Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: lazy mark on January 30, 2012, 06:18:43 AM

Title: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on January 30, 2012, 06:18:43 AM
hi all new to forum i have just built a hot wire foam cutter but am having trouble with some of the settings
i have a  TB6560 4 axis  controller board nema 23's all axis work fine with jog  but cant get them to go to home 3 do but not the 4th axis

also i have 3 imputs for home switches and 1 e/stop as i need 4 home switches not sure if to wire all to external 9 pin and allocate the pin in the software homing and limits

many thanks all i will post pics and info so it may help others

till i speak again lol lazy mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on January 30, 2012, 06:39:35 AM
You can connect all home/limit switches in series if they are normally closed and thus only use one input.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on January 30, 2012, 08:19:19 AM
cheers my friend is that because they go to home at different times ie touch home then come back off the switch so the next one
can find home  i am not sure how it works lol 

many thanks for your help
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on January 30, 2012, 08:34:07 AM
Yes thats correct, it is possible to home all axis or a combination of axis at the same time if you wish but for that you need to have seperate inputs for the home switches for each axis you are wishing to home with another.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on January 31, 2012, 08:01:54 PM
hi hood many thanks for the info i have a problem wiring the home switches cannot get a signal on mach3

i have wired to the 9 pin PC plug could it be i have not sorted the right pins

e/stop works OK

now you know i am just starting when you have an active high is that a say positive and the active like a negative

just the setup for home switches and software for them and motors are a bit noisy

just thought anybody know where i can get some Teflon split bushes to fit 20mm bars and clip into a aluminium
carriage 3mm thick they look like grommets

many thanks for your time lazy mark   (i have a laser cutter)
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 05:10:20 PM
hi there i have set up  my cnc foam cutter but i draw a shape in my dwg package but when i import
gcode from foam works mach3 gives me a completley different shape on the cutting screen

any ideas
many thanks mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 05:23:53 PM
If its arcs that are weird then could be your IJ mode. That should ideally be set in the preamble of your code but it can also be set to default in General Config page.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 05:44:48 PM
hi hood thanks for info on home switches works good now

right i new to this and have not got a clue what your saying lol sorry
i have drawn a basic wing dxf import to foam works save as gcode now when i import to mach3 i just get i line shaped like a spiral

so close but so far i have worked most things but this has stumped me i dont know if i have mixed up the axis abnormal condition keeps flashing


cheers mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 05:50:34 PM
Can you attach the code and I will see what it looks like here.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 06:00:34 PM
hi hood sorry about that other pc not on line



T1
G17 G49 G54 G80 G90 G94 G21 G40
F200
G01 X0.000000 Y100.000000 U0.000000 V100.000000
G01 X-200.000000 Y100.000000 U-200.000000 V100.000000
G01 X-200.000000 U-200.000000
G01 X-201.414037 Y99.980001 U-201.414037 V99.980001
G01 X-202.826942 Y99.920020 U-202.826942 V99.920020
G01 X-204.237587 Y99.820105 U-204.237587 V99.820105
G01 X-205.644841 Y99.680336 U-205.644841 V99.680336
G01 X-207.047579 Y99.500824 U-207.047579 V99.500824
G01 X-208.444680 Y99.281714 U-208.444680 V99.281714
G01 X-209.835026 Y99.023181 U-209.835026 V99.023181
G01 X-211.217504 Y98.725431 U-211.217504 V98.725431
G01 X-212.591008 Y98.388702 U-212.591008 V98.388702
G01 X-213.954440 Y98.013265 U-213.954440 V98.013265
G01 X-215.306709 Y97.599419 U-215.306709 V97.599419
G01 X-216.646733 Y97.147495 U-216.646733 V97.147495
G01 X-217.973440 Y96.657855 U-217.973440 V96.657855
G01 X-219.285770 Y96.130891 U-219.285770 V96.130891
G01 X-220.582672 Y95.567024 U-220.582672 V95.567024
G01 X-221.863108 Y94.966705 U-221.863108 V94.966705
G01 X-223.126054 Y94.330414 U-223.126054 V94.330414
G01 X-224.370501 Y93.658661 U-224.370501 V93.658661
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 06:11:32 PM
Machs axis are X Y Z A B C you seem to have U and V in that code. Maybe your CAM has a post processor for Mach or similar?
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 06:12:46 PM
hood what does start teach and stop teach do couldn't find it in the mach3 info


mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 06:17:03 PM
You can command moves in the MDI line and Teach will record them and make into a gcode file so you can run again without having to enter all the lines manually into MDI again.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 06:19:26 PM
ok just checked foamworks axis designation

x1 =x
y1 =y
x2 =z
y2 =A

that seems ok
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 06:20:56 PM
Yes but code seems to have U and V in it, not sure why.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 06:27:21 PM
hood
import dxf into foamworks4

box says  code page is undifined so selected windows baltic does this spread any light

mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 05, 2012, 06:38:06 PM
Sorry never used foamworks.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 05, 2012, 06:42:46 PM
will investigate many thanks for your help hood you give a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and it helps

to push a project on

cheers mark

Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 07, 2012, 07:12:53 PM
hi hood cannot find the fault in mach3 so try ed kcam4 but cannot get the port sorted all settings seem OK i had to put separate parallel port in

