Messages

551

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 30, 2018, 06:48:13 AM »

LOL, not much left to modify now

I do have a plan on the back-burner for an ATC on the mill but its a way off yet.

I want to make another control panel for the mill - the one made is nice and ergonomic with its slant keyboard etc but it makes a great chip collector   Need a vertical KB i think.

552

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 29, 2018, 01:49:23 PM »

5min video of a simple part run-through on the mill. Uses 6 tools: centre, 8mm drill, 5.4mm drill, 10mm mill, chamfer, M6 tap.

Its only air-cutting - the Z zero is 50mm above bed just for video. No fine tuning has been done yet, the bed drops 50mm to change tools but may get away with less etc.
Seems to work very nicely I think

https://youtu.be/5YkC6-ewrHE

Since doing the video I have upped the main spindle to 4000rpm/133Hz on the VFD, opinion seems to be that it'll be ok at that as its not too far above original speed.
Surprisingly, at that speed, the power meter shows it takes 48% or 1.4Hp just to run the fan and turn the spindle!
Might be worth taking the fixed fan off and fitting a pancake fan on top.

553

General Mach Discussion / Re: G49 on Mach3 Mill

« on: January 29, 2018, 02:21:33 AM »

Ah, that won't work then, looking for a global G43 killer

554

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 01:57:50 PM »

Ooh, thats a way back, pretty certain its in this thread though.

I have an encoder, a basic linear way(nylon block in channel) the encoder connects to a 2.5mm pitch belt in a loop, along the loop is connected an angle bracket facing an R8 socket.

The encoder is connected to an ENC module for the CSMIO, Mach3 has a macropump macro that looks at the input from this encoder and displays it on my screen-set, real-time. The screen has a "Zero" button and a "Set" button. The angle is lowered onto the socket on the setter, zero is pressed and the tool fitted, angle is lowered onto the tool tip and "Set" is pressed - this copies the encoder DRO to the tool table and then shows the table so you can give it a name etc.

Takes seconds to do, you can load tools in the middle of code if you forgot one or break one etc. The actual "height" displayed is irrelevant, its in an R8 socket which always locates on a set part of the taper just as the spindle does, the Haimer probe i use for TOM setting is also measured and entered - all my work is relative to this "tool".

The only cost was for the ENC module, the rest is all junk-box bits. It was a fun project basically, but quite useful.

555

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 01:40:52 PM »

glad to read, that i was able to set the "correct Trigger". 

Thomas

Not as glad as i am

That line was there when i started so i presumed it was some sort of vital Mach jiggery-pokery and left it there - proves what they say about presumption

556

General Mach Discussion / G49 on Mach3 Mill

« on: January 28, 2018, 11:11:42 AM »

Just a quickie - if i have a file with G49 at the start does Mach then ignore all G43 Hxx calls?

I am now passing all tool length compensation to the knee on my mill, any G43 Hxx will cause a crash.

I could edit the post but I thought it safer to maybe add G49 to my Mach INIT line in general config

557

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 09:13:07 AM »

I've now split the code - the M6Start drops the knee 50mm to make tool change easier when going from short to long, the M6End then does the calculations and sends the knee where it needs to go.

It's conservatively set at 400mm/min at present, i couldn't see the point of working the bevel gears too hard, time is not my enemy on machines.

558

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 08:40:29 AM »

If i leave setcurrenttool out, any idea what would happen??

i think, as far i have walked through your code,it will work like you expected,
because the TLC is done by your c-axis.

Thomas

NAILED IT!

Well spotted, TPS,

removed the Setcurrenttool line and it all fell into place

You can use the "Current tool" DRO anymore as it has no idea what the current tool is but i can live with that, i guess it could be fixed by adding a line to the macro that sets a pseudo current tool DRO on =screen to show the last selected tool call.

But its all working, part made, no mess ups.

559

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 07:27:22 AM »

That was my conclusion, off to try as soon as i stuff this sandwich down

560

General Mach Discussion / Re: Bridgeport Knee Mill Conversion?

« on: January 28, 2018, 07:15:11 AM »

I was unaware what setcurrenttool actually did - that may be a lead there, thanks.

If i leave setcurrenttool out, any idea what would happen??