Messages

21

General Mach Discussion / Protect my machine

« on: July 23, 2010, 07:32:31 PM »

So far this year I have buried the spindle once (loose wire),  drove the X axis into a clamp extended too far, and twisted the Z axis multiple times from drilling operations where the bit was clogged.  In all cases the CNC gives 'er all she can, causing it to twist and turn until something lets go.

Obviously I have corrected a few things, inclusing how I operate the machine.  But I wtill want some more protection.

I use stepper motors with Gecko G203V drives.  Is there some way I can wire up magnetic encoders to these motors and have it feed back to mach, so that if mach DRO disagrees with the encoder it will estop?  (within a tolerance).

thanks

22

General Mach Discussion / Re: Did I fry my Z axis?

« on: July 20, 2010, 09:30:43 PM »

Thanks hood.  That was darn close.  It was the connector from the back of the control box, other side of the Gecko.

23

General Mach Discussion / Did I fry my Z axis?

« on: July 20, 2010, 03:36:41 PM »

So I am doing one of my typical production runs, cutting .080 sheet aluminum.  All is going well.  About 2hrs in, the machine runs the Z axis deep into the work, and I think tried to run it through the table before it physically stopped and Mach said an E stop was pressed.  I was in the next room do other work.  Nothing sounded bad, so it must have been a quiet death.

I tried to jog the Z axis out, but no matter which way I jog it, it wants to go further into the table. Sounds pretty nasty too.  The DRO shows the Z axis moving correct according to the jog wheel.

With the machine off and I manually move the Z axis, all feels normal.

X and Y jogging work fine.


So did I fry my Z stepper?  Any idea what would cause this?  The GCode is fine, I have used it a number of times on production runs.

24

General Mach Discussion / Re: Using G52 to do step and repeat

« on: June 06, 2010, 07:04:37 PM »

Yep thats - it, thanks.  I will look at it in mach.

25

General Mach Discussion / Using G52 to do step and repeat

« on: June 06, 2010, 05:06:58 PM »

I wrote some C# code to take any of my production GCode files and use G52 to step and repeat the pattern.  This way I do not have to re-cam my production patterns if I choose to do a smaller or larger run.

Anyways, I look at the output code in NCPlot, it shows the rapids going to the new step and repeat sections, but does not show it running the file at teh new location.

Here is some GCode:


N10G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N20G70
N30T4M06
N40G00G43Z0.7874H4
N50S15279M03
N60G94
N70X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N80G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N90G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N100G01Y2.6000F12.0
N110G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N120G01X18.4400
N130G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N140G01Y0.0000
N150G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N160G01X0.0000
N170G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N180G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N190G01Y2.6000F12.0
N200G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N210G01X18.4400
N220G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N230G01Y0.0000
N240G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N250G01X0.0000
N260G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N270G00Z0.2362
N280G00Z0.7874
N290G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N300M09
N310G52 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 C0
N320G52 X0 Y3
N330G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N340G70
N350T4M06
N360G00G43Z0.7874H4
N370S15279M03
N380G94
N390X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N400G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N410G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N420G01Y2.6000F12.0
N430G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N440G01X18.4400
N450G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N460G01Y0.0000
N470G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N480G01X0.0000
N490G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N500G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N510G01Y2.6000F12.0
N520G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N530G01X18.4400
N540G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N550G01Y0.0000
N560G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N570G01X0.0000
N580G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N590G00Z0.2362
N600G00Z0.7874
N610G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N620M09
N630G52 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 C0
N640G52 X0 Y6
N650G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N660G70
N670T4M06
N680G00G43Z0.7874H4
N690S15279M03
N700G94
N710X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N720G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N730G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N740G01Y2.6000F12.0
N750G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N760G01X18.4400
N770G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N780G01Y0.0000
N790G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N800G01X0.0000
N810G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N820G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N830G01Y2.6000F12.0
N840G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N850G01X18.4400
N860G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N870G01Y0.0000
N880G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N890G01X0.0000
N900G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N910G00Z0.2362
N920G00Z0.7874
N930G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N940M09
N950G52 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 C0
N960G52 X20 Y0
N970G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N980G70
N990T4M06
N1000G00G43Z0.7874H4
N1010S15279M03
N1020G94
N1030X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N1040G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N1050G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N1060G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1070G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1080G01X18.4400
N1090G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1100G01Y0.0000
N1110G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1120G01X0.0000
N1130G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1140G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N1150G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1160G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1170G01X18.4400
N1180G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1190G01Y0.0000
N1200G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1210G01X0.0000
N1220G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1230G00Z0.2362
N1240G00Z0.7874
N1250G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N1260M09
N1270G52 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 C0
N1280G52 X20 Y3
N1290G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N1300G70
N1310T4M06
N1320G00G43Z0.7874H4
N1330S15279M03
N1340G94
N1350X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N1360G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N1370G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N1380G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1390G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1400G01X18.4400
N1410G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1420G01Y0.0000
N1430G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1440G01X0.0000
N1450G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1460G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N1470G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1480G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1490G01X18.4400
N1500G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1510G01Y0.0000
N1520G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1530G01X0.0000
N1540G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1550G00Z0.2362
N1560G00Z0.7874
N1570G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N1580M09
N1590G52 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 C0
N1600G52 X20 Y6
N1610G00G20G17G20G90G40G49G80
N1620G70
N1630T4M06
N1640G00G43Z0.7874H4
N1650S15279M03
N1660G94
N1670X0.0000Y0.0000F12.0
N1680G00X-0.1250Y0.0000Z0.2362
N1690G01Z-0.0250F6.0
N1700G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1710G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1720G01X18.4400
N1730G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1740G01Y0.0000
N1750G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1760G01X0.0000
N1770G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1780G01Z-0.0500F6.0
N1790G01Y2.6000F12.0
N1800G2X0.0000Y2.7250I0.1250J0.0000
N1810G01X18.4400
N1820G2X18.5650Y2.6000I0.0000J-0.1250
N1830G01Y0.0000
N1840G2X18.4400Y-0.1250I-0.1250J0.0000
N1850G01X0.0000
N1860G2X-0.1250Y0.0000I0.0000J0.1250
N1870G00Z0.2362
N1880G00Z0.7874
N1890G00X0.0000Y0.0000
N1900M09
N1910M30%

