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Topics - MarkR

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1
General Mach Discussion / Bug in Mach 3 or Bug in Me?
« on: May 31, 2006, 01:28:33 AM »
Well, Just when I thought I was 'getting it' regarding G Code, I tried running the file attached. I had the majority of the file created in LazyCam, and tweaked it by adding a G91 G81 code for a series of drilled holes in this servo actuator arm.

It loaded and looked good in the Mach 3 window, so I fired up the 3 axis mill, and ran the program. Worked fine until line N15 which calls out a hole to be cut. I used G42 to compensate for the cutter (hoping it cuts to the inside of the radius of the hole). When I run the file, the tip of the cutter plunges to the proper depth, and then all action freezes, except the timer on the program continues to run as if it is still cutting. However, the cutting tool is stationary. If I underestand correctly, it should be cutting a hole, not stopping as if to ask for directions :) So, I don't know if something in Mach 3 is hanging up, or if it is something I have done.

Can anyone tell me if my code looks funny? Also, if there is any tweaking to the file that would make it better? I am learning G Code quickly, but I don't have anyone locally that I know that can help me calibrate my learning curve :)

Thanks a lot!

Mark

2
G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / G Code Editor
« on: May 29, 2006, 03:10:04 AM »
Hi All:

I went searching the web to find a code editor (free of course...) that would allow me to change the poor habits of my drafting program (read that 'the draftor' :)).

I would like to be able to select a line of code and see that line highlighted graphically on a split screen. Specifically what I am looking for is the ablility to scroll through the g code and see what the machine will do per line. This is done in Mach 3 on the program run tab. You can scroll through the g code, but you can't edit the code (at least I have not seen how yet) as you scroll through the simulated cut. I see a change I want to make, and have to load the file into notepad, find the line of code, make the change, save it, and reload the file in Mach 3.

I have re-drawn a part that I want to cut on my 3 axis mill. It is actually a set of parts, drawn by someone else, and I imported them into my drafting program (designcad 14). I want to make sets of these parts at one time, so I copied and pasted them into one drawing, and attempted to arrange them so it would makeĀ  a nice cut on the mill. Then I saved the file as a dxf file, imported it into LazyCam, and saved it as G Code. When I import the file into Mach 3 and scroll line by line through the cut, it jumps all around the drawing. I remember reading somewhere that this is due to my cad program and the order the drawing was made.

So, I need to cut and paste the code in a more organized fashion, and re-assemble the g code in a better way. That involves locating the cuts that are out of order, and re-pasting them in the code file better.

If I could simply scroll through the code (as I do in the main program run screen in Mach 3), 'see' the path (as you do in the main Mach 3 screen), and have the ability to cut and paste that code in a different place in the file, it would make it easier to 'see' what I have done.

Is there a program out there that will do this? I am just a hobbiest and some of the editors I have seen are too advanced for this simple kind of work....

Thanks for the advice! Attached is the .tap file so you can see what I am attempting to do.

3
LazyCam (Beta) / Understanding LC settings
« on: May 28, 2006, 12:54:23 AM »
I am attaching a DXF file of a control horn I am using as a test file for calibrating my new 3 axis mill I built. I am doing this so I can see if someone that knows what they are doing could maybe set it up in LC so I can compare it to what I am doing to see if I am setting it up properly.

I am not getting the compensation set correctly. The parts are coming out .050 smaller than I want.

Here is my set up: I am using a .0420 (#58) end mill. I set up this diameter in the tool set up on the main screen of Mach 3.

I am not sure what all of the settings are in the Layer Controls setting. I can figure out some of them, but I am not sure how the units are measured: is the settings in what ever the table is set in? So if I am set in inches, is the feed rate of +100.00 equal to 100 inches per minute? DOes this over ride the calbrated settings in the feed rate in Mach 3?

Final depth, Rapid height, start depth all in units per as set in the homing/limits in mach 3? (so in my case, inches?) Example, if start depth is set for +1.000 in the LC layer control, will it be +1.000 inch in Mach 3?


Also, a big curiousity for me is how I can draw a drill hole in a CAD program. This control horn has 3   .0420 holes for the wire controls to go through. I drew these as circles in the CAD program very small. I edited the G Code by removing the G2 codes and just made Z -0.1000 type replacements, but I am wondering if this is the right way to do this, or if there is a symbol I should put in my CAD files to be interpreted as a drilled hole the diameter of the end mill.

Whew! Thanks for the teaching!

Mark

4
General Mach Discussion / Motor tuning question
« on: May 22, 2006, 10:25:18 PM »
I am using a 3 axis driver board from HobbyCNC.com. I have set the jumpers on the board to 1/4 step microstepping.

I am confused by the 'steps per' setting in the Motor tuning setup. I am using 1.8 degree 200 step motors with 200 oz/in torque. I am using lead screws of 5 turns per inch for X and Y, and 16 tpi for the Z axis. I have the same motors on all 3 axis.

So, in order to set up the software properly, do I use the 2000 'steps per' setting? I have watched the video and read the manual, and am just a bit confused if I have done this properly. I set the value to 2000 'steps per' and I am calibrating in inches in the system.

(My initial thought is that I am set for 1/4 step micro stepping, so that would be 4 steps per turn, times 5 turns per inch, so it would be 20 steps per inch, but since that is SO far off from what I see in the manual, I am confused.)

Thanks for the help!

Mark

5
I just finished my 3 axis mill last night and want to cut my first part. I have not yet gone through the well written Mach 3 manual fully, so forgive me if the answer to this is there.

I have the small part in a DXF file, and want to use it in Mach 3 demo version to test things out. I tried the roadrunner file last night and it didn't seem to move the machine, but I could get goo movement just jogging the axis with the jog buttons.

I imported the small part file into Mach 3 via the File>DXF feature, and it shows up in the window properly. However, I am not sure how to size the part. It appears that Mach 3 thinks the part is larger dimensionally than I designed it. Also, when I go to cut the file, it seems to show a slow cut path, even thought I have set the speeds and tuned it in the motors menu.

Thanks for the help. I am looking forward to being a contributor instead of an 'asker" :)

Mark

6
General Mach Discussion / Planning my first cutting project
« on: May 18, 2006, 12:16:53 AM »
Hi All:

I am just finishing a scratch built 3 axis mill, and I am preping for my first cutting job.

I want to make several iterations of the same part on a sheet of ABS plastic. I am making control horns to be used on a model airplane I sell. I am looking for advice and a possible explanation of what I should do to set this file up for cutting in Mach 3/4.

I plan to make a set of 4 of these parts for each kit. Each part is identical, so I just need to cut them in such a way as to hold all 4 of them together in a tree. My table is 18" x 33" cutting area, so I can make several trees per run.

So my question is: To set this kind of part up in Mach 3 or 4, would I make a DXF file of all of the parts on one sheet, set up as I want the sheet to look after all of the sets of parts are cut;

Or...

Do I make a DXF of one tree, and have that duplicated via some offset mechanism in Mach 3 that allows multiple cuts of the same file in rows and columns?

After watching the training videos, this program is so comprehensive that I feel I must get some direction from the experts before I attempt to re-create the wheel. I can see myself duplicating trees of 4 control horns on one DXF file, and finding out later there was a faster, more elegant way of doing this. So.... I ask for directions BEFORE getting lostĀ  ;)

Thanks!

Mark

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