Messages

1

Feature Requests / Re: Lathe probing/digitizing

« on: February 10, 2012, 12:37:47 PM »

Wow...
You're right, of course...there is, almost always, more than one way to solve a mechanical operations problem.  As for computer programming, YES, there are also lots of ways to approach them too.
I have been surprised at the sheer LENGTH of some G-code, where it looks like a very "manual" approach:
eg:
G0 x1 y1 z1
G0 x1.0001 y1 z1
G0 x1.0002 y1 z1
etc...

just to move the x-axis!

I knew there had to be a better way.
Now, I just need to find the time with my lathe, to try this all out.  I'm still waiting on delivery of the probe, so I'm not in a rush...yet.
Thanks again!!

2

Feature Requests / Re: Lathe probing/digitizing

« on: February 10, 2012, 10:58:57 AM »

Rich--
the part is so small, that trying to use a picture and measurements, I think would be futile.  The critical curve I am looking at is a total of about 1.5mm in length.

BR549--
I think this method is worth investigating.  I will probably use the macro approach first, since I'm unaware of how to write a wizard.  Is there any source of info about writing wizards?

Thanks for all the help!

3

Feature Requests / Lathe probing/digitizing

« on: February 09, 2012, 01:04:24 PM »

Hi-
I'm an absolute novice, new to the CNC world and am trying to find out if there is a wizard/macro for use with Mach3Turn, that will allow me to use a probe to examine a workpiece.  The workpiece will be held in a lathe collet.  I simply need an X and Z axis control, to allow me to create a point line (rather than a point cloud), which I can then import into BobCAD, convert to a spline and then POST to Mach3.
I know there's a Wizard within Mach3 for probing, but it is 3-D (read that as "mill"), which won't work for 2-D, from what I have tried.  Seems like it would be a fairly simple change to the Wizard, to allow it to be used for either mill or lathe digitizing, but I guess not as many people digitize lathe surfaces as they do with mill surfaces?
Any assistance on this would be most appreciated!