26

General Mach Discussion / Why not G54 instead of G52 for multiple parts?

« on: January 04, 2010, 01:00:08 AM »

I am about to start my first job which will have 4 identical parts on a single sheet of material.  Each part has 5 tool changes.

I have been reading up on G54/G52 and it is recommended that I use G52, because G54-G59 is for fixtures.

However, I use a CAM program (Cut2D) and dont really want to edit the GCode. I'd just like to run the GCode, then goto the offsets (G54-G59) page for the next part, and run the program for that part, then repeat for each part.

Will this work for me?

27

General Mach Discussion / Re: Rolling my own GCode

« on: December 01, 2009, 09:25:06 PM »

Well, here are a few self correcting things already:

I should use "N" instead of "M". 
I do not need to repeat the G01. 
I don't need to repeat a coordinate if it is the same as previous

28

General Mach Discussion / Rolling my own GCode

« on: December 01, 2009, 09:17:21 PM »

I only have 2D software and a buddy asked me to make a very large and shallow "dish", used for guitar building.  No problem I wrote some VB code to generate the GCode, but, I don't know what to supply it for header info.  I load it into Mach, and it stops after each line, then cuts for a bit, then stops. When it cuts it jerks. 

Its a large file, I have attached just the first portion. 

M1 G00 Z0.200
M2 G00 X0 Y0
M3 G01 Z-0.240
M4 G01 X0.000 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M5 G01 X0.050 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M6 G01 X0.100 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M7 G01 X0.150 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M8 G01 X0.200 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M9 G01 X0.250 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M10 G01 X0.300 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M11 G01 X0.350 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M12 G01 X0.400 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M13 G01 X0.450 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M14 G01 X0.500 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M15 G01 X0.550 Y0.000 Z-0.240
M16 G01 X0.600 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M17 G01 X0.650 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M18 G01 X0.700 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M19 G01 X0.750 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M20 G01 X0.800 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M21 G01 X0.850 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M22 G01 X0.900 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M23 G01 X0.950 Y0.000 Z-0.239
M24 G01 X1.000 Y0.000 Z-0.238
M25 G01 X1.050 Y0.000 Z-0.238
M26 G01 X1.100 Y0.000 Z-0.238
M27 G01 X1.150 Y0.000 Z-0.238
M28 G01 X1.200 Y0.000 Z-0.238
M29 G01 X1.250 Y0.000 Z-0.237
M30 G01 X1.300 Y0.000 Z-0.237
M31 G01 X1.350 Y0.000 Z-0.237
M32 G01 X1.400 Y0.000 Z-0.237
M33 G01 X1.450 Y0.000 Z-0.237
M34 G01 X1.500 Y0.000 Z-0.236
M35 G01 X1.550 Y0.000 Z-0.236
M36 G01 X1.600 Y0.000 Z-0.236
M37 G01 X1.650 Y0.000 Z-0.236
M38 G01 X1.700 Y0.000 Z-0.235

29

General Mach Discussion / Re: Running Mach3 via VB.NET

« on: October 21, 2009, 12:17:14 PM »

Unless there is more detail with the create ActiveX control, I'd focus my attention on the 9991 error.  I just did a quick search, and there are a number of threads about it.

30

General Mach Discussion / Re: Restart after moving spindle

« on: October 01, 2009, 06:47:10 PM »

That's it - hey thanks for the help.