Messages

41

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 10:50:32 PM »

Ok, I just finished a session cutting some parts. Firstly, all is well if I don't click the Goto Z button. The gcode is doing the right thing and the clearance Z is working fine. I zero on the center of the part because it is easy to position my fixture and zero at its center. I guess I had just developed the habit of clicking Goto Z to position the tool. Most of my fixtures hold the parts from the edge and 0,0,0 is at a corner of a sheet of stock or centered along one edge. In those cases, I just clicked Goto Z and I was ready to cut. This is a new fixture that clamps from the center and I was just clicking Goto Z like I always do/did.

But, I am still concerned that the button is so prevalent that I might accidentally click it. How should I deal with that?

cheers and thanks for all the info.

Michael

42

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 06:47:35 PM »

It might be a (bad) habit thing since it is on the main screen and I have to move the tool somewhere to get started. My pendant has it programed on one of the buttons too. So an accidental move might happen, which I would like to avoid if possible. What do most people do?

cheers,
Michael

43

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 06:04:57 PM »

I may not have been clear earlier. The problem I have is when I click "Goto Z". I guess I am just in the habit of clicking that since it is on the main display and seems like a reasonable place to go to start an operation, or go and then raise the tool for a tool change, etc. I think my programs (generated by CamBam) return the tool to 0,0,0 too.

regards,
Michael

44

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 05:48:42 PM »

Thanks Gerry. Ok, so that is what I do - the z=0 is the top surface of my part and in CamBam I set the clearance plane to say .25". That works fine EXCEPT, at the end of the operation, the tool returns to x=y=z=0, which would break the bit (1/16" end mill).

I'll take a look at the Safe Z again. Maybe I misunderstood it when I looked at it earlier. I thought it would just raise the bit to the safe z height first, move x & y and then lower z to 0? If so, that would collide with the fixture screw. See what I mean?

cheers,
Michael

45

General Mach Discussion / Re: How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 05:28:51 PM »

Maybe my procedure is not normal? Basically, I have an X2 minimill with not limit or home switches. All my work is done in a 3" x 3" x 1" work envelope so I've never really needed them and I am actually producing parts for my business so I don't have a lot of extra time to spend. Here is what I do...

I have a fixture plate mounted to my table. It has a 1/4" post that is at x=y=0 - that is, I set the x & y to 0 at the center of the post. My fishing reel parts have a pre-drilled 1/4" hole and I simply slip the part over the post. the post is threaded so I can position a cup shaped "washer" over the part and screw it down to hold the part in place. The screw head and post protrude above the top surface of the part by about 1/4". The part is .062" aluminum and I reference z=0 at the top surface. My program cuts the perimeter of this part - which looks like this:



The problem is, when I do a goto 0, the tool would collide with the screw head that is holding the part to the fixture. If I set my z=0 above the top of the screw I wasted a lot of time cutting air. There must be a way to have a safe xy plane to move the tool around and not worry about colliding with the fixture while also getting the bit down to the part quickly so I am not wasting cycles cutting air as the tool slowly steps down?

thanks again,
Michael

46

General Mach Discussion / How do I clear a fixture?

« on: November 10, 2011, 11:12:17 AM »

Firstly, I use CamBam for my cam app. I am milling the perimeter of some aluminum disks and have a fixture that clamps the disk through its center hole. Imagine a 2" diameter washer on top of a 3" diameter part held with a 1/4" socket cap screw. I would like to zero my at the part's top surface and X=Y=0 at the center of the disk. But, there is a cap screw and the large washer there! If I move my Z up to .25" above the surface of the disk (which gives me the clearance I need), it takes forever as the mill cuts air through that 1/4" to get to the part (which is .062" thick). There has to be a way to program this but I don't even know what this is called to be able to google it!

Help greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Michael

47

LazyTurn / Re: LazyTurn

« on: October 05, 2010, 01:43:38 PM »

I was getting the same error. I run Windows XP service pack 3 on a VMWare image (just to experiment with software, not control my machines!).

I googled SGCore.dll and found this: http://www.geometros.com/download/index.htm  Simply download, unzip and put SGCore.dll in your Mach folder. Works!

cheers,
Michael

Hi,
I seem to be having a similar problem where i can not load lazy turn. Every time i try to open the LazyTurn file it get the error unable to find SGcore.dll. I have tryed to find the update file at http://www.machsupport.com/downloads.php but it seems like it has been pulled down. Any ideas?

Thanks
Lachie G

48

General Mach Discussion / Re: New odd Y (lack of) movement problem

« on: January 01, 2010, 03:21:37 PM »

Well, it is doing it again. I also switched my X and Y axis at the G540 and it is the Y "port" irregardless of which motor. Oddly. G0 moves always work, G1 moves are intermittent. I am going to check the Gecko forums etc. I don't know what the difference between a G0 and G1 movement would translate to in the code going to the controller?

cheers,
Michael

49

General Mach Discussion / Re: New odd Y (lack of) movement problem

« on: January 01, 2010, 01:20:15 PM »

Well, after posting this, having lunch, shoveling the driveway, replying to Phil's post and coming back to my shop, it of course is working now.

However, my PC had gone to sleep and my usual screensaver was not displayed - I just had a black screen. Upon reawakening I was going to switch the X and Y controllers to check for electrical problems but when I tested it, G1 Y1 was working. I've run through an entire Gcode test file with lots of movement with no problems. I'll just keep my eye on it to see if it happens again and report back one way or another.

cheers,
Michael

50

General Mach Discussion / Re: New odd Y (lack of) movement problem

« on: January 01, 2010, 01:09:35 PM »

Phil, why would a G0 movement work and a G1 not work? Jogging from the keyboard or jog panel also works fine. That tells me that it is probably not an electrical problem, no?

Regards,
Michael