A Z-axis tool setter that reads the bit's touch optically, lights blue when the board sees it and red when the bit lands, and sets tool height on newer Genmitsu machines in one probe cycle.
Most 3018 touch probes are a conductive puck and a crocodile clip. The clip goes on the bit, the bit lowers onto the puck, and the circuit closes through the metal. Genmitsu's photoelectric probe reads the touch optically instead, so the signal no longer depends on current flowing through bit, collet and spindle shaft.
That change removes the usual reasons a plate probe misfires:
The two lights earn their place too. Blue confirms the board sees the probe before anything moves. Red lights at the moment of contact, which makes a slow manual touch-off easy to judge by eye when software probing is not wanted.
For a PROVer V2 owner who cuts with more than one bit per project, this is the part that makes tool changes quick and repeatable. The full upgrade order sits in 3018 upgrades.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Product type | Photoelectric Z-axis tool setting touch probe |
| Model | Genmitsu Z Probe |
| Trigger | Photoelectric sensing of the bit's touch |
| Blue indicator | Lights when the probe is connected to the control board |
| Red indicator | Lights when the bit touches the probe |
| Connector | 3-pin |
| Power | From the control board through the 3-pin lead |
| Working area | 24 mm (maker's comparison figure) |
| Compatible machines | 3018-PROVer V2, 3020-PRO Ultra, 3020-PRO MAX V2, 4040-PRO, 4040-PRO MAX, 4040 Reno |
| Not listed for | 3018-PRO, first-generation 3018-PROVer, 3018-MX3 |
| Function | Automatic Z tool setting from a single click in the control software |
| Replaces | Manual paper-slip zeroing |
| Accuracy | Rated high by the maker; photoelectric sensing named as the more accurate method |
| Items in the box | 1 Z probe |
| Brand | Genmitsu |
Z zero on a 3018 is almost always the top of the stock. The probe sits on that surface, the bit lowers until the probe triggers, and GRBL records the position. Subtract the probe's own height and the controller knows exactly where the stock begins.
Measure the probe height once with calipers and enter that figure in the software, rather than trusting a number from memory. An error of 0.2 mm is small in pine but visible in a V-carved acrylic sign, where depth sets line width.
| Job | When to re-probe |
|---|---|
| Walnut coaster, pocket then outline | After swapping the flat end mill for the profile bit |
| Acrylic sign, V-carve then cut-out | After each bit change; keep the film on and probe on it consistently |
| Plywood inlay, two depths | Once per bit, same spot each time |
| PCB isolation milling | Every tool; copper-clad depths are tenths of a millimetre |
The rule behind the table: X and Y zero survive a tool change, Z zero does not. Each bit sits at a different height in the collet, so every new bit needs a fresh touch. Starting depths for these materials appear in what a 3018 cuts.
Fitting is a plug-in job on the machines Genmitsu lists. The probe's 3-pin lead goes to the probe port on the controller, where the third wire powers the optical sensor and the lights. On a board without a 3-pin probe port, this probe is the wrong choice.
Check it works before the first real job:
Common hiccups and their fixes:
The PROVer V2's offline pad can run the tool-setting routine without a computer, which pairs well with this probe in a garage setup. Model-by-model board details are on the Genmitsu 3018 page.
Genmitsu and its sister brand SainSmart sell three ways to set Z, and the right one follows the machine more than the budget. The photoelectric probe is for the PROVer V2 generation. Older frames take the clip-and-plate probe, alone or in a kit with switches and a stop button.
| Option | Machines | Trigger | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| This photoelectric probe | 3018-PROVer V2, 3020, 4040 series | Optical, blue and red lights | Frequent bit changes, coated bits |
| SainSmart Z probe | 3018-PRO, 3018-PROVer, PROVer Mach3 | Clip and conductive puck | Older frames, GRBL or Mach3 |
| Zhong Hua Jiang probe | 3018-PRO | Clip and conductive puck | Generic 3018-PRO clones |
| Essential Accessories Kit | 3018-PROVer, PROVer Mach3, MX3 | Clip probe plus switches and E-stop | Adding safety parts at the same time |
Before ordering, confirm:
On a PROVer V2 the photoelectric probe is the natural pick. It trades a slightly higher cost for fewer failed touches and no clip to remember, and it carries over to a 3020 or 4040 if the bench grows.
Owners of a first-generation PROVer or a 3018-PRO lose little by sticking with a plate probe. Clean the collet, clip onto the shank rather than the flutes, and probe slowly; most misfires disappear. The photoelectric probe is not listed for those frames, so the plate probe remains the part that plugs straight in.
Whichever probe goes on the bench, store it away from the chips. A puck or probe top that picks up a curl of acrylic reads that curl as part of the stock, and the first pass comes out a fraction too shallow.
It is not listed for it. Genmitsu names the 3018-PROVer V2 and its 3020 and 4040 machines; the 3018-PRO takes the two-wire clip probe.
No. The touch is read optically, so the signal does not run through the bit, collet and shaft.
Blue shows the probe is connected to the control board; red shows the bit is touching the probe.
Candle, UGS and the PROVer V2 offline controller all run the Z tool-setting routine.
Each bit sits at a different height in the collet, so the old Z zero no longer matches the new tip.