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Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« on: August 17, 2009, 07:06:31 PM »
Hi,
I want to retrofit my old lathe to work under Mach3, so I have some questions
The lathe is driven by hydraulic cylinders, two of them is controlled by stepper motors, but the last one has only two switches, to change directions of cylinder, - can I control them by adding an optical encoder, and haw to set them in Mach3?
- The lathe has a second Z axe (which I want to use for drilling and tapping) ATC with 5 positions - Haw I can control them?(optical encoder?!)
- The lathe has a gear with 4 speed changing by relays (electromagnetic gears) - Haw can Mach3 change speed?
- I have additional LPT(2),
Thanks,

Offline Hood

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Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2009, 03:40:13 AM »
Hi,
I want to retrofit my old lathe to work under Mach3, so I have some questions
The lathe is driven by hydraulic cylinders, two of them is controlled by stepper motors, but the last one has only two switches, to change directions of cylinder, - can I control them by adding an optical encoder, and haw to set them in Mach3?

Afraid not, Mach is open loop.


- The lathe has a second Z axe (which I want to use for drilling and tapping) ATC with 5 positions - Haw I can control them?(optical encoder?!)

Depends how it works.

- The lathe has a gear with 4 speed changing by relays (electromagnetic gears) - Haw can Mach3 change speed?
- I have additional LPT(2),
Thanks,


This bit can be done, you can write a M6 macro to do the gear change. My lathe had this setup before I fitted the servo to the spindle. I used a PLC to connect to the gears and I modified the M6Start macro to do the I/O I wanted. Reason I used a PLC was it is simpler and could also provide interlocks in the ladder so no two gears could be engaged at the same time causing a lock up.

Hood
Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2009, 05:30:33 AM »
Thanks Hood!
The lathe in the past was controlled by some electronic two stepper motors and electric valves, it was automatic lathe for serial production. The first Z axe has travel 100 mm, manual speed control, two 24V valves for changing direction. The second Z axe has rotation ATC (I planing to use them for drilling and tapping) with 5 position, and controlled movement by stepper motor. The question is haw to control first Z ax, to give their position to X ax? I have two LPT, with 18 solid state relays, 10 inputs - Is that enough for ATC? I will post some pictures next days, because my digital photo device drop from the lathe!  
The ATC is horizontal turret, driven by hydraulic pump.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2009, 05:35:54 AM by jobanob »

Offline poppabear

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Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2009, 09:19:10 AM »
"
Quote
  Hi,
I want to retrofit my old lathe to work under Mach3, so I have some questions
The lathe is driven by hydraulic cylinders, two of them is controlled by stepper motors, but the last one has only two switches, to change directions of cylinder, - can I control them by adding an optical encoder, and haw to set them in Mach3?

Perhaps I am not understanding you, but you say your X and Z (turret moving axis), is Hydraulic, BUT the Hydraulic is run by Steppers? if so, you can control X and Z via PP step/Dir.

Optical Encoders: Yes you can use them, you can bring them in to the "Encoder" inputs (there are 4), and use some VB in the macro pump to watch what they do to effect your operation, if for some reason you need a position feedback, it wont be as accurate as the PP. The will not funciton as "true closed loop", but you can use them for following error.

Quote
- The lathe has a second Z axe (which I want to use for drilling and tapping) ATC with 5 positions - Haw I can control them?(optical encoder?!)

Use your "C" Axis in mach3 to run and index your ATC turret, from within your M6

Quote
- The lathe has a gear with 4 speed changing by relays (electromagnetic gears) - Haw can Mach3 change speed?
- I have additional LPT(2),
Thanks,

Your gear changes will be tied to your Pulley Speed ranges. You can Set the Pulley range by getting the S parameter from your G code, and have the macropump watching it, further you can set that up in your M6 as well, and you can add custom buttons to your screen that would set up a User DRO that the number would equate to a Binary pattern that would equate to your gear position IO of your valves.  It depends on just how much work you want to do. 

You can also do a lions share of the above with a PLC as hood said as well. The opitons are many depending on your budget, how much you want to dig at it, and the VB.

scott
fun times

Offline Hood

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Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2009, 06:22:59 PM »
The axis driven by steppers are no problem, how accurate I cant say because the stepper seems to control hydraulics. On the axis with the hydraulics and only two direction valves then I cant think of a way to get that to work with Mach.
Hood

Offline poppabear

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Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2009, 02:10:43 AM »
if his axis has only two direction valves, On or OFF type, or would they be analog controlled direction valves? If analog controlled he could push them via a anlog modbus device, (PLC, Modbus board, Mod IO). But if his axis is just straigt on off valves then I guess it wouldnt really be an axis just a positioning slide.   I am confused I suspect by what he means, perhaps he can clairify........

I think I have never seen a hydraulic piston controlled via a stepper motor.

scott
fun times
Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2009, 06:38:00 PM »
I just try to  upload some pictures...

Offline Hood

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Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2009, 07:05:56 PM »
Use the additional options at the lower left of the reply page and browse to the pics on your drive and attach them that way. You may need to rename them if the forum has already had pics of that name posted.
Hood
Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2009, 07:16:39 PM »
Hi,
This is some pictures from the "lathe", it is east europian made, Bulgarian I think...
The first Z-ax have manual speed control, by valve which reduce a speed... and that two valves for direction...
their travel is 100 mm, and carry the X-ax, which is for profiling...
Re: Lathe with 2 Z-axis - Help!
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2009, 05:43:32 PM »
Another question,
Haw I can set up auto bar loader to work with Mach3?