Messages

121

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 18, 2019, 11:54:53 AM »

Yeah i got the idea of tool wear comp, handy..

But this was just one tool, take a pass, ok, i did enter it in the X dry so thats one possible error, then immediately reduce X and take another pass - the second one comes out wrong size.

The tool was not removed, not called, just one pass, reset DRO, another pass, wrong result.

Can't see why yet??

Yes, i could 'tune' the result to be correct but from one pass to the next??

I need to test again without altering the DRO, going to be hard to get out of doing that as i do it all the time on the mill

122

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 18, 2019, 08:13:37 AM »

Still having fun with the setup

If i take a light cut, mike it up and set the dia in the X DRO, why is it that if i then move the X to say 1mm less i.e. a 0.5mm cut, the size is wrong?

Seems to come over size each time?

123

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 15, 2019, 07:26:56 AM »

Ok, could add 316 instead of 121 and just save the table without viewing

124

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 15, 2019, 03:13:17 AM »

BTW I assume you have added the DROs (175 and 176) and Touch off buttons (324 and 326) to your screenset, also the tooltable shortcut button (121)
If you have then they do all the calculating for you and enter the correct numbers into the tool table when setting up the tools initially.


Setting the zero of the stock is done with the normal Z Offset DRO  with tools that have previously been set up in the tool table.

I do now - That was the missing link. My first understanding of your method would work but only if things did not move around, having these DRO's makes the difference.

Will hopefully have a play later, also looking at ways to locate the tool mount repeatably too.

Thanks for the patience BTW 

125

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 04:22:15 PM »

To set up a new tool at a later stage is simple, just the same routine as before except first touch off the stock with a tool already set up and zero the Z (or to feeler gauge thickness if using one) then change to your new tool, touch off on the end of the stock and set the tools Z offset as previously done with the first tools. Do the same for the X by taking a cut and measuring. New tool is now set up.

Hmm, ok
When you first store your tool z offsets, you stored the machine co-ordinate yes?
Para above - when you say "touch-off an already set up tool and zero the Z", you mean Z work offset?

I still can't see the correlation unless i am wrong in my first assumption?

126

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 02:51:29 PM »

Still trying to get this to gel in my head

I tested it out this morning with some stock in the spindle and two tools, called t0101, used a feeler and touched off the Z, stored that, same on X and stored that.

Same on t0202.

Then tried calling and touching off on t0101 and set my work zeros, called t0202 and the zeros were spot on = happy days.

But, what happens after i remove and refit my spindle or use a different bit of stock to set a new tool - the spindle has shifted and the stock has changed.

Surely the tool ref distance from home to touch position is now out of sync as regards the other tools?

I can only envisage it working if there was a point fixed in distance from m/c home - the headstock on a lathe, the face of a chuck etc - I have neither of these as all things are movable.

 

127

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 02:03:20 PM »

I'll work on that, won't be easy but there'll be a way

128

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 12:44:20 PM »

So using Hood's method, the tool table will be relatively safe unless the home switches are tampered with in some way?

Nope, you can then just use the work offset to offset the X value and that should offset for every tool. You already do that for the Z Axis every new job when you zero to the end of the stock.

My next question is - how do you replace a tool or add another at a later date and keep its relationship with the rest correct?

I can see how it works if you populate the library in one go but if i remove and replace the spindle etc surely i have lost my reference??

The relationship of each tool is to the home position and not to each other, that is why it is better than using a master tool because in that case all tools are in relation to your master tool, replace that and you need to redo all.

Not sure what you mean about remove and replace the spindle. Is your tool holder not a defined position in relation to the spindle taper?

Ok, i'll test the relationship

Sadly nothing is 'fixed' on my setup - the spindle is a removable fixture and the tool-post block is clamped to the quill but without 100% location radially so there may be some small misalignment each time its fitted, in the axial direction it should be good as it uses the BT30 socket as a tool would.

129

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 11:55:06 AM »

FWIW,
I also do similar to Hood's reply #112, but, no switches used here, so home and any work offsets are
set manualy.
By similar I am meaning, all tools have the same base location from which they move to touch off.
Tool offsets are probed instead of touching off or machining, taking a measurements and inputing info.
Probing makes populating the tool table quick, accurate, repeatable, and somewhat automated. BUT,
a tool setup page to accomplish the above was done.
Once a tool table is populated all tools relate to the master tool ( could be an actual master tool or
a common base location) and all tools relate to each other. Thus you can use any tool to touch off
to the work or setup to replace a tool.

Have fun.......,
RICH

I do have a probe for the milling tools but with the different styles of lathe tool i couldn't see how to make it work for me. With the low count of tools i'll need i don't think it will matter.

So using Hood's method, the tool table will be relatively safe unless the home switches are tampered with in some way?

My next question is - how do you replace a tool or add another at a later date and keep its relationship with the rest correct?

I can see how it works if you populate the library in one go but if i remove and replace the spindle etc surely i have lost my reference??

130

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mill or Turn?

« on: May 14, 2019, 11:50:11 AM »

This is probably not really the place we should be discussing other controls so I will keep things brief.

Nice, is that controller self-contained so no pc to fail etc??

Yes self contained but on the other hand if something fails it more than likely means a new controller

Could it replace Mach3 when you have trickery going on with tool length being passed to a knee axis or is that stuff still the sole domain of Mach??

That may be possible as you have 9 user macros and the tool change macro itself which you can fully edit. Also the in built PLC can be edited if you can figure out what is in it at the moment (no comments/names)

Hows the plasma running ?

Plasma is running great, don't know how I ever managed without one

Oops, my bad forgot about that

Sounds interesting though, and yes the plasma table is my most used machine