mach3 came up that i may have some corrupt memory one of those evenings when ya don't know which way to turn kcam looks good

mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 07, 2012, 07:18:28 PM
Unless your code is correct for Mach it wont run properly I am afraid, you really need to see if you can get a post processor for your CAM to output in X Y Z etc. Failing that you could likely edit manually by using find and replace in notepad
Hood
Title: stepper motor changes direction
Post by: lazy mark on February 21, 2012, 07:58:39 PM
hi there euston we have a problem lol

can amybody give me a glue 4 axis machine for foam mach3 jog 4th axis very rough all axis the same settings

press button on screen sometime motor is nice and smooth but most of the time its rough and can switch direction when buttom is hit

also does anybody know when foam cutting with foam works or similar program do you get two diagrams on screen i;e one for left side of wing and one for right side

many thanks to all  lazy mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 22, 2012, 01:20:15 AM
Can you attach your xml please.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 23, 2012, 05:03:22 PM
hi hood sorry about the wait

when i hit jog a few times the motor will step different ways i have checked settings and they are the same for all the motors

i have switched over motors and the fault is still on the 4 axis outlet on the control board

i think i have included the xml file

many thanks hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 23, 2012, 05:06:37 PM
Have sent you a PM.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 23, 2012, 05:15:11 PM
hood many thanks it was purchased from hong kong with all my steppers and control board can i down load a trial version



i have wasted days and days thank you again
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 23, 2012, 05:18:31 PM
Delete the licence file and it should work in demo mode but if things are still a bit weird then you may have to delete Mach and install the version from the downloads page and reset your xml.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 24, 2012, 06:35:58 PM
hi hood software problem sorted and taking it up with the suppliers

changed controller board and this sorted the problems with the motors changing direction

for stepping 3mm per rev on threads so 1mm =0.333333 of a revolution so do i divide 200 steps by 0.333333 i have the dip switches set to 1/16 micro steps this works out at 600.0006

i am not getting enough travel

have a good weekend mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on February 25, 2012, 03:20:26 AM
You should have been mul;tiplying the 0.3333 by 200 rather than dividing. To put it another way
200 steps per motor rev x 16 microsteps = 3200 steps per rev of screw, screw moves 3mm per rev so steps per unit is 3200/3 = 1066.66666667
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on February 25, 2012, 05:13:54 AM
so thats where i was going wrong setup will be finished in an hour then to cut a sample wing i hope


many thanks                                   
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on March 13, 2012, 05:24:37 PM
hi hood thanks for help so far
right are their any foam cutters out there that can tell what boards they use because i have read forums that say the tb6560 boards dont work for 4 axis foam machines i dont know why

i was going to get another board to double check       as machine works great but does not cut the correct shape i am now using profili wing cutting software should carrages return home with the - jog key or the + key

many thanks to all

                                   marky
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on March 19, 2012, 06:54:09 AM
TB drives can work ok or not, they can be poor quality or slightly better quality and I believe they require a wider pulse and of 5v rather than 3.3v.

Jog keys jog an axis and thats all.
Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on March 29, 2012, 07:40:38 PM
hi can anybody help if my carrages are say 300mm away from the home switches they return slow then speed up just before the home switches and hit a little to hard how do i adjust them and reverse them so they return faster them slow down before they touch the home switches

many thanks mark
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: Hood on March 30, 2012, 05:08:13 AM
How are you sending home? Is it a button or is it a G28.1from code or?  If a button what is the code in the button?

Hood
Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on March 30, 2012, 04:18:51 PM
hi hood hope you are well

i am using g28 to move away from home switches to a comfortable area ie center of rails  now i hit ref all home on program run screen

i can cut retangles now but getting stuck on ribs i am not sure if i am using the wrong type of line to draw

hood if you get a chance could you please look at this file it is for a wing section but when i load it it look fine on screen but the 4 axis hot wire machine makes it off set ie where the wing spars would the back of the wing section drops by about 6-8 mm top and bottom

cheers mate          marky

Title: Re: set up for hot wire foam cutting please
Post by: lazy mark on April 09, 2012, 12:35:52 PM
hi all thanks for all help recieved

i have found if i switch off the backlash  my machine cuts the right shape ie a wing profile but now the garrages go to home switches but do not come back off of them

i have looked at the soft max, soft min,slow zone and home off to sort out my problem lol to be honest i dont know what to look for or do

may thanks marky
Title: STEPPER MOTOR STALLING
Post by: elpuebla on April 09, 2012, 12:51:39 PM
i got a questioN.

why my cnc router when is cutting the motor is ramdon stop moving, especially in arc , curve sometimes lines too, IS THIS A STALLING?

MY SET UP 

nema 34 motor

microstepping current set  peak 5.7 amp   rms = 4.0 amp

micros stepping  set  1600 = 1/8

lead screw is 10 tpi

motor tunning 

step per      velocity inch or mm p min   acceleration inch or mm/sec
16000               40                                        10

 by the way i got one power supply for each stepper motor
 power supply information

 ( 3 POWER SUPPLIES ) =
 48V  7.5A  360W DC Regulated Switching Power Supply

I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME THANKS

DO YOU KNOW IT THE COMPUTER PARALLEL PORT  HAS TO BE 3.3 VOLT OR 5.0 VOLT BEACUSE MINE HAS 3.3 VOLT OUT