Messages

4161

SmoothStepper USB / Re: Comments on smoothstepper

« on: June 24, 2011, 06:08:09 PM »

I've read a lot of negative things about Ss, homing limits not working, eratic spindle and promised features which is still not completed.

When were those things posted? While I too have read similar things, there were several years ago. I haven't really seen any negative posts about the SS in the last year.

And from what I've read, I would think that there are thousands of SS users, vs apparently 0 using the Chinese board.

4162

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 23, 2011, 07:26:53 PM »

New File
48 x96
Import Vectors - Select the dxf file and it's imported.
Select the dados - Hold the shift key for multiple selections.
Choose the pocket toolpath, select a 1/2" tool, set the depth, choose contour, and OK.
That's it.

4163

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 23, 2011, 05:08:30 PM »

You must be doing something wrong, as it works fine for me.

4164

General Mach Discussion / Re: Micro stepping confusion

« on: June 23, 2011, 04:58:42 PM »

The bigger the motors, the slower their maximum speed tends to be. You're screws are basically 5 turns/inch, so you need 500 rpm to go 100 ipm.

Depending on inductance, most steppers have a maximum usable rpm of about 1000. Although smaller, low inductance motors can be good for up to 1500rpm, or even higher.

I've seen torque curves of similar size motors that only have 150-200 oz-in of torque over 300rpm.

You'd be a lot better off with screws with a 10mm lead, or even 25mm lead. Those would give you 2 or 5 times more speed, while keeping the steppers moving slower where they have more torque.
Your 5mm lead gives you a large mechanical advantage at the expense of speed. At very slow speeds, you're probably getting several hundred pounds of force. But at high speeds, you have none.

Going from 72V to 80V probably wouldn't make a noticeable difference. And likewise, while changing motors would give you better performance, those screws are still hampering your performance.

To answer your question, big motors and 5mm pitch screws are best used on big, heavy machines that need lots of force, but not higher speeds.

4165

General Mach Discussion / Re: Micro stepping confusion

« on: June 23, 2011, 11:47:13 AM »

I'll ask again:
What is the pitch of your screws, and are the motors wired bipolar parallel or bipolar series?

4166

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 23, 2011, 08:42:39 AM »

I think V-Carve Pro is getting confused because the dados are touching. The dadoes need to extend beyond the parts by half the tool diameter, or the dadoes will not be fully cleared.
I'll play with it tonight using a toolpath template. I believe it should work.
If you create a pocket toolpath separately for each dado, it should also work.

4167

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 23, 2011, 07:41:24 AM »

There's nothing wrong with the .dxf

Are you trying to use a pocket operation on them? One issue could be that the two dados are touching. try doing them individually. Also, try increasing the spacing of the nesting in cabinet Parts Pro. I'll check when I get home, but I don't see a problem with the .dxf.

4168

General Mach Discussion / Re: Micro stepping confusion

« on: June 22, 2011, 08:28:25 PM »

What is the pitch of your screws, and are the motors wired bipolar parallel or bipolar series?
It sounds to me like a very poorly matched system of screws and motors.

You probably have 3 times more motor than you need. A G540 package with 380 oz motors is capable of much higher performance than you're looking for with the right leadscrews.

4169

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 22, 2011, 08:16:08 PM »

I believe that you're limited to 25 lines of code without a license, which is probably your problem.

For a cabinet shop, you don't want to be using LazyCAM. You want a CAM program that can automate the creation of g-code. The cheapest option that can do that is Vectric's V-Carve Pro.
It has a feature called Toolpath Templates. They allow you to assign machining operations to the layers of the .dxf file. What this does, is allow you to import the .dxf, and save the g-code for a nested sheet of parts in under 30 seconds.

I've been programming big industrial CNC's in high volume cabinet shops for 15 years. You want the process to be as automated as possible. This translates into much less time spent programming, and far fewer mistakes.

4170

LazyCam (Beta) / Re: Importing a Cabinet Parts Pro DXF

« on: June 22, 2011, 07:43:34 PM »

Do you have a Mach3 license?