Hi Calum,
2) Would it be possible to have the Set Z zero arrow on the WC Offset Touch Off tab made into an action button that would move Z down to the mobile TP on the work? I can achieve this by using the TP as a home switch and setting the offset as the TP thickness but this make the MC Z = WC Z, this is the way I have been using Mach until I found MSM with MTM.
If you click the "Probe Z-" arrow on the probing page it will do just what you want.
The probing page handles "probing events" - i.e. moving until a probe event is seen by mach and the G31 movement is stopped.
Neither mach nor MSM know if the signal came from a probe or a touch plate..... or the push button I have wired to the BoB in my test setup in the office... A trigger is a trigger.
If you have Settings-common "TLO G-BLk is TP" on, you can "probe down to the mobile TP"....
1) Would it be possible/practical to be able to enter the thickness of the mobile TP and the gauge block?
Hum, It is set up with the assumption that for a GBlk one uses either a plain GBlk or a TP (which gives the ability to probe to the TP/GBlk). You can switch between a GBLk and TP, or for that matter between GBLk of different heights, or TPS of different heights (thihcknesses) by changing the DROs & button settings on the settings-common page.
The basic requirement is to change the data for the height of the GBLk/Mobile TP whenever the height of the block being used changes (I.e. whenever you use a different block).
MSM would still need to told whether the GBLK is a TP or not - as it can't "find out".
I suppose there could have two DROs, one for the GBLk and one for the "GBK is TP = mobile TP", but uh, I'd have to redesign the setting page to fit in it....
Honestly, I'd rather not unless I hear a lot of support/requests for this.
I use both, gauge block for ATLO and mobile TP to set WC Z zero.
I'm confused by this -
Auto-TLO as part of a tool change, requires the use of the TCP TP, which has to be in a fixed position under the TCP.
That action does not use the mobile TP (and can't as the TCP TP has to be at a known, fixed, physical location).
So, I'm not following when you say you use the "...gauge block for ATLO ..."
3 )Would it be possible to get the PTL for the master too from Tooling tab where it is entered or measured when we go to set TCP TP MCz on the Settings tab? The way I have been setting up my machine is-
Go to a random x, y ,z and Ref All (all install some home switches soon)
Move to WC x, y & z zero and zero these
Move to TC position, load the master tool then measure its PTL. This updates the Master PTL on the Tooling tab
Then go to the Settings tab and Set TCP TP MCz. This requests the Master Tool PTL which was captured in the previous step.
Wow, I don't think that should work at all -
You can't use the TCP TP (before MSM is taught the MCz location of the TCP TP) to measure the MT PTL. The measurement will not be accurate as the TCP TP is not known. If appears you are then using the measured MT PTL to locate the TCP TP in Z.
This is a boot strap problem.
The "locate the TCP TP in MCz" is a one time, special process. IT is needed whenever a TCP TP is installed or moved.
MSM has to start with some known data to accurately locate the TCP TP. The process requires that the machine know where it is along the MCz axis. Hence the requirement that the machine be referenced; referencing anchors the MC axes to the home switch physical location. When Z is referenced, MCz0 is anchored to a known spot - which can be found each time the machine is started and referenced.
Next MSM needs a known, calibrated measuring stick to measure from MCz0 to the TCP TP surface.
The setup process has you (offline) measure a tool to measure from MCz0 to the TP top surface. This is why the special setup process asks for hand input of the PTL of the tool being used to make the measurement.
With those two pieces of information in hand, MSM probes down to find the TCP TP surface. The MCz location of the TCP TP is then stored. The location is calculated from MCz0 and the hand input PTL of the tool used to make the measurement.
(the tool used to make the measurement is not any particular tool, not the MT, nor anything else).
From the time the TCP TP is located ***going forward in time****, the TCP TP is assumed to not have moved. This allows the TCP TP surface's MCz (in reference to MCz0 as set by the home switches) to be used to measure a tool's PTL as part of a tool change (This is the TC Auto TLO option).
AFTER the TCP TP is located, it can be used to measure the PTL of the MT - but not before.
In MT mode, for tools that are not the MT, MT PTL - measured PTL gives TLO for the tool.
Dave
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