Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Vardex software

« on: February 16, 2013, 07:37:44 AM »

Just found this great free software tool on the Vardex site for thread milling. Does all the usual feeds and speeds but also generates G code!

http://www.vargus.com/vardex/template/default.aspx?pCatId=9

...Sweep

2

General Mach Discussion / Cursed

« on: January 24, 2013, 07:26:04 AM »

I can't believe it ...or possibly I can. After working over the past 12 months to sucessfully integrate my ATC into Mach3, with untold hours of support from various community members, the thing has now packed in 
Not sure if there is just one of the solenoids that has stopped working but I suspect it was the original Denford ATC circuit board/processor as the status LED doesn't change when I send either good, or deliberatley bad, code.
Hey ho, looks like I will have to start again and bring all the manual switches back to a I/O card and directly control them from the PC.
Very depressed and disillusioned.

...Sweep

3

General Mach Discussion / Safe use of collets

« on: December 18, 2012, 04:14:51 PM »

I happen to have a quantity of 7 brand new Hertel TIN 1/2" side-lock end mills but I don't have a imperial side lock holder in BT35 to suit. All my holders are either metric, ER16, DA180, or Clarkson Autolocks.
I can fit the cutters in the DA180 but I realise that the DA's are really only meant for drilling, or I could load them in the Clarkson's but, obviously, without the screwed section engaged. I only want to do a helical interpolation to open out a pilot drilled hole to 19mm but I wondered if either option was safe and, if so, which would be the safest bet.
All the imperial BT35's seem to be in the USA so shipping them across the World seems extreme.
Does anyone have any advice or experience of doing this kind of thing?

Thanks ...Sweep

4

General Mach Discussion / Home switch as input

« on: December 15, 2012, 10:46:35 AM »

I would like to utilise my Z home switch for the additional purpose of ensuring the Z axis is fully retracted during tool changes.
As when I am referencing the Z axis it moves off the switch by a small amount I have set "home off" to -0.25mm which allows the Z axis to move to machine coordinate Z 0.00 and have the switch become active. I am doing this because I have recently lost steps whilst raising the Z axis during toolchange which has damaged my carousel due to i not being correctly aligned. Whilst, I appreciate, this will not solve the problem of missing steps, which could be a whole host of stuff, it is an added safeguard against further damage.

I have already used my spindle Index for a similar purpose with great success, e.g. If IsActive (INDEX) then..., but it won't work using the command If IsActive (M3HOME) then....etc

Any ideas?

Thanks ...Sweep

5

General Mach Discussion / Correct use of M6Start& M6End

« on: November 18, 2012, 04:06:28 PM »

After a mammouth session of trial, error, development, and ultimate sucess in building a VB macro for my Denford Triac with 6 station ATC carousel, it may seem a little odd if I now ask how to ignore the whole lot for manual changes.

First of all a massive thank-you to TP (BR549) for the assistance given on the VB & Development of Wizards board with his untiring support which finally allowed me to get the ATC macro running perfectly.

OK, the way i see it, and please correct me if i'm wrong, the 'Ignore Tool Changes' button in General Configurations does just that and will charge through any gcode with the tool fitted in the spindle.
The 'Auto Tool Changer' button runs M6Start and then M6End consecutively without pause.
The 'Stop Spindle. Wait for Cycle Start' runs M6Start and then pauses until the cycle start button is pressed to then run M6End.

If that's pretty much correct, here's my questions

1. At the end of M6End what restarts the Gcode as I can't see any prompt to restart the cycle in the stock M6End macro?
2. If I want to do a manual tool change I would need to have the 'Stop Spindle. Wait' button ticked, but this would still run 144 lines of my M6Start macro which defeats the point. My thought is to move most of the 144 lines of code, with the exception of moving clear the Z axis, to the M6End macro and then add a bail-out command to the M6Start e.g.
If GetLED (185) = 1 Then MsgBox ("Change tool and press cycle start") Exit Sub
Does that make sense?

thanks ...Sweep

6

General Mach Discussion / Mach3 or CAM tool offsets?

« on: October 14, 2012, 11:50:29 AM »

I like the method that Mach3 provides for setting various tool offsets into a tool table as it's very easy. I just change datum all axis, choose a tool, lower it onto my DTI gauge block, and click Set Tool Offset. Simple.
I have now just started using a CAM program which has its own tool library but which also suggests that the 'Machine' tool library, Mach3 in my case, can be imported into the CAM.
I have tried to find the Mach3 tool folder but can't. I could hand type all the offset lengths but this could lead to errors. I am also worried about compounding offsets if they are applied by both the CAM and Mach3 at the same time e.g. an offset of 214.402mm becomes 428.804mm etc.
Any guidance would be appreciated.

