Messages

1431

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 30, 2016, 10:06:04 AM »

OK, she's up and running again

Might have figured out what happened but need some help to verify it please.....

Calculating a tool offset.

I have placed a 3d height probe in my spindle and set the Z axis to a known offset from Machine zero lets say Z= -50mm

I then place Tool number 1 in the spindle and do a straight G31 probe, lets say the result read from Var2002 is Z= -30mm (so T1 is longer than the height probe)

What should the tool-table entry be here??

1432

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 30, 2016, 06:59:50 AM »

Started reassembling the Z drive now, there is no way this adaptor will break, next crash would be a bitch i think.

I reckon the first tests will be done with nothing in the spindle at all;)

1433

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 30, 2016, 04:59:46 AM »

Not yet, short on cash so will just have to treat it like glass

Once i've rebuilt the Z axis, i'll have to do some serious testing in a safe way to try and figure out what happened.

1434

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 04:31:00 PM »

The Haimer part of the process is fully manual so should be safe

I really can't figure out what happened or why, yet.

The standard probing was working fine before.
The new macro worked beautifully, the figures in the tool table look believable,
I always test the touch-plate each time and it did read it ok twice so its not that,

Just when i run one after the other it probed ok but then plunged the Z hard and fast about 1"

When i've fixed her i'll be doing some testing in a safe fashion, maybe leave the belt off the axis drive or test with it close to Z- limits.

Bloody annoying though,

1435

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 01:47:26 PM »

Well, I thought i was getting somewhere but....

The new macro works really well at populating the offset list.

Then, I thought i'd get smart and test it so i measured up three tools, put tool 1 in the current tool box (2010 screen set), mounted tool 1 and being a bit nervy I put something a little soft between the touch-plate and the vise.

Next, I presumed i would simply do an auto-probe in the normal way to ref the part surface and that would allow the tool offsets to all be relevant to to my imaginary work surface.

So, plate in position, push ref-z and tool comes down, touches off, lifts, comes down slower, touches off then, much to my disbelief it piles into the work surface seemingly at 50,000mm/min !

The ensuing collision smashed the link between the z screw nut and the spindle and didn't even bother the servo - some power there!.

SO.... I have stripped the Z axis down again, turns out the original bridgeport part i tried welding to was cast iron - that explains the poor weld and oil porosity.

Sheared off where the counter-bore for the big hex-head screw ended - casting was only about 2mm thick at that point.

Anyways, instead of spending the weekend building the control cabinet, it looks like i need to spend it making a new Z coupling with just a lathe

No idea what i did wrong either.

Bugger.

1436

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 08:52:23 AM »

Ok, on paper at least, I think this macro will work ...

Ref machine,
Place 3-taster in spindle,
Place touch-plate,
Jog Z to zero on plate,
Press macro start button or MDI it

User is asked if they want to store the new reference offset (this bit needs automating somehow)
If yes then current Z machine DRO is stored in var

then z raises to zero so drawbar can be released

user prompted to fit first tool

height is probed

difference in new z machine DRO and reference one calculated and passed to code for storage in tool table as per Hoods' idea (nice)

rinse and repeat

Code: [Select]

Sub Main()
' Tool Height Offset Measuring
' Based on the macros created be Big Tex -  May 25 2010
' and modified by D. Kearley 29 July 2017 with help from Hood via Mach3 forum
' Machine Z should be set with 3d Height Probe first to top of touch-plate

Dim ZNew, ZMachineEnd
Dim ClearAllow, NewOffSet

If GetOemLED(800) Then
  MsgBox ("Mach In Reset, Enable And Start Again")
  End
End If

If MsgBox ("Reset Reference Tool Offset?", 260, "Master Reset")=6 Then
  SetVar(500, GetOEMDRO(85))   ' Get Current Z Machine Coordinate at first pass of routine - this was set manually with 3d-Taster
End If

' Move the Z axis up so 3d-taster can be replaced with a tool
Code "G0 G53 Z0" 'move in machine coordinates to Z zero

MsgBox "Please Mount First Tool In Spindle"

'//////// the block below will set all your reusable vars depending on Inch or mm.
'//////// this sets the vars so you only need ONE large block of probing code.

