Messages

271

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Staright cut

« on: August 17, 2016, 07:31:43 PM »

G1 X1 Y1 cuts a straight line from where you are currently to a point 1 unit to the right and 1 unit forward, IF you are in incremental mode, but if the mode is absolute it may move or not depending on the starting point.  G2 is arc to right, G3 is arc to left and both require an I and J which describe where the center is, depending on whether it is incremental or absolute.  You are gonna want to study up on this a bit!

272

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Sorry to ask, but what CAD/CAM packages are recommended for a newbie?

« on: August 09, 2016, 07:32:14 PM »

I hear a lot of good things about Fusion 360 and at your price point it is about the only game in town.  One word of caution, it is an Autodesk product so you are getting in bed with the EVIL EMPIRE of Cad.  Autodesk doesn't do anything unless they can handcuff and chain you down to get every penny in your wallet. I suspect Fusion 360 is bait covering a bear trap and the jaws are just waiting to snap shut!  Been burned by them more than once, still have a bad taste about it. I'd make damn sure you have backup files in a format like STP or IGES that you own for every model you make.

273

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mori Seiki retrofit

« on: August 08, 2016, 11:11:37 PM »

To do what you are trying to do you will need to learn everything the original builder needed to know to make it work the first time.  Things like torque and HP requirements, sequence of operations, all kinds of stuff. So in that sense you are 'building a machine'.  If you never saw it run with the old control there may also be mechanical issues you don't know about like spindle bearings, turret rotation, X and Z ways, lubrication etc.  It would be pretty disheartening to get a new control on the machine only to find out you need an expensive spindle rebuild! 

Seriously, if you want to make chips there are lots of cheaper, faster ways with a much higher likelyhood of success.  Patience is a virtue in this regard.  I just picked up an absolutely like new 1990 CNC bed mill with a 4th axis and 23 cat40 tool holders for $6500.  No way you could replace the controls and spindle motor and drive on a machine like this for $6500.  We are gonna use it for a vertical lathe too.  We have a QC tool post holder mounted to the table, and a holder for Cat 40 tooling so we can use drills, boring bars and such as if it is a gang tooled lathe.

274

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mori Seiki retrofit

« on: August 08, 2016, 10:23:09 AM »

See I thought maybe you were a retired guy with a boatload of time on his hands.  So now you are saying that the odds of success are even lower! I will tell you that my homebuilt machine with getting lots of parts really cheap, table for $99, 4 precision ballscrew slides for $1200, control enclosures for $25 each, power supply transformers $20 each, PLC for free, Aluminum extrusion framing for free, etc. and I still have spent nearly $10K!  Remember you are trying to rebuild a machine that would cost about $100K today.  All the parts are priced for the $100K machine, not for what you paid.

Not that I ever make these kinds of mistakes. I have a 1986 boat I paid $6K for, that would today sell for $85K, and yes every part is priced for the $85K boat not the $6K one.  The boat hasn't been in the water in seven years, and I just spent money building a cradle so I can bring it home in the hopes I can find the time to put it back together.

It is unfortunate how difficult it is to learn from the experience of others.  I watch people doing things that have never worked in the past and as they do exactly the same thing they tell me how it is different.  The only thing different is their lack of experience to recognize they are doing the same thing again.

275

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mori Seiki retrofit

« on: August 08, 2016, 09:13:19 AM »

I suspect that you are not getting feedback because people are shocked that you think you can pull off this project. The price you got it for reflects the difficulty of the task. I have an extensive experience with power and control wiring, plc programming, and I design machinery for a living. I also built my own home CNC machine using Mach 3. I would hesitate to take on this project. It is likely to cost a lot more than you expect and take a very long time. Unless you do a really fantastic job it won't have much value either as it will have no support from anyone.

276

G-Code, CAD, and CAM discussions / Re: Sorry to ask, but what CAD/CAM packages are recommended for a newbie?

« on: August 07, 2016, 08:49:22 PM »

Take a look at CamBam too. Forty sessions before you need to buy. Download the full version. I have two copies one on my homebuilt with Mach 3 and a second copy on the large bed mill at work. For $150 it was money well spent.  The P in PC is still Personal so you may not like what others think is great.

277

General Mach Discussion / Re: Am I loosing Steps, and what should I do

« on: August 04, 2016, 08:45:51 PM »

You can see the ballscrew shaft moving up and down! You have a problem with the bearings at the end(s). The shaft should not move at all and even be preloaded against a stop so that it has no backlash at all.

278

General Mach Discussion / Re: Am I loosing Steps, and what should I do

« on: July 28, 2016, 08:25:10 PM »

No way should the screw have continued rotating unless the ball nut managed to turn as well. So that could be the source of your problem. If the ball nut turns at all it will appear as lost steps. Check the ball nut mounting method.

279

General Mach Discussion / Re: Z plunging deeper after each retraction. Not mechanical

« on: July 23, 2016, 05:32:14 PM »

If that is being measured without the load of a tool and cutting forces then I think you are done, it isn't likely to get any better.

280

General Mach Discussion / Re: Z plunging deeper after each retraction. Not mechanical

« on: July 22, 2016, 05:32:00 PM »

Years ago I had a programmer working for me on machine code.  Suddenly something weird would happen and I'd ask "what did you change?" and he'd always say nothing was changed.  After pressing hard I would get an answer like, well I installed the latest update of the compiler, or I just did a little housekeeping, no code changes.  Windows 10 unexpectly? Yeah I'd be real suspicious.  There are lots of programmable things that I really wish were not.  Sometimes pots and a small screw driver are a good thing.