Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: RICH on May 14, 2009, 06:05:13 PM
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Just a few lathe tool table questions.
1. Any reason why you should not use tool #0 as the "master tool " when setting up a tool table for the lathe?
2. The T word Txxyy the xx is the tool number, so i assume that the if yy was 10 it means the offsets for tool #10
will be used to for tool # xx. Correct?
RICH
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The tool table in turn is actually an offset table.
You can have 99 offsets in turn and in theory have 99 tools.
I have 10 tool slots in my Turret/Toolpost so I can call tools 1 to 10 and to make it easy on me I can swap out tools in the slots for other tools. I have these tools marked with the slot number and offset number so I dont have to reset the offsets each time I load a different tool.
I dont have 99 tools but if I did this is the way I have done mine
T0101, T0111, T0121 through T0191
T0202, T0212, T0222 through to T0292
etc etc to
T1010, T1020, T1030 through to T1090
Hood
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Dont think you can use T0 as the Master.
Looks like "T0" can be called intentionally to leave the spindle or tool position empty.
? RC
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Thanks,
I will have more questions as I become more dangerous. ;)
The lathe manual can be confusing. It just dosen't give you the overview for a quick association of
it all in short reading.
Hood,
Understand your logic for the numbering system. I will have more questions later on relating to actual use but i will go one step at time.
RC
I know the manual says to use the first tool ,#1 as the master ,and then the others when touched off
can get the offsets based on the controlling point used for tool # 1. If you touch off tool #0 as the master
is there anything goofy later on that you need to know, or will happen, because you didn't use tool #1?
RICH
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Not sure RICH. I went by the book.
There's only one way to find out. LOL
Give it a go......take cover. ::)
RC :)
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Understand RC, and will do just that.
Toothpick for a cutter won't do much damage.
Sometimes just need to explore and get lost to find out!
RCIH
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Hood,
So when you use a different tool you just move the axes based on your markings and zero the DRO's?
Or do you use a macro to do it?
RICH
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Just a note about the master tool. Don't think it has to be any particular tool #. I have successfully used tool #4 as the master - it wasn't intentionally, but rather by mistake ;) But as I saw it was working fine there was no need to change it. Furthermore, from my tests, you may have no master tool at all - i.e. all the tools can have offsets in the tool table and you'd still be fine.
Daniel
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I use one tool for finish pass on the majority of my parts so this is the one I have as the master, just so happens it is tool1 but as Daniel has said it doesnt matter which one it is.
When I call any tool and tell it to go to a dia it will go there, this is because I have all tool offsets set in the tooltable.
I have very accurate homing on the lathe and I use a Home Off distance so that tool 1 is at centre when I command X0, all the rest of the tools are offset from tool s so it follows that when I call them they too are where they are meant to be.
The clamping of the tools in the turret is done by wedges if I swap out a tool then it is surprisingly accurate and repeatable so even if it is one of my non standard tools that I call it will be within 0.01mm of where it is meant to be.
The toolpost is used for drilling and boring tools and I have made up blocks for each of the 4 positions which have 50mm dia bores and I have sleeves fitted to all the boring bars so that they too are repeatable and can be set in the offsets.
Hood
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I am at this very point having trouble with the tool table.
I have a tool table that has positions for 253 tools The manual current version 1.84 says "By scrolling the window you can access all the entries up to tool 99" I thought these had been upgraded but Hood says there are 99
Where is the offset table ?
The manual is absolutely hopeless it says you can shorten T0101 to 101 that just gives me tool 101 in the tool table
I always try to work things out myself but i am getting further away from working this out.
Can anyone give a definitive master class on correctly setting up a tool table from start to finish
Please
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Lathes use the format TAABB to define the tool number and the offset where AA is the Tool number and BB is the offset number. That means that the max number of tools is 99 and similar for the offsets.
The so called ToolTable is actually the Tool Offset Table and the max number of offsets you can have are as above 99.
So T0199 or T8799 will use the same offset which for a lathe is basically useless BUT if you have T0201 or T0299 then that could be usefull as you normally only have a limited amout of slots in your turret or toolpost (if an automatic changer type) so you can replace the tool you presently have in slot Two with another tool and if you have previously set up the offsets for that tool you just need to call the offset that is applicable (99 in the above example)
If you dont have an Auto Turret or toolpost but a manual quickchange then the same principle usually applies because it is likely you have a limited amount of toolholders so you would need to swap out tools in these holders if you wished to use a different tool than is currently in your holders. You would however have to have a method to replace tools in these holders so that they always get placed in the same position as they were previously. This could be a stop of some sort fixed into the tool holder.
If however you had 99 toolholders then it would be a simple matter of having offset 1 set up to tool 1, offset 2 set up to tool 2 etc etc up to offset 99 set to tool 99.
The reason I would imagine the Tool Offset Table shows the 253 is it will have just been copied over from Mill when Mach Turn was made.
Brian will be moving onto Turn when he gets Rev 4 Mill finished so should be one of the things that is sorted out but when that will be I dont know.
Hood
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Hi Hood i know you are the man but.
I renamed my Mach3 directory.
I have just installed version 3.04.027
I opened Mach3 it says Demo "I have a License" in my renamed folder
I opened the tool table i have 253 tools ??? ??? ???
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Have you restarted Mach since you put the licence in the folder? If it was placed in after you first start Mach then it will show demo until you restart Mach
Is it the Mach1Lic.dat that you have in there and is it definitely in the root folder?
As said above the Tool Offset Table does show 253 tool offsets but afraid you ccan only use 99 because of the Industry standard way of calling tools on a Lathe which Mach follows.
Hood
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Sorry Hood i misunderstood you, it displays 253 but only 99 can be used.
So where are the offsets ;D
Seriously, if 01 = 1 IE tool one where is offset 30
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If you are meaning where are YOUR offsets, in other words you had them in the previous install of Mach but no longer have them then you need to copy over the Tools3.dat from your previous install location. You will find it in the macro folder of the profile you are using. For example if you have it installed in the default location and are using the default Turn profile then it is in C:\Mach3\Macros\Mach3Turn folder.
You can only shorten the first part of the tool call, the first part is the tool number so T0303 is Tool 3 Offset3 as is T303. If you want tool 30 offset 30 then your tool call will be T3030.
Hood
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When I call any tool and tell it to go to a dia it will go there, this is because I have all tool offsets set in the tooltable.
I have very accurate homing on the lathe and I use a Home Off distance so that tool 1 is at centre when I command X0, all the rest of the tools are offset from tool s so it follows that when I call them they too are where they are meant to be.
Hood
Hi Hood
Can you confirm that the offset is on the Homing/Limits Tab and the methodology you used to achieve it.
Phil