Messages

6831

General Mach Discussion / Re: edge finding/2.5D probing

« on: May 03, 2010, 06:20:10 PM »

Picture a piece of 2" pipe 3" long  standing straight up sitting on the table.

 We start from the top of the pipe and probe to find the center of the pipe then move to the center and probe down .010" then  move over to probe the wall of the pipe all the way around. then move down .010" and do it again. Keep going down until you get to the bottom OR a stop point.

There is NOTHING for the probe to touch going straight down(vertical) UNTIL you get to the bottom and touch the table(;-)

We then take the points and take them into a 3D cam to create a 3d shape file that can be cut.

Hope that helps

6832

General Mach Discussion / Re: Ref Z-axis

« on: May 03, 2010, 06:04:37 PM »

The problem you will run into IS that with a floating head you have to set up the Z to ref DOWN to the top of the material not UP.

So once you have that set up there is no easy way to change the direction of homing so when you do a ref all it will try to refZ going down instead of up. IF there is no material for it to touch it keeps going down into the table gaps or trips the limit if you have one.

I find it best to setup SAFEZ to be a value above Z0 that is an incremental move say 4" that way when ever you need to move the head away from the table you can use safeZ.

Hope that helps

6833

VB and the development of wizards / Re: P, Q, R parameter

« on: May 03, 2010, 05:05:16 PM »

Well Compiling the macros did NOT help(;-) mach still looses control of the threading


BUT !!!

Please note that Ray L had nesting macros down to a science using Semaphores

So it can be done and not loose control of the threading.

Note: V4 is suppose to have that fixed(nestingmacros)

6834

VB and the development of wizards / Re: P, Q, R parameter

« on: May 03, 2010, 03:54:12 PM »

When you are ready to save your macro "CODE" from the code editor, Select save as then select COMPILE ".MCC"

NOW wether you can actually nest it is a good question(;-)

6835

General Mach Discussion / Re: Ref Z-axis

« on: May 03, 2010, 03:40:44 PM »

Plasmas don't always USE the refZ to actually ref the z axis like a router or mill would do.

Being basically a 2D process they normally only use  the RefZ to find the top of material.

So if you included the Z in RefAll it may not be able to ref the z as it does not have anything(material) to ref to so it may drive deep into the table or until it hits the limit if it has one.

So for a plasma the norm is to REFALL X&Y then have the RefZ as a separate function.

Hope that helps

6836

General Mach Discussion / Re: Proper Tool Changes

« on: May 03, 2010, 11:51:02 AM »

THere are MANY different methods for tool changing/guaging (;-)

My Major questions are:

** How to you set up your tools in a knee mill situation
(do you see each of them each time based off the top of the part?
If so what number to you put in for the offset?

With this method your top of material is a known value say Z0. When you change tools move over the material and touch off and reset Z DRO to zero each time.

OR just move over the material and move Z to zero and MOVE the knee to touch off.

**Do you use a Gauge tool that does no change like a solid rod of X length in a holder and then set all tools based on that?
Again what is the offset if this is the method?
If you use the Gauge method do you use that gauge to set the top of the part?

(;-) "My preferred method".

NOTE: this depends on IF ALL you tool lengths can be used inside of the Quill 5" envelope and NOT hit a Zlimit

  Use a MASTER guage to reference all other tools too, then use the master to set the initial TOM.

The tool offset is simply the difference in height from the master to the tool being checked. Then register each tool in the tool table.

NOW mach can use this data to automatically adjust the offset in your Gcode providing you are using Tool height offsets . YOU must code this into the gcode.

You can do this  ON the machine or OFF the machine(;-)

Manually (off the machine) requires a fixture to MEASURE tool heights. then you take the values and inoput them into the tool table.

 ON MACHINE lets the machine do all the work measuring AND registers the tool in the tool table automatically.


**How to you do tool changes so that the mill goes to the top of the quill and waits for input to continue?

You would set up code in the M6start macro to tell mach to go to MACHINE POSITION (G53) " Z0" ( assuming you ref your Z to up(top)  =0.000. Then when an M6 is called the machine will move up to the top of travel in Z. You can also tell it to move out to a known X/Y location as well.

ALL in ALL a simple process ONCE you decide what is BEST or Easiest for you.

Hope that helps

6837

General Mach Discussion / Re: edge finding/2.5D probing

« on: May 03, 2010, 09:29:09 AM »

That would take a while(;-) as each step is .010" and the port is from 2-3" deep.

6838

VB and the development of wizards / Re: P, Q, R parameter

« on: May 02, 2010, 01:58:04 PM »

HUM there is really nothing to probe in the Z axis just a big hole. The area to probe would be in the X/Y directions and step down in z as it goes deeper into the port.

Your crawler routine works great but I don't think it will work in this application unless it could be modified to crawl the perimeter from the inside out then step down.

(;-) There IS a market for a PORT probing routine to do this IF you are interested.

I have seen your routine do the combustion chambers of the head, that IS a perimeter and bed of nails type of probing solution

Thansk

6839

VB and the development of wizards / Re: P, Q, R parameter

« on: May 02, 2010, 11:46:41 AM »

HIYA Stirling, question ,there is a fellow doing probing of an engine intake ports. Can your crawler routine probe the inside of a 3d object such as a port?

6840

VB and the development of wizards / Re: limits on off in vb code

« on: May 02, 2010, 11:44:05 AM »

Yea I read that part, but that does not explain the logic behind it. IF you never ask you never learn beyond your limited exposure to things.