Topics

21

General Mach Discussion / Height Following

« on: June 10, 2008, 05:17:29 PM »

Has anybody out there found a good way to do height following?  That is, to have the z-axis plunge, have a sensor read the material surface and set the height, then maintain that same height above the material as the part is being cut?

22

General Mach Discussion / Shortest rotary

« on: June 05, 2008, 08:04:10 PM »

I have the angular shortest rotary on G0 set to "ON" in the General Config settings.  That's fine, but I really need this on all the time.

For example, in the code below, I'm trying to cut a square that has two rounded corners.  The A-axis should follow and stay parallel to the cut.  Direction is critical, so you can't substitute A90 for A270.


G0  X2.0000  Y0.0000 F600
G0 A180 F5000                                                     (I put this on a separate line to speed it up)
M3 (Water On)
G1  X0.0000 F600
G0 A90 F5000
Y3.5000 F600
G2  X0.5000  Y4.0000  I0.5000  J3.5000 A0             (Instead of going from 90 to 0 over 90 deg. - this wants to do a 270 deg. arc)
G1  X3.5000
G2  X4.0000  Y3.5000  I3.5000  J3.5000 A270          (Instead of going from 0 to 270 over 90 deg. - this wants to do a 270 deg. arc)
G1  Y0.0000
G0 A180 F5000
X2.0000
M5 (Water Off)
G0 Z0.0000
M30

This small square must take 2-3 minutes to run because of the arcs.  That's one problem, but the bigger one is how to get the arcs to work correctly without having to run everything CCW - that is A0 to A90 works, but A90 to A0 does not.

23

General Mach Discussion / Slow A-Axis motion

« on: June 05, 2008, 07:49:26 PM »

Does anybody out there know how to get around the problem of slow rotary motion when the A-axis motion is coordinated with another axis?

On my machine, I have to set the A-axis feedrate to something like F5000 to get it to move with any speed at all.  If I try moving it along with an X-Y arc with a F600 setting, I think I'm getting more like F10.

For the A-axis settings, (not a real life machine - just playing around), I have the Steps @ 20, Vel. @ 10,000, & Accel. @ 40,000.  You'd think that would be fast.


Suggestions?

24

General Mach Discussion / Tool diameter measurement

« on: May 21, 2008, 12:33:08 AM »

Has anyone set up a probe or laser reader to measure tool diameter?  Is this possible?

I need to find a way to measure tools over time to compensate for wear so that my part maintain proper dimensions.  I know that tools can be measured manually and then the tool diameter can be offset manually in the tool table.  Can this be automated?

25

General Mach Discussion / Two problems

« on: October 12, 2007, 03:35:19 PM »

First:

I have finally figured out the tangential set-up - almost.  In tangential, my A-axis attempts to maintain perpendicular the the cut path.  Sort of, anyway.  My problem is that the entore A-axis motion is within 1 degree of motion so that it is at 0 degrees when moving X+, at 0.25 degrees when moving Y+, at 0.5 degrees when moving X-, and at 0.75 degrees when moving Y-.

So, it works, but I need to get it to increase from 1 degree to 360 degrees so that it is moving 90 degrees instead of 1/4 of a degree.  Anybody know where that setting is?



Second:

If I use screens that I have built using Screen4, when I run a part it will show what has been cut, but then the display resets at the end of each contour so that I can't tell where I have been.  That is, it only shows what has been cut while on a specific contour.  When finished, the display looks as if nothing has been cut.

However, if I go to "View" and pick the 1024 screens, then run the same part - now the display showing what has been cut does not reset.  So, what's been cut already stays posted and does not disappear when I go to the next contour.  When the part is completed, the entire display shows that it has been cut.

Anybody know what setting causes the cut path to reset or not?

26

General Mach Discussion / Tangential Set-up

« on: October 10, 2007, 06:41:25 PM »

This is really a new/old topic.  I've read a bunch of entries, and here, I'm  following along with an entry that Chip made in October '06.

I think I have this set up correctly.  My display is in degrees that roll over from 360 back to 0.  I can jog the A-axis, and it responds to a "Go to 0,0" command.

