Messages

1

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, mach3, and all the other stuff. Am I on the right path?

« on: April 28, 2016, 10:18:42 AM »

Thanks Rich,
I was looking at cnc books on amazon, and knowing nothing about it or if I'm even heading in the right direction, I could not decide on one. I really appreciate all the help here. I think I'm on the right path, I'll have a book in a couple days and I'll continue with the mach3 videos...I'm sure the book will help me understand those.
Thanks Again
Tim

2

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, mach3, and all the other stuff. Am I on the right path?

« on: April 27, 2016, 03:38:20 PM »

Thanks Nick,
Although some day I know I will get into a cnc machine for making parts, this machine has no part to make...it's basically a robot and I need to run a program that takes the 4 steppers from point A to B at certain speeds. So I basically want to teach it like you would an industrial robot. I wouldn't know where to start unless I could move the motors by keyboard or pendant and then go in and edit.
Thanks for the reply
t

3

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, mach3, and all the other stuff. Am I on the right path?

« on: April 27, 2016, 02:38:37 PM »

Thanks so much. I'm starting to be a bit less scared, but confidence is quite a ways away. I think I'll get mach3 and just start the learning process. Not knowing anything about this world, I just wondered if mach3 was a program I should be messing with. It seems to be a pretty universally used program.
Thanks again!!
Tim

4

General Mach Discussion / Re: New to CNC, mach3, and all the other stuff. Am I on the right path?

« on: April 27, 2016, 01:18:36 PM »

Thanks!
I just don't have the comfort level with the control system that I do the hardware. I can put this machine together and enjoy it, but controlling it is a subject I know nothing about. Do you know if mach3 has a feature that will allow me to enter values and or jog the motors to the positions I need and then use those values to generate the program (I assume G code) to then drive the machine?
Thanks again for the reply and encouragement
Tim

5

General Mach Discussion / New to CNC, mach3, and all the other stuff. Am I on the right path?

« on: April 27, 2016, 12:32:27 PM »

Hello,
My name is Tim. As you can see by my screen name I know virtually nothing about G code, mach3, or CNC. I have been a conventional machinist for close to 30 years, I try to do a bit of everything for the sake of learning, but I've always been a bit too scared of CNC. I still used a drafting machine until 2000
I'm about to put on big boy pants and try something CNC. I want to build a fairly simple machine in the sense that it will perform very basic moves. In short, I will load a open face mold in a fixture near front center of the table (for now the mold will be filled by hand) I would like to start the program, the carriage would move z,x then y would drop down z,x screed the top of the mold, and return home. I'll bet you are saying that's beyond simple, that's OK I deserve it for hiding under a rock. I know nothing about G code or mach3, but my gut told me there must be something in the program that allows me to move the x,y,z by eye or a numerical estimation that would possibly generate the code? a manual data input? is that a real thing? if it is, I will get mach3 and start the learning process.
Eventually the machine will have 5 axis, a stepper driven depositor to fill the mold as well as another axis to rotate the screed or the mold so it can wipe from multiple directions.
Am I on the right path?
Thanks for your time
Tim

6

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!

« on: April 26, 2016, 06:25:02 PM »

Hello,
My name is Tim. As you can see by my screen name I know virtually nothing about G code, mach3, or CNC. I have been a conventional machinist for close to 30 years, I try to do a bit of everything for the sake of learning, but I've always been a bit too scared of CNC. I still used a drafting machine until 2000
I'm about to put on big boy pants and try something CNC. I want to build a fairly simple machine in the sense that it will perform very basic moves. In short, I will load a open face mold in a fixture near front center of the table (for now the mold will be filled by hand) I would like to start the program, the carriage would move z,x then y would drop down z,x screed the top of the mold, and return home. I'll bet you are saying that's beyond simple, that's OK I deserve it for hiding under a rock. I know nothing about G code or mach3, but my gut told me there must be something in the program that allows me to move the x,y,z by eye or a numerical estimation that would possibly generate the code? a manual data input? is that a real thing? if it is, I will get mach3 and start the learning process.
Eventually the machine will have 5 axis, a stepper driven depositor to fill the mold as well as another axis to rotate the screed or the mold so it can wipe from multiple directions.
Am I on the right path?
Thanks for your time
Tim