Messages

4361

General Mach Discussion / Re: Can anyone give me a "step by step" on a wizard?

« on: August 15, 2010, 08:07:06 PM »

After reading your introduction now i know why your interested in the text wizard.

This may be of interest to you.
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,13398.msg87957.html#msg87957

"Feel lucky.......go ahead and take a look ......and make my day"  

RICH

4362

General Mach Discussion / Re: Can anyone give me a "step by step" on a wizard?

« on: August 15, 2010, 07:35:35 PM »

Mike,
1.open the wizard
2.fill in all the info - where you want to start from
                             - tool you will use
                             - feedrate and rpm
3.select the direction of the text
4.input how much you wnat the text to be seperated and the height
5. define unit and cutting direction
6.go down to the bottom and selec the font by clicking on the font button
7. then just use the mouse to select each letter
8.WHEN ALL DONE CLICK THE "WRITE" button and it will post the code to Mach

Quite easy.........

RICH

4363

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Cylinder Heads

« on: August 15, 2010, 07:29:34 PM »

Maybe you can have the liners anodized...
RICH

4364

General Mach Discussion / Re: lathe/threading question

« on: August 15, 2010, 07:26:03 PM »

Threading will not start until Mach see's  the index pulse and depending on debounce setting a number of times to be valid.
Then the Z axis movement must start from a dead stop and accelerate over some distance, that's why you should be around at least 3
to 5 pitch lengths away from the end, so the axis can arrive at the exact same spot each time. How good your lathe system can do all that  will show up when you try multi start threading or test. Once it starts cutting threads the Z movement is basicaly a G01 move at a set feedrate with monitoring of the rpm to adjust the next cycle.

When i said rpm in real time, i was meaning that the input from the index to Mach is not maniuplated as it was in the past ( what windows does  / kernal speed ect. and thus manipulated by the pc before use).

How threading works along with relevant tests are all explained in the write up which is much better than i can reply in this post.
In the future maybe there will be slaving of the Z to the spindle ( call it electronic gearing or whatever ), or use of an encoder, but for now it is no longer broken and hope it stays that way! 

RICH

4365

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help needed, old user, new program....

« on: August 15, 2010, 01:28:49 PM »

You can calculate the steps per and then enter the value in Config>Motor Tuning for the axis, also set the velocity and acceleration.
There is a write up in Members Docs on how to calculate step per in.
 For axis calibration using Mach see page 5 in Threading on the Lathe write up which can also be found in Members Docs.

If you don't use / have limit switches then have a look in the Members Docs and you will find two writeups on homing with no limit switches
one for the lathe and another for the mill. Remember that it will be  "soft " / electronic. No need for the home hookups as they will be of no value if you don't have switches.


Sorry for jerking you to different places but easier for me than typing it,

RICH

4366

General Mach Discussion / Re: lathe/threading question

« on: August 15, 2010, 08:42:38 AM »

There is a write up called Threading on the Lathe Mach3 which can found in the members Docs which you should read.

If you use a VFD ( my lathe does not have one ) i would recommend setting / fixing the rpm at which you will do the thread.
During the threading cycle Mach is controlling the feedrate based on it's reading of the real time rpm.  Mach will adjust the feedrate should
 there be a spindle slow down , but, it will not adjust the feedrate upwards above your set rpm. Should your VFD input sense that the spindle
 rpm requires adjustment, and then adjusts the rpm, that would be fighting the built in adjustment that the threading cycle is doing, thus you will have
threading problems.

-how can the synchronization of the spindle with the other axes possibly be accurate using a VFD

I would say it is more accurate based the on  testing we did. The single index is very accurate and there is no advantage to multi slotted disc's
and that's why it no longer used and shouldn't be used. Remmeber that the thread cutting will only be as accurate as YOUR "lathe system".

-theres no real position control ..........meeting ANSI specs  

In the write you will find a table which defines the basis that Mach threading  needed to achieve.
How good your lathe system will do can be tested , just read the write up.

- if anyone is making good threads with mach and not installing a servo for the spindle let me know how 

I have. Just remember that the physical end result is affected by manny things and i believe  most if not all are covered  in the write up.

RICH

4367

General Mach Discussion / Re: Help needed, old user, new program....

« on: August 14, 2010, 07:48:00 PM »

Mike,
You can use the axis calibration in Mach Mill to fine tune the steps per quickly. Then just put those number into the turn configuration.
I have a sherline mill but you use servos so my  xml wont help in that reguard.
 You can just check the "emulate" for the Index in config ( note becomes a soft estop).

Not much help will be found on using the text wizard. I suggest you get things running and when you get to the wizard we'll chime in.
I have only used it to try it out and that was a long time ago.

BTW, As you age you know more than you think. I always tell my bride that I know everything but just can't seem to recall it as the drawer is stick that it was put in!

Have fun relearning..... George  

RICH

4368

FAQs / Re: mach3turn spindle sensing problem

« on: August 14, 2010, 07:29:09 PM »

Bill,
DO NOT USE OR ENABLE THE TURN DIAGNOSTICS plug in or any other plug-ins like it since they were for testing purposes only.
The turn diagnostics 1.00.1 no longer functions properly. The rpm is read in real time where as before it was not.

The more closely the PC is to the kernal speed during the driver test the more solid your DRO rpm readout will be.

The index debounce can influence the rpm reading as you found out. The lower the better ( value of at least 1 and don't recommend 0 ) i use a value of  10. It's the number of times Mach will look at the index to determine the rpm in turn if i recall correctly. Since Mach will vary the feedrate based on displayed / read rpm,   it would seem that during threading Mach's varing of the feedrate due to spindle slow down would be more responsive. No Mach will not go above the called for feedrate during threading. When spindle speed averaging is checked in config, Mach will average the rpm in the adjustment of the feedrate. There is a lot going on in threading / turn.

Yes, you must turn the spindle on in lathe using M3 / M4. This was done to inform Mach to start reading the index pulse. It cured the problem of slow spindle speeds not being read.  

RICH

4369

General Mach Discussion / Re: For Wizard Loving Lathe Users

« on: August 14, 2010, 09:48:09 AM »

Mike,
Yes,  use the standard lathe screen to start and if it works for you stay with it, but, then try  the other screen set and see the added features
which makes using the lathe so  much easier.
Here is a the link to PHILs screen:
http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,13548.msg88932.html#msg88932

Have fun,
RICH

4370

General Mach Discussion / Re: High speed spindle recommendations

« on: August 14, 2010, 09:33:52 AM »

HOLDER COMMENTS:
- Drill and ream block for holder OD
- make the holder such that it "springs" some to insert the holder ( the bearings are at the ends of the holder)
 that's why there are relief cuts in the block on mine
- with the holder mounted in the block, set up to machine the block so the base, sides, front & back are parallel with the handle center line
- do the base first and check with a piece of small ground stock inserted into the collet / chuck and check for runout at the tip of the bit /
  want it to be as good as possible ( match mark the handle and block for repeatable insertion of the handle into the block)

Just want to make later setup easy ie; can use a master square to set the holder.
If not done right you'll break small drills and end mills in a heart beat.
Naturally the less run out the better. Engraving line width will be determined by the runout, and should you do real fine stuff it becomes important.

FWIW,
RICH