...Sweep

7

VB and the development of wizards / OEM DRO & User DRO's. What's the difference?

« on: September 30, 2012, 01:11:19 PM »

Had a great day today experimenting with VBScript as part of the Reference all Axis procedure including the ATC.
I haven't started to play with the code that cncalex created as I wanted to practice on something simpler first.
Everything works fine and i'm starting to get used to the logic of it all.
Then things started to wrong.
I can't remember where i read it but I thought there were UserDRO's available for "users" with numbers between 1000 and 2254.
I presumed that these were different from OEM DRO's for the developer of Mach3.
So, I reference the machine and ATC, choose the tool in spindle, and then thought i'd see if the tool length offset in the "offsets" screen worked ok.
Problem is that when i type in the Gauge Block Height for tool it changes the readout on my tool-in-carousel DRO to the same value!
I started looking at other items on the offsets page and there are other items that would have the same effect.
My worry is that there is other duplications lurking to smash my machine to bits when I finally get round to cutting metal.

...Sweep

 

8

VB and the development of wizards / And today's question is...

« on: September 26, 2012, 03:55:08 PM »

I am trying to modify the standard toolchange macro to best suit my carousel ATC with little knowledge of how VBscript works and why, sometimes, it doesn't.
Stepping into the program it alarms a syntax error on the subroutine shown below. The original code described Sub MovePos(ByVal ToolNumber As Integer) which I guees means "move" to the "position" identified by the correct tool "number"
What I am trying to do is as below which I hope makes sense to read, if not to run as script but I don't know what instruction to type within the Sub???(ToolNumber As Integer)
The GetUserDRO's are boxes into which I have already typed the specific tool numbers installed in 1of6 carousel slots

Sub (ToolNumber As Integer)

Select Case ToolNumber
       Case Is = GetUserDRO(1001)
          If IsActive(INPUT1) Then
          SendSerial("B0000133E9>7R25")
      
   Else
   Message("Toolchange failed")
   DoOEMButton(1021)
   End If
       
       Case Is = GetUserDRO(1002)
   If IsActive(INPUT1) Then
      SendSerial("B0000133E:?7R25")
   Else
   Message("Toolchange failed")
   DoOEMButton(1021)
   End If
         
       Case Is = GetUserDRO(1003)
   If IsActive(INPUT1) Then
      SendSerial("B0000133E;08R25")
   Else
   Message("Toolchange failed")
   DoOEMButton(1021)
   End If
EndSelect

Not sure how I can thank you Guys for the support other than to say that beer is available if you're ever in the area.

Thanks ...Sweep

9

VB and the development of wizards / SystemWaitFor(INDEX) ...will it work?

« on: September 24, 2012, 06:05:26 PM »

I am wanting to stop my spindle as it passes the speed monitoring proximity switch, which is assigned as "index" on the ports and pins screen, to align the drive dogs of the spindle with those of the tool mounted in the carousel.
I will, of course, have dropped the speed to, say, S60 to reduce the effects of inertia over-run.
Is the statement SystemWaitFor(INDEX) sensible or will I have to duplicate my input pin to a true Input# for it to work, e.g. SystemWaitFor(INPUT1), and does this command look for a high or low state?
I was going to use IsActive(INDEX) or IsActive(INPUT1) but I don't know how to leave the command 'open' and looking for the state of the input to change as it would be only chance that the proximity was active when the script line was processed.

thanks again ...Sweep

10

General Mach Discussion / User defined DRO/button?

« on: September 23, 2012, 07:43:52 PM »

As part of my project to control my 6 station ATC from Mach, whilst allowing any of my many toolholders to be assigned to one of the 6 stations, I would like to be able to type in a number into a box and have that number then recognised as the tool, when required, to be used as part of the program.
So, for example, I may need 3 tools for a program of which the actual tool holder numbers are, say, 7, 11, & 19. I would then place T7 in slot 1, T11 in slot 2, and T19 in slot 3. I then type the tool number in the corresponding carousel slot on my very primitive Toolchanger screen, see attachment.
And here is where we get to the questions; is there a way I can have a user defined input box where I can just type a number butit  is recognised as an entity to be used in another part of the program. I would have thought it would be called something like UserParam or something like that but I can't find anything.
As each UserParam would be associated with a carousel slot I could have the script ask each of the 6 carousel slots if it equaled the required tool number and select if yes, or move onto the next if no. If all are no, for example if T45 is called where only T7, T11, & T19 are fitted, then an Estop would be called.
I hope that made sense

...Sweep