Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Workinforwood on February 28, 2015, 12:01:55 PM
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I bought a Chinese hy 3040 column 4 axis mill. It only works with manual spindle control.
I loaded in my Mach 3, i keyed in the inputs given to me in the machine documentation.
I am running 4 axis so I also did tool path set to radius .3525.
When I hit tab key, the jog screen, z was correct up and down. Hard to remember for sure but I believe all 3 x,y and a, ran in reverse. So if it hit x left button in jog the machine goes right.
I did a bunch of online searches, best I came up with was toggle home limits to reversed. In doing that, machine jogs correct in all directions.
I installed a bit, took machine to beginning, set my zeros and ran a g code that I know works, because I have a Syil x5 I use every day with these codes.
After 2 hrs, the part was finished and looked perfect. I removed it and then....oh my!! It's cut in reverse, the bottom is still the bottom but the left to right is flipped or mirrored! Image the word "BIG". It is cut as GIB, and each letter is backwards...so the letter B should be straight line left but the straight line is right and the arcs on left, a backwards B.
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I would say that most likely, the axis that is cutting backwards is set up backwards. Keep in mind that wehn you jog, the direction is the direction that the tool is moving, not the table.
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When I jog it is moving correctly. Left button tool moves left or you could say table moves right.
What I do notice that must be a key to the puzzle is the tool path image. The toolpath image is flipped. So I am looking at the screen and I see a face looking down when it should be looking up. When I execute the machine it is cutting the image I see on the toolpath exactly but that image is wrong. It's possible the code is the problem and not the Mach settings. I use visual mill for my codes. BUT, keep in mind that this exact code is running and displaying in the correct direction on my Syil x5 speed master.
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One thing that I have noticed. In manual jogging the machine is moving correctly. There is an image on the screen showing the toolpath. That image is wrong. There is a face, like a coin...the face is looking down in that image, but the face should be looking up!
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Is left moving in the -Y direction? If so, is the up button X+?
I still say the machine is backwards.
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I think it's backwards to but I am so confused how. If I hit the left x button, the machine goes left the x dro goes into the negative. I hit the top y button, the machine moves back towards the wall, the y dro goes positive. The z dro goes positive as the spindle raises. The a axis, it goes positive as the chuck rotates up and away from me. But it's cutting a mirror of what it should. Pulling my hair out about it.
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Which axis do you think is cutting backwards? It's hard to grasp. I picture in my head, laying on my left side, if I flipped to my right side my feet are same spot but my body facing right now. So then the x axis is upside down but in reality it's y that is backwards?
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I think that's it...y has to be backwards somehow. If x was backwards my feet would move from right side to left side if I flipped over. If I flip over y, my feet are same but I change direction. If that's right, how do I flip the y axis?
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stand in front of the machine facing the X axis it should be in front of you so if it move left - left arrow, right + right arrow.
z up is PgUp button Z- is PgDn button
if those to are doing that good
Y+ is away from you up arrow, Y- is to you down arrow
if wrong ger21 will correct me
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Is this a moving table, or moving gantry machine?
If I hit the left x button, the machine goes left the x dro goes into the negative. I hit the top y button, the machine moves back towards the wall, the y dro goes positive. The z dro goes positive as the spindle raises.
This sounds correct for a moving gantry. Perhaps the A axis is backwards?
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A axis is chuck on the right and tail on the stock left side, exact same directional setup as my Syil. A + direction on my Syil is it comes under towards me and over the top away from me, this machine, same way. All the jogging and dro directions are moving in the correct direction but the image is upside down. I just completely uninstalled and deleted everything. Reinstalled, entered all inputs, manually jogged correct, did a green screen measure test of 1 inch on x, it cut 1" to the right correct.
Somehow I lost the imaging on the toolpath screen so now I just see an invisible rod and a thin line on top. I ran a 9 min test cut and darn thing still upside down.
Hmmm...ok, now I am thinking about that...in 30 min my Syil finishes a run. I will double check the a axis directions, compare the two, just in case I had an idiot moment.
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OK! Logic (or my logic :; ) says a+ is over the top away from me...but nope. I hit a button jog on my Syil and it went over the top towards me. I checked the new machine and it was wrong. Just 1 click of the button, soft limits reverse a off and the line on the toolpath screen jumped under the invisible rod. I fired up the 9 min run and in 5 min I could easily see it was cutting correct. You know, big props to people like Syil that have the brains and spend an extra 5 seconds by giving you the xml file on their cd!! Why can't china do that??
Big thanks to you Ger21 for getting me to the solution!!
Now ....maybe you can also help, but if not it isn't to important. Earlier the toolpath window showed a translucent rod, a line across top of rod (which I now know belongs under the rod) and it showed the actual image on the rod as a series of lines around the rod. Now I only see the translucent rod and line below. Is there a way to get all those toolpath lines back that resemble the image I am cutting?