My set-up is a test board so there is no load on the steppers.  I have 5 motors as follows:  X, Y, Z, A (rotational), & B (Slave to Y).  The slave axis works perfectly.  When I run a pattern, I would expect that the A-axis would orient to be tangential to the X-Y position.  However it never moves.  Trying to figure out what I've missed.


Below, I'm following what Chip posted last year:

I've done this

General Config - checked A-Axis is Angular,  checked - Rot 360 rollover, checked - Ang Short Rot an G0.


I've done this

ToolPath Configuration - checked - A Rotations,   Enable, use Diameter for Feedrate.  Also, I set the Axis of Rotation to Z-Axis (I've tried all three)


For the next one, I don't know what Chip means by "rotational set-up 360 deg., but my SPI for rotational is 50 and it is 1600 for all other axes.

Motor Tuning, My A  Rotational set-up 360 deg., set-up X,Y,Z, 40000 step's, 10.002 vel,  A 1 Deg.=, 400.2 step's,  2500 vel, 144072 = 360 1 turn   144072 dev by 360 = 400.2

Re-Start, Mach3  -  Did it!


I'm not sure what the rest here has to do with basic set-up, but I did this as well. 

Loaded Tooth1.txt Gcode file, No Rotational View Shows in Tool Path Window's, just linear view..
Regen Tool Path, Still No Rotational View, Gcode Shows Run Through, Jog A axis shows Degree Mode in Display.

Setting's Page, set Rotation Diameters A axis to 1.0000, Re-Gen ToolPath, OK, Now it shows Rotational View.

Default Start-up and Create New Profile or Closing Mach3 with a value of 0.0000 in the Setting's Page, Rotation Diameters on re-start will Default back to Linear View as it is now.


Help would be greatly appreciated!

27

General Mach Discussion / Vista Parallel Ports

« on: October 05, 2007, 03:00:35 PM »

A parallel board that seems to work perfectly is the SiiG JJ-P00112-S6.

Let it self-configure.

Strangely, it picks XP drivers and still works.

28

General Mach Discussion / Vista Parallel Ports

« on: October 05, 2007, 02:59:23 PM »

A parallel board that seems to work perfectly is the SiiG JJ-P00112-S6.

Let it self-configure.

Strangely, it picks XP drivers and still works.

29

General Mach Discussion / Computer lockup

« on: October 02, 2007, 07:17:06 PM »

I have a new Systemax computer from Tiger Direct.  Specs are:

Systemax Venture VE55 Desktop Computer - VIA C7-D 1.5GHz processor/ genuine Windows® XP Professional / 1024MB DDR2 / 80GB SATA II / DVD-ROM/CD-RW / Microtower.


My problem is that the computer completely locks up when I exit Mach3.  It also locks up when I exit the DriverTest program.

Other than that, Mach runs great.  I can go from DXF to G-code in LazyCam, then to Mach3 and run parts without error or problem.  However, if I turn off the program, I get the standard screen that says "End Session?".  When I click on Yes - that's it.  Instant lockup.
I get this regardless of the system I try to run - plasma, turn, etc.

If I run the Driver Test, it looks great.  When I tell it to Exit - instant lockup.


Anybody got a clue how to stop this?  I've run every suggestion I can find, and have done the Optimization things suggested - no change.

30

LazyCam (Beta) / Automatic Z-Axis code.

« on: September 01, 2007, 01:12:22 PM »

I use LazyCam in Plasma mode.  When making a cut file, I go to the "Layers" tab to set the feedrate, and a choice on that screen is called "rapid height"

This number - whether is it left at 0.00, or set to a number like 4.00 - adds a Z-axis move command to the files.



Is there any way to get rid of this addition?  I want the post to generate only X-Y movements - NO Z-axis!!



The problem is that I have a servo actuated z-axis that automatically goes to the top for the home sequence, and can then be moved to any position.  I need to set this at a hieght, and then have it stay there.

The unwanted z-axis additions move the z-axis to 0.00, or whatever number is entered in the "rapid height" line - whether I want it there or not.