Messages

21

General Mach Discussion / E-Stop

« on: April 01, 2008, 05:52:19 PM »

General question regarding MACH 3. I would like to stop all motion when I open the safety cover over the spindle of a lathe. The lathe is a Wabeco D2400E that has a cover switch built in. Right now the cover stops the spindle but not the axis motors. Is it possible to use this switch together with a space bar input or something else to stop all movement or send all axis to zero coordinates just by opening the safety cover without causing a reset?

Thanks

22

General Mach Discussion / Re: Feed Rate

« on: March 27, 2008, 05:00:45 PM »

Thanks for the reply.

I have spent a couple hours going through everything again and seem to have things back in order. You did reply about drilling, I have the drill in the headstock and I am bringing the part to the drill so am am using the Z axis to push the part into the drill I am cutting several holes in one plane.

After I had run a few parts I was panning around on the display and the X axis went goofy and drilled a hole where I didn't want one any idea whats up with that?? I stopped the program told it 0,0 again. I did decrease the velocity some on the X - axis to see if that helps. I also noticed that if the jog button is selected while running a program it is more likely??? an axis will erratic.

Tell me about G90, I would think I would want that in the beginning as well?

Thanks

23

General Mach Discussion / Never the same.

« on: March 26, 2008, 03:01:36 PM »

Every time I work with Mach 3? it is never the same. This provides me with very little faith that it is making the parts I think it is making. I am running a lathe with no home switches. I have motors on X, Z, and the tailstock is driven as Y. I have watched the homing video several times, he does mention not using home switches but only briefly. The demonstration does not have a home switch on the Z and that seems very straight forward. It seems like the X would not need home switches either because it can only travel till it bottoms in one direction and the screw will come out in the other so I would think you could lock those in. I wish the difference between G28 or G30 and G54 was explained on the video. If G28 and G30 do the same why have both?

I am concerned about accuracy because when I run the program with no part it works just fine. Then I put a part in and as soon as the bit hits the work the dimensions are not the same any more. I have even told it to go back to zero, zero position and I can see it is not in the same place anymore. The part I am working on right now I have run before and it seemed to be OK. Since then I have had to reload the software for your website to get it to run again, now I have no idea what it is doing. Most of what I am doing is very simple, the programs are usually less than 30 lines. I have the MACH 3 Turn Release 1.84 handbook it is not very helpful unless you are just going to turn something. Trying to run the same part again the DRO values are not even close to what I had before. One dimension I was using was 0.75 inches now I have to put in 2.60 to get close to the same result. Would that have to do with the pulses per in motor tuning? Still 0.75 inches in the DRO should be 0.75??? And for the X axis I know the distance between the holes I am working on before I put in 2.82 now I have to put in 3.26 what is going on?

Do get me wrong I am more than willing to work with things but it gets very frustrating when you get a different result every time you do something.

Looking for some help with the basics so I know what the software is going to do.

Thanks

24

General Mach Discussion / Feed Rate

« on: February 07, 2008, 03:45:11 PM »

I put in what I thought would a feedrate for one axis and it messed up every setting I was using. Line was add as follows I think, I took it out and had to fix home positions and it tried to move the z axis which I have bolted down. Also, I could not start the spindle again. I had to exit Mach 3 and reload. Evidently F is a global statement.

N65 G01 Y-0.225 F001