Machsupport Forum
Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: Frank1959 on November 28, 2017, 12:41:57 PM
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Hi,
I built a 3 axis milling machine 2 years ago with also has a rotary (A) axis, for milling polystyrene and polyurethane foam, it works fine. I use DESKPROTO to generate the g-codes, and of course Mach (3) to control my machine. Some of my work at www.franknorton.com.
Now I want to build a milling machine for marble and other stones. I´d like it to have a real fourth axis; that is, I´d like the spindle to actually tilt, and so get to under cuts on the material I´m milling.
A full 5 axis machine seems to be too complex mechanically....eventually I´d like to, but I want to be more realistic with my next build.
The spindle could tilt either parallel to the X or the Y axis, it doesn’t concern me at this stage.
DESKPROTO can´t generate g-codes for this kind of machine; it can for 5 axis index machine, where you tilt your work piece on a rotary trunnion table.
This is complicated while milling big pieces, a more straightforward approach seems to me to be for the spindle to do the tilting, so as to get to those hidden undercuts.
But I need a software package to generate my g-codes.
Any ideas? I don’t mind paying a reasonable amount of money.
Thanks!
Frank Norton.
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Hi Frank,
This thread may be of interest; http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,32107.0.html
I don't know if his plugin was ever completely finished but you could perhaps contact Richard for details.
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many thanks Tweakie, will check it out with interest.
Frank
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Hi Frank
Of great interest!
I am currently using a 4-axis machine to machine granite and basalt, but that is still in the early stages. The 4th axis is a B axis (parallel to y axis), although I usually call it the A axis. Mach3 does not seem to notice the difference. I am now adding a different 4th axis to the table - a sort of C axis as that can make some things MUCH easier to program.
I have looked at the options for a tilting spindle, but I was not able to find affordable CAM SW with that option, at the time. Ideas?
Your web site does not have an English version! Sob. A lot of work to add it, but ...
Cheers
Roger
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If you wont Indexing 4 + 1 and 4 + 2 Roger Fusion 360 can do it just not the proper 4th axis continuous (it's wrap that it has at the moment) yet this is not that far away from getting added it has 2 5 axis toolpaths at the moment that work ok. there is 3 more 5 axis toolpaths coming plus they can be used for 4th axis as well, they are in HSM and Inventor HSM beta they don't work in Fusion cam beta yet
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Hi dude1
No interest in indexing, only in genuine 4 and 5 axis stuff. After all, Mach3 handles full 6 axis work.
Do I understand correctly? Fusion can handle continuous 5 axis but not continuous 4 axis? How ... odd.
When you say two 5-axis toolpaths with more coming: does this refer to the different ways of physically arranging the hardware? (As in trunnion mount and nodding spindle etc)
Cheers
Roger
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Have a read of this https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/compare
yep it got 5 axes continus before 4 axis continuous it has 2 now that work for 5 axis, it will have 2 5 axis toolpaths added and 2 that are 4th axis plus toolpaths.
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I see. Thanks.
Mind you, right now I have about 3 different CAD systems, and they are all horribly slow compared to doing the design in my head and with AutoSketch, but that's me.
Cheers
Roger
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only 3
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Only 3
I stopped spending.
Cheers
Roger
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hi Roger, and Dude,
thx both for your input. I had seen references to FUSION but honestly thought it only was cabable of indexing, not continuous, and had so un-checked it off my list pf possible soultions, as indexing isn´t the way I need to go...large pieces cant easily be spun on a trunnion type rotation axis (A or B, or whatever you call it ). Now I see that, yes, 5 axis continuous is possible. So i will continue investigating and try and see tutorials etc.
I came across videos of POWERMILL, and it looks exactly what I need, but haven´t been able to discover what price it´s at. Here´s a chinese tutorial video, in English.
Roger, have you considered "cnc tool kit"? http://www.cnc-toolkit.com/ It´s eems viable, free, but quite intensive at a programming level.
With regards our common interest in cnc machining stone, I´d be more than happy to share all info I find. Interested? Is your machine home built?
Yes, my web is at present only in Spanish. I´m Irish, but live in Spain and my customers are up to this only on a national level.
Are you considering using a diamond disc to rough out work before milling? It seems to be the way big industrial machines do it. But yet another complication when it come to programming, as I know of no software cabable of accepting the geometry of a flat disc and creating toolpaths for it. Ther is a high end English industrial program, I cant think of the name at the moment, which does allow this.
More questions for you, Roger. How do you use AutoSketch at a 3D level?
Thanks again,
Frank.
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You have to talk to a reseller, or Autodesk to find the cost of powermill when it was up on the sight the cost was not that bad in the 000
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Hi Frank
When I first looked at Fusion it was cloud-only (if I remember correctly!), and I wanted something to also use on my CNC PC - which is of course NOT on any network. Since then I have written my own g-code, very much in a 'programmer' style (parameters, subroutines etc). For a lot of my work that has produced superior code and superior product - and been adaptable to a semi-production environment making 10-off at a time.
Yes, I know CNC tool kit. When I first looked at it some years ago it was a bit bare-bones. And I didn't need the STL capabilities anyhow.
My machine is not home built per se: it is a limited production Australian two-spindle machine which initially sold for around $30k. I bought it 2nd-hand, mostly unused, and had soon to replace ALL the electronics. The original was DOS-based with large plug-in cards! Fortunately I have more than enough electronics experience for that.
But the original machine was 3-axis designed for steel and aluminium, not stone, and for dry machining, no coolant (MQL these days actually). I added a good 4th axis to that - written up at http://www.cnczone.com/forums/linear-and-rotary-motion/261174-cnc-engineering.html - that was MYOG.
Since there is so much steel in the machine, I have had to add a 'bathtub' system to it so I can use diamond tooling with water coolant (1st photo). In the limited volume of my mill that has been tricky. I must be up to V3 or v4 so far. But note: my mill is MUCH smaller than your machines! A little bigger than 'desktop', but able to handle steel and titanium.
How do I use Autosketch for 3D? Well ... I guess you would have to say I don't. I use it in 2D - and i am fairly good at using it, but the 3D stuff happens first and in my head. But that is because the things I make can be done that way. They are not 'the head of Julius Caesar' as it were. One day maybe I will have to learn how to carve heads ... In the meantime, geometrical things. The 2nd photo shows a wood prototype from some time ago.
Finally, tooling. At present all the tooling I use for rock is diamond: no carbide. But that is because I am (so far) machining basalt and granite. I dare say that if I was working marble or limestone I could use carbide. I use larger diameter hole drills for roughing out as they can be used as a diamond disk to some degree (ie side on), but my spindle is vertical with no tilt. At this stage I am still learning!
Cheers
Roger