Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Tool sensing with ATC

« on: February 10, 2015, 06:11:41 PM »

Hello all!

I have a CNC router with a Fischer Precise spindle with ATC capabilities.

I recently set it up as a fully operating ATC system using the macro from the machsupport site and small spring loaded grippers as tool holders. The grippers grab the locating collar on the small end mill tools I use. (pool cue inlay work on this machine)

It was pretty straight forward. I only had to incorporate some of the spindles extra features like "spindle>0" and "RPM Low". It does work very well, and saves a ton of time.

What I want to do now is really more of a problem prevention thing than anything else. I want to pass my current tool through an optical switch to make sure it's not broken before I do the tool change. I'd also like to pass through the gate again to make sure it did release the tool, and I'd like to pass the new tool through the same gate to make sure it picked up the tool as it was supposed to. I don't need to really measure the tool for Z because I use the depth collars on all of the tools. They're all small 1/8" shank tools, and I have a depth ring installer already.

I've looked into the G31 function used with touch probes, but I'm not quite sure how it programs, and I've heard of issues with the smoothstepper. I do use an ESS on this machine.

So, if anyone has any suggestions as to how to program something to work, I'm all ears. I would think that I could create some sort of a "flag" of some kind so that when the tool is passed through the gate any signal would trip the flag. I just don't know how to setup anything like this.

I've also heard of a "high speed skip". I think that's something similar to the G31, but I'm not sure.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Royce

2

General Mach Discussion / .txt files

« on: December 19, 2013, 12:23:11 PM »

I create all my gcode files with notepad and they all have .txt extensions. Can I have Mach3 see them when I choose the load file button?

RBC

3

General Mach Discussion / step and direction spindle control

« on: February 16, 2010, 07:02:11 PM »

Hello all, I am new to this forum.

I use a stepper for a work rotation spindle. I normally turn the work at about 350 rpm.

I am having trouble understanding the setup for this. I don't think what I have is working properly.

The velocity, by the manual, is rev's per second, which would mean I should set mine to 12.5. (750 rpm / 60 seconds) when I do this my stepper moves really slow when commanded to 60 rpm. If I bump it up to 750 for rev's per minute I get much faster speed, but not 60 rpm. If I continue to increase it the motor speed continues to go up, but if I increase it substantially, the motor tries to overspeed and stalls.

I would expect that the velocity would set a cap, and as long as I was under the cap, then my motor speed would be a function of the set rpm and the steps per unit for my motor and driver. If this is true, the changing the velocity would not affect the spindle speed unless i was commanding a speed in excess of the current velocity setting.

I'm hoping someone has been through this already.

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com

4

General Mach Discussion / Spindle Direction

« on: March 29, 2009, 03:53:30 PM »

Hello all, this is my first time on this forum!

I am a long time Mach user with 4 home built machines running version 2 or 3 5 days a week. I use Xylotex drives and have had virtually no issues.

I do have one question. I have one machine, of course it is the one setup for 4 axis machining, that I can't seem to change the spindle direction on. This machine is my first machine, and it is running Mach2. I use steppers for the spindle, and usually just do turning with them, but occasionally, I need to do some 4 axis machining and need to have control of the spindle.

When I command the spindle to rotate clockwise, it does. But when I command it to rotate CCW, it still goes the same way. This is also true when I command a=.2, it moves appropriately, but when I command a=-.2 it just moves .4 revolutions in the same direction.

I don't have the A axis setup on my other machines, but if I use the M3 and M4 commands on them the spindle changes direction. With this machine, it always goes the same direction.

Any Help?


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.cm