Because of that, the cutting depth is always defined as a positive value and translated into a negative Z move (e.g. Z-1), which makes sense for milling but not for plotting. For pen plotter use, the same logic can be applied: higher Z (e.g. Z5) is pen up, and lower Z (e.g. Z-1) is pen down. In practice, this requires proper Z offset calibration so that the “down” position only lightly touches the surface rather than pressing into it. Currently, there is no option to set the down position exactly at Z0, since this was not needed for CNC use. However, it would be straightforward to adapt the system to support true pen plotting (e.g. Z0/Z5 or configurable pen up/down levels) if there is demand.

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