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1

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: 3+2 or 5 axis support

« on: September 20, 2015, 04:53:49 PM »

Thanks TP!

Here's a little G-Code from HSMWorks with our current post-processor to first drill an oblique hole in a cube and then to mill it with a 3mm cutter:

%102
(T01  D=10 CR=0 - DRILL 10MM)
(T02  D=3 CR=0 - END MILL 3MM)
N10 M10 M41
N11 G90 G94 G17
N12 G00 G52 Z207
N13 M152
N14 G00 G52 X400 Y180
N15 G54
(Drill)
N16 M09
N17 G52 M06 T01
N18 D01
N19 G54
N20 M40 S500 M03
N21 M152
N22 G00 G52 Z207
N23 G52 X400 Y180
N24 G01 B65.905 C243.435 F3000
N25 U=0 V=0 W=0 B=65.905 M150
N26 G54
N27 M08
N28 G00 X5.863 Y7.849 Z-0.33
N29 G17
N30 G00 Z5
N31 Z1.614
N32 G01 Z-16.33 F333
N33 G00 Z5
N34 Z-0.33
N35 M152
N37 G00 G52 Z207
N38 M152
N39 G52 X400 Y180
N40 G54
(Mill Pocket)
N41 M09
N42 M01
N43 G52 M06 T02
N44 D02
N45 G54
N46 M40 S500 M03
N47 M152
N48 G00 G52 Z207
N49 G52 X400 Y180
N50 G01 B65.905 C243.435 F3000
N51 U=0 V=0 W=0 B=65.905 M150
N52 G54
N53 M08
N54 G00 X5.398 Y11.318 Z15
N55 G00 Z5
N56 G01 Z1 F333
N57 Z-16.33
N58 G17 G03 X5.398 Y11.318 I5.863 J7.849 F1000
N59 G00 X5.398 Y11.318 Z15
N60 M152
N62 M09
N63 M152
N64 G00 G52 Z207
N65 G52 X400 Y180
N66 G01 B0 C0 F3000
N67 G54
N68 M152
N69 G00 G52 Z207
N70 G00 G52 X400 Y180
N71 M02

Line 24 and 25 is where it gets interesting: In N24 it tilts the tool around the Y-axis (=B) by 65.905° and rotates the table by 243.435°. In N25 it then tilts the "programming plane" by 65.905°, with the coordinate system center at 0/0/0 of the part coordinate system. Then it moves to the hole center and starts drilling with different Z depths. Now while this is trivial, it gets more challenging to mill pockets at an oblique angle with correct cutter length and radius compensation. This is from line 50 on, but the code is simple, the CNC does all the compensation calculation.

As HSMWorks includes a Mach3 Post, for comparison the Mach3 output below. As one can see, when it shall mill the round hole it doesn't do it with a G02 / G03, but with little straight segments. Is this the intended way to go, and does  Mach3/4 compensate for the mill radius that way? If so it's better than I was afraid it is, in order to improve surface quality and accuracy we should just be able to use G2/G3, which may be a limitation of the Post I have.

Thanks for commenting if length and radius compensation work and wheter G2/G3 can be used on tilted planes,

Frank


(102)
(MACH3 POST)
(T1  D=10. CR=0. - DRILL 10MM)
(T2  D=3. CR=0. - END MILL 3MM)
G90 G94 G91.1 G40 G49 G17
G21
G28 G91 Z0.
G90

(DRILL)
M5
M9
T1 M6
S5000 M3
G54
G0 B-65.905 C243.435
M8
G0 G43 X6.085 Y-5.382 Z-5.487 H1
X3.909 Y-9.733 Z-3.311
G98 G81 X12.617 Y7.682 Z-12.019 R1.614 F333.
G80
X6.085 Y-5.382 Z-5.487
G28 G91 Z0.
G90