If GetOEMLED(801) Then  ' On = English Measure INCH
  FirstProbeDist = 6.0 ' Probe down 6 inches
  FirstRetractDist = 0.05 ' Then retract .05 inch
  SecProbeDist = 0.25 ' Then probe down .25 inches
  FirstProbeFeed = 10.0 ' First probe feed @ 10 ipm
  SecondProbeFeed = 1.0 ' Second probe feed @ 1 ipm
  ClearAllow = 0.125 ' Max Allowable Clearance = Z Machine Zero - .125in
Else ' Off = Metric Measure MM
  FirstProbeDist = 150.0 ' Probe down 150mm
  FirstRetractDist = 1.0 ' Then retract 1mm
  SecProbeDist = 6.0 ' Then probe down 6mm
  FirstProbeFeed = 250.0 ' First probe feed @ 250 mm/min
  SecondProbeFeed = 25.0 ' Second probe feed @ 25 mm/min
  ClearAllow = 2.0 ' Max Allowable Clearance = Z Machine Zero - 2mm
End If

'//////// Error Condition checking...

If GetOemLED(16)<>0 Then ' Check for Machine Coordinates
  Code "(Please change to working coordinates)"
  Exit Sub ' Exit if in Machine Coordinates
End If

If GetOemLED(825)<>0 Then
  Code "(Touch-Plate Is Grounded Check connection and try again)"
  Exit Sub ' Exit if probe is tripped
End If

'//////// Start Probing Code, Probe In -Z direction.
'//////// The vars will be Inch or Metric from above if/else statment

MsgBox "Touch-plate should be in position" ' Get user to check probe plate

Code "F" & FirstProbeFeed ' Set feedrate to 10 ipm or 300mm/min
Code "(Probing for Z Zero.....)" ' Puts this message in the status bar
ZNew = (GetOEMDro(802) - FirstProbeDist ) ' Probe move to current Z - 6 inches
Code "G90 G31 Z" & Znew
  While IsMoving() ' Wait for probe move to finish
  Wend
ZNew = GetVar(2002) ' Read the touch point
Code "G0 Z" & ( ZNew + FirstRetractDist ) ' Move up .05 inch or 1mm in case of overshoot
  While IsMoving()
  Wend

Code "F" & SecondProbeFeed ' Set feedrate to 1 ipm or 25mm/min
ZNew = (GetOEMDro(802) - SecProbeDist ) ' Probe move to current Z - .25 inches
Code "G90 G31 Z" & Znew
  While IsMoving()
  Wend
ZNew = GetVar(2002) ' Read the touch point
ZMachineEnd = GetVar(2002) 'store the final machine co-ordinate

Code "G0 G53 Z0" 'Fully Retract the Z ready for next tool
While IsMoving()
Wend

NewOffset = GetVar(500) - ZMachineEnd 'calculate the result

Tool = Question("Enter Tool Number For This Offset")

Code "G90" & "G10" & "L1" & "P" & Tool &"Z" & NewOffset

DoOemButton(121)  'show the tool table

End Sub    
What we reckon ??

Will have a play with it tonight on the machine just to see what happens.

1437

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 06:22:20 AM »

Ok, a little more thought....

Place 3d probe and ref it, no need to zero anything.

Press the 'set tool' button...
the setting routine would first copy the current machine DRO to a #var
move Z in machine co-ords to Zero so that drawbar can be undone and new tool fitted,
probe fast,
probe slow (more accurate),
at the point when it hits the plate for the slow probe it would then read the machine DRO and compare to the first stored reading - the difference would then be passed to the VB code to store it in the tool table

1438

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 05:53:32 AM »

Is that the Z machine DRO?

I guess so.

I'll have a look at some code and see what can be done.

train of thought.....

Place 3d probe and ref it then zero the work DRO.

the setting routine would first copy the machine DRO to a #var
probe fast,
probe slow,
the point when it hits the plate for the slow probe would then read the machine DRO and compare to the first stored reading - the difference would then be passed to the VB code to store it?

1439

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 05:37:33 AM »

Ah so a modified 'set tool' button with your code at the end and a simple probe routine at the start sounds possible - why jog when you can probe

No need to take the touch-plate thickness into account as the 3d-taster will be referenced to to that anyway.

I have a vision now, a bit cloudy still but clearing.....

1440

General Mach Discussion / Re: Tool Offset Macro...

« on: July 29, 2016, 05:26:25 AM »

Obviously this is all manual and requires you to jog via the MPG but as the CSMIO MPG jogging is so accurate and predictable compared to Machs normal method, it is no real hardship
Hood

Ah, i was looking at using a probing routine of some sort, if doing it manual, how would i know the tool is at a repeatable zero? The difference between 0 and -0.1 or -0.2mm in "feel" is bugger all really until it comes to a cut