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Messages - spiyda

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1
General Mach Discussion / How to count spindle turns Mach 3 Lathe
« on: January 25, 2016, 07:46:26 PM »
Mach3 question Can someone explain to me how I would go about displaying the number of rotations of the spindle.

I need to count the number of turns of the chuck when rotating the chuck of my lathe by hand.

I fitted a spindle indexer that works fine when threading, just don't know how to make it count / reset etc.

Chris

2
General Mach Discussion / Re: Threading on the lathe
« on: September 19, 2011, 07:13:05 PM »
Well,

to round this thread off.   ;)

success !

I managed to cut a well matched thread to fit the spindle nose.. first attempt in steel.

It can be taken off and replaced with no detectable runout..  yippee !

I broke the threading tool after I had cut the thread to size, attempting to really get a good finish....  my stupidity, I was tired by then
but it was only a few quid and well worth sacrificing to be able to mount my 25Kg 3 jaw chuck.

Now I understand the wizards a little better, the task seems less daunting.. and I will make a couple more..

thanks again for the help


3
General Mach Discussion / Re: Threading on the lathe
« on: September 18, 2011, 01:37:15 PM »
Cheers Rich and hood,

I figured out the manual speed part..

Internal and external threads are now perfect when cut in machinable wax.
The size of the swarf is now well within the machine's capability

I have to do a bit of fettling on the machine before I cut the final version in steel..
I have a grub screw that keeps wanting to undo itself right at the critical moment!

No point in rushing when I am tired...Fingers crossed for tomorrow !

The accuracy required and difficulty of machining this particular thread is as hard as I want to go.
I'd much rather machine a nice easy fine thread..  but no choice..  I can't get anything ready made with the correct thread.
It seems to be a bit of a hybrid, all metric apart from the thread angle of 55 degrees.

At least i know a lot more about the workings of Mach, and the capabilities of my lathe now !

4
General Mach Discussion / Re: Threading on the lathe
« on: September 18, 2011, 07:00:20 AM »
yes, parallel port...

simple turning operations worked fine with the latest version, but when using the wizards for threading all hell broke loose..
the predicted toolpath looked OK but the actual toolpath and the screen toolpath trace were all over the place.. seemingly random !
I couldn't fix it so I went back to the last known good setup, which was 2.63, things settled down right away..
as a beginner, I don't know enough to know if it was the driver or something else so I reinstalled everything...

as long as it holds together.. I don't mind which version it is !

My lathe is a retrofit I started working on this summer..  its 48 inches beween centres will swing 19 inches diameter over the gap and has a 3hp motor with a VFD..  still using steppers as thats what I'm familiar with..

These threads are the internal threads on the faceplates to match the spindle nose..  hence the extra care I am taking..

At least I make my own machinable wax, so I can test as much as I want !

thanks again for your help

Chris

5
General Mach Discussion / Re: Threading on the lathe
« on: September 18, 2011, 06:43:54 AM »
Thanks Hood,

I get the alternate flank code correctly on my office machine

I missed that Cut Type setting on the ports and pins page completely..  

I've gone back to 2.63 on the machine so I will try that today,

appreciate the help

Chris

6
General Mach Discussion / Re: Threading on the lathe
« on: September 17, 2011, 07:26:41 PM »
Hood,

Its not the depth of cut but the width of cut when cutting the large thread.. 
using either of the wizards the whole of one side of the tool is in contact with the work for the whole depth of the thread.
Alternating flank infeed might help, but does Mach3 support the  G76 alternate flank feed?  I've not found it in the documantation.
It seems to be the "P" parameter where I've found it on the net,  but Mach documentation says this is a pitch

Chris

7
General Mach Discussion / Threading on the lathe
« on: September 17, 2011, 06:30:09 PM »
I have had some limited success using Poppabears Quick Threading Wizard.

but a few issues have arisen..

1.  I can't get it working on later than Mach 2.63 (caused a few headaches)

2.  With an M60 x 5mm 55 degree internal thread, whatever setting I use in the wizard, the tool is taking a big chunk of metal out at a time..
as it nears the bottom of the thread, the contact is over 5mm wide at best..

My lathe is not a toy, but thats asking a bit much, the internal threading tool is not as well supported as an outside tool and chatters.. 

is there either a newer wizard

and or

a means of generating G32 or G76 to take several cuts with a small z offset between each. (not from what I have found out so far)

will I have to write it by hand  ?

sounds like I will use up a lot of machinable wax getting it right..

ideas ?

or do I just give up and mill the thread   :-(

8
Feature Requests / Spindle speed display at all times.
« on: August 29, 2011, 04:26:02 PM »
In Mach3Turn currently the spindle speed display only works when the spindle relays are enabled and the spindle is turned on.
since I am not using the relay and it is possible for my spindle to be turning even when mach has not commanded it to
would it be possible to change this so that spindle speed is always displayed, whatever the commanded state.

9
General Mach Discussion / Re: strange intermittent problem
« on: August 24, 2011, 08:23:15 AM »
Thanks Russ,

I tried at 150%  current speed and 50% current speed and the symptoms were the same..

I went through the full optimisation steps and the problem is the same.

I have to go out for a while, but when I get back I will try without microstepping (set to 1/5 currently)

Its odd that it affects both axis equally, and with virtually no load on the axis

I may try a scope on the output of the breakout board, see if it changes during the stall..

Its probably something very simple

Chris


10
General Mach Discussion / strange intermittent problem
« on: August 24, 2011, 06:53:51 AM »
Hi,

I've just run my new lathe retrofit for the first time and there seems to be a problem
this is not the first machine I hve run Mach 3 on..  so I thought I knew what I was doing (famous last words !)

25Khz kernel  on a 3 gHz pentium 4 desktop machine with 1 Gig of ram running xp
set to always on, with no anti virus, network connection etc.

generic 5 axis breakout with CW8040 drivers on 4A steppers at 75Volts

when jogging at full speed on full travel of the axis as a test, 19 times out of 20 no problem at all
but every now and again the axis stops and the same kind of noise as a stalled motor is heard.

If this was on one axis, i would suspect a mechanical problem, but it happens on boths axis at about the same frequency at different places
if I take my finger off the jog momentarily, and reapply, the axis moves normally again

I have checked stuff like power supply voltages under load, and I only lose a volt or two

I have tried changing the step and direction pulse lengths, and I have tries increasing the kernel speed.

I have run the axis backwards and forwards by hand and they feel nice and smooth

any thoughts as to what to try next ?


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