Recent Posts

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by JohnHaine on May 31, 2024, 03:43:01 AM »

To Graham,

Thanks for your detailed workflow, I will review mine for what I might be missing. Do you have any X offsets for your Master tool?

I noticed yesterday that when I tried to use the Tool Table screen, it would not post the offsets, I wonder if that's related.

Jim

You need to click apply after entering the offset and return

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by Graham Waterworth on May 30, 2024, 06:30:52 PM »

Every tool has an X & Z offset.

3

VB and the development of wizards / Distinguish between pause caused by stop button and actual stop in mach3 macro

« Last post by wormball on May 30, 2024, 12:34:12 PM »

Hello!

As you may know, if you stop mach3 by pushing the red stop button on the screen, if you push the green cycle start button again, it will continue the program right where you stopped it without notice, and moreover, without starting the spindle. And if you forget about that, it can conclude in breaking the tool or something else, right as i did recently.

So i want to write some safety macro to prevent this kind of situations. In the elder scroll i have read the following wisdoms:

OEM LED Start 804
OEM LED Pause Feed Hold 805
OEM LED Pause 80
OEM DRO G-code Line Number (current) 816

These allowed me to distinguish between actual running state, yellow feed hold button and stop, but not allowed me to distinguish between two aforementioned kinds of stop.

The 816 dro merely indicates what line of code is scrolled to on the screen, but it can be deceptive cos there is no guarantee it is the actual current execution line. And if it is not, it may lead to some unwanted catastrophes.

Is there any way to distinguish between pause and full stop? Or get the actual line on which the execution is paused?

Thanks in advance.

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by jimc80 on May 30, 2024, 09:18:47 AM »

To Graham,

Thanks for your detailed workflow, I will review mine for what I might be missing. Do you have any X offsets for your Master tool?

I noticed yesterday that when I tried to use the Tool Table screen, it would not post the offsets, I wonder if that's related.

Jim

5

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by jimc80 on May 30, 2024, 09:14:39 AM »

To John,

Thanks, for the master tool, there are no offsets, only the G54 fixture offset, at least that is how I am operating at the moment.

Jim

6

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by Graham Waterworth on May 29, 2024, 05:30:11 PM »

This is how I set may lathe.

It is fitted with a front tool post and is setup in diameter mode.

X axis DRO gets larger the further away the tool is from the spindle centre line.

Z axis DRO reads plus moving away from the spindle towards the tailstock.

1. Home the machine.

2. Select tool 1 in MDI T0101.

3. Move the tool to the work and skim down the front face. Do not move the Z axis.

4. Click to highlight the Z axis DRO. Enter 0.25mm in the Z DRO. Press enter, this allows 0.25mm to take off during machining.

5. Move tool to skim O/D of work and take a cut off the O/D, move back in Z axis only and stop spindle.

6. Measure diameter cut and enter it into the X DRO and press enter.

Touch each tool on the front of the work (do not take another skim cut) and enter 0.25mm in the Z axis DRO so all tools are set to the same Z datum selecting the correct tool number first. E.g. T0202, T0303 etc.  The X axis is set the same way by taking a skim on the O/D or scratching the tool 1 diameter and entering the measured diameter.

7

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by JohnHaine on May 29, 2024, 04:18:10 AM »

So, assuming that X increases as diameter increases, your tool offsets are negative?

8

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Turn X axis problem

« Last post by jimc80 on May 28, 2024, 05:33:22 PM »

Thanks John, I will try to emulate what you have done. A little extra explanation on how I look at home, Machine 0,0 as the most positive for each axis. I had a commercial machine and that was part of the startup routine.
Jim

9

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Mach3 Minimum Step Length?

« Last post by Holzwurm56 on May 28, 2024, 04:52:27 PM »

I generate a gcode with Ezilathe. This works now fine.

10

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 Torch Height Control

« Last post by gordond on May 28, 2024, 01:47:11 PM »

The instructions in that link are basically the same as what I've been doing. So Thanks for that but I'm no further ahead. It seems like THC is still disabled even though my copy is licensed. I don't know what else to try in Mach3 and am thinking now I should try Mach4. Apparently the demo version will work for 5 to 10 minutes without licensing. At this point I don't know what else to try.