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Author Topic: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?  (Read 14194 times)

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Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« on: March 24, 2010, 07:03:11 AM »
Hi All,

I am helping a friend build a lathe, and I need absolutely unequivocal answers to a few questions before we invest the time and effort in learning Mach3. Please will you let me know whether Mach3 can definitely do this ? I have searched the forum, but it's hard to tell when the stuff that is being talked about refers to lathes as well as milling machines.
 
"Our company is busy building a six-axis CNC lathe. This is a production machine intended for fast cycle times and is designed to have as many as four tools working simultaneously on the workpiece. The slide configuration is as follows:
1.    A Turret Slide intended mainly for internal working capable of moving in both X & Y axes
2.    A Turning Slide capable of moving in both X & Z axes
3.    A Forming Slide which moves in the X - axis only
4.    A Parting Slide which moves in the X - axis only
 
All six axes must be able to move simultaneously.We are concerned that the Mach 3 manual only mentions single tool two axis working. Is the Mach 3 software capable of driving six axes simultaneously? "

Many thanks,

Dave.

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2010, 10:11:24 AM »
It depends what you are meaning, Mach is capