Messages

11

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 08:19:42 PM »

OK, I need to find out how to get my spindle on/off, M3/ M5 configured properly in Mach4

12

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 08:01:49 PM »

Craig,
I think our messages are getting crossed in the mail.

Relative to, “ Have you a properly configured M3”

I think that’s what my problem is.

Do you have any insight on how I need to configure M3 for Mach4?

Chuck

13

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 07:51:27 PM »

Craig,
I tried that and it did not work, but I think it might’ve had something to do with how I have Mach4  configured for spindle start and stop. I need to look into this. 

Chuck

14

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 07:41:31 PM »

Craig
Relative to, “ OK, I have used the Mach3 Plasma post, and it works. Why not just use that? ”, are you suggesting using the Mach3 Plasma post in Mach4? Or are you saying simply use Mach3 and forget, using Mach4 all together? 

Chuck

15

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 07:27:50 PM »

Craig,
Relative to, “ I had no trouble generating a Plasma Toolpath but it fails when going to post. This usually means that some feature in the post is turned off.”

You say it failed when you went to post, what post processor did you choose?

If I post process to Mach3 plasma, it works fine.  So I am not dead in the water plasma cutting, but I would like to be able to do Plasma Cutter under Mach4.

I will take your advice and post this question to the other group you mentioned.

Thanks again for your help,
Chuck

16

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 06:52:09 PM »

Craig,
Yes, I have been using the different cutting manufacturing process in fusion.

I am able to define the Cutter paths for the Plasma Cutter and then when I go to post process those cutter paths, if I choose the Mach3 plasma post processor, everything works perfectly when running that G code on Mach3.

There is no Mach4 Plasma post processor, that I can find aware of and if I use the post processor for laser cutting, it does not have the time delay required for Plasma since Laser turn on time is instantaneous, so if I use the  laser post  processor for Plasma,  the cut doesn’t start for about two seconds after the command is given to the Plasma Cutter.

So the post processor for Plasma Cutting  for Mach4 would be very similar to the Mach4 Laser post processor except it needs a G4 dwell time of about two seconds before a G1, G2, or G3 command is requested.

Chuck
 

17

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 09:03:25 AM »

Hi Craig, thanks for the detailed response.

I understand now what you were saying about the THC.

I have never messed around with macros, but It sounds like I need to learn how to do macros and along with the 288 page post processing guide you sent, create a post processor for Plasma.

I am really surprised that no one out there using Mach4 has not developed a  post processor for plasma cutting.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.
Chuck.

18

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 15, 2023, 12:19:07 AM »

Craig,
Basically it needs to turn the plasma torch on and off. Because there is a time delay with the plasma torch coming on,  there needs to be a G4 dwell of a couple seconds before any G1 moves.

In Mach3, the Plasma post processor initially  moves the torch up .5” before the first cut is made.  After a cut is made the torch Is again moved up a half inch as the torch  moves to the next cut position.

For what I’m doing currently, I don’t need THC, but I would think that needs to be built into the pose processor because most machines use THC 

The Mach4 post processor, liberty machine made for laser cutting does not work for plasma cutting because of the time it takes for the Torch to start up.

It might be easiest to develop a plasma pose processor, starting with the post processor that’s already there for Mach4 laser cutting and build a time delay G4 into it

Tweekie said Andy was working on this but I haven’t heard anything.

Thank you,
Chuck

19

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 14, 2023, 11:06:41 PM »

Craig,
I would like it to work the way the Artsoft Mach3 plasma post processor works. 

The Mach4 Laser post processor works well using the M 62/M 63 commands that  Seth yes from liberty machine put together a Mach4  laser post processor.  But it does not work for Plasma Cutting.

Chuck

20

Mach4 General Discussion / Re: Mach4 Post Processor for Plasma in Fusion 360 and a ESS motion - Cant Find One

« on: May 14, 2023, 10:24:01 PM »

Thanks Craig for your reply.

I’m not much on programming, hopefully somebody more familiar with  programming  can modify the Mach4 Mill post processor  to work on  plasma cutting.

Chuck