(MILL)
M5
M9
M1
T2 M6
S5000 M3
B-65.905 C243.435
M8
G0 G43 X3.014 Y-19.28 Z1.196 H2
X7.096 Y-11.115 Z-2.886
G1 X8.729 Y-7.849 Z-4.519 F333.
X15.804 Y6.301 Z-11.594
X15.812 Y6.403 Z-11.383 F1000.
X15.805 Y6.51 Z-11.176
X15.784 Y6.622 Z-10.972
X15.748 Y6.74 Z-10.772
X15.699 Y6.861 Z-10.579
X15.636 Y6.986 Z-10.391
X15.56 Y7.115 Z-10.211
X15.47 Y7.245 Z-10.039
X15.368 Y7.378 Z-9.876
X15.253 Y7.512 Z-9.723
X15.126 Y7.647 Z-9.579
X14.989 Y7.782 Z-9.447
X14.84 Y7.917 Z-9.326
X14.682 Y8.05 Z-9.217
X14.515 Y8.182 Z-9.121
X14.339 Y8.312 Z-9.037
X14.155 Y8.439 Z-8.967
X13.965 Y8.562 Z-8.911
X13.768 Y8.682 Z-8.868
X13.567 Y8.797 Z-8.84
X13.361 Y8.907 Z-8.825
X13.152 Y9.011
X12.94 Y9.11 Z-8.839
X12.727 Y9.202 Z-8.868
X12.514 Y9.288 Z-8.91
X12.301 Y9.366 Z-8.967
X12.089 Y9.437 Z-9.037
X11.88 Y9.5 Z-9.12
X11.674 Y9.555 Z-9.216
X11.472 Y9.602 Z-9.325
X11.275 Y9.64 Z-9.446
X11.084 Y9.669 Z-9.578
X10.901 Y9.689 Z-9.721
X10.724 Y9.701 Z-9.875
X10.557 Y9.703 Z-10.038
X10.398 Y9.696 Z-10.209
X10.25 Y9.681 Z-10.389
X10.111 Y9.656 Z-10.577
X9.985 Y9.623 Z-10.77
X9.869 Y9.581 Z-10.969
X9.767 Y9.53 Z-11.173
X9.677 Y9.471 Z-11.381
X9.6 Y9.404 Z-11.592
X9.536 Y9.33 Z-11.804
X9.486 Y9.248 Z-12.017
X9.45 Y9.159 Z-12.231
X9.429 Y9.064 Z-12.443
X9.421 Y8.962 Z-12.654
X9.428 Y8.855 Z-12.862
X9.449 Y8.743 Z-13.066
X9.485 Y8.625 Z-13.265
X9.534 Y8.504 Z-13.459
X9.597 Y8.379 Z-13.646
X9.673 Y8.25 Z-13.826
X9.763 Y8.12 Z-13.998
X9.866 Y7.987 Z-14.161
X9.98 Y7.853 Z-14.314
X10.107 Y7.718 Z-14.458
X10.244 Y7.583 Z-14.59
X10.393 Y7.448 Z-14.711
X10.551 Y7.315 Z-14.82
X10.718 Y7.183 Z-14.916
X10.894 Y7.053 Z-15.
X11.078 Y6.926 Z-15.07
X11.268 Y6.803 Z-15.126
X11.465 Y6.683 Z-15.169
X11.666 Y6.568 Z-15.197
X11.872 Y6.458 Z-15.212
X12.081 Y6.353
X12.293 Y6.255 Z-15.198
X12.506 Y6.162 Z-15.169
X12.719 Y6.077 Z-15.127
X12.932 Y5.998 Z-15.071
X13.144 Y5.928 Z-15.001
X13.353 Y5.865 Z-14.917
X13.559 Y5.81 Z-14.821
X13.761 Y5.763 Z-14.712
X13.958 Y5.725 Z-14.592
X14.149 Y5.696 Z-14.459
X14.332 Y5.676 Z-14.316
X14.509 Y5.664 Z-14.163
X14.676 Y5.662 Z-14.
X14.835 Y5.669 Z-13.828
X14.984 Y5.684 Z-13.648
X15.122 Y5.709 Z-13.461
X15.248 Y5.742 Z-13.267
X15.364 Y5.784 Z-13.068
X15.466 Y5.835 Z-12.864
X15.557 Y5.894 Z-12.656
X15.634 Y5.96 Z-12.446
X15.697 Y6.035 Z-12.233
X15.747 Y6.117 Z-12.02
X15.783 Y6.206 Z-11.806
X15.804 Y6.301 Z-11.594
G0 X3.014 Y-19.28 Z1.196

M9
G28 G91 Z0.
B0. C0.
G90 G53 X0. Y0.
M30

2

Mach4 General Discussion / 3+2 or 5 axis support

« on: September 20, 2015, 01:25:29 PM »

Greetings,

We have a 30 year old but perfectly running Swiss made precision 3+2 axis cnc mill which needs a new CNC control (the old one just broke). For clarification, the machine can adjust the two angular axes and then start cutting with the three linear axes, so only 3 axes move simultanously. Browsing and searching the forum I begin to doubt that Mach3 or Mach4 can handle this. We used HSMWorks to program the mill, and I realize there is at least a 4-axis post for Mach3 available. However, IMHO the Mach post is not able to do the axis transformation and tool offset compensation as we were used to because it does not have the actuall tool length and diameter information (which means it relies on the data of the CAM system, which we could get used to enter there instead of the CNC). However, I haven't found a 5-axis post for HSMWorks jet which would compensate for the lack of matrix transformation in Mach. From Mach4 docu you can rotate the coordinate system in the XY-plane only, is this correct?

Not having used any of the Mach products, maybe I'm totally wrong and Mach3 or 4 can handle 5 axis and programming in arbitrary planes easily (which I hoped, considering it was implemented in our CNC 30 years ago in about 100 lines of a G-code-like macro). Could someone shed some light on the current status of this functionality and perhaps the road map for the upcoming Mach4 software releases in this regard?

Thanks much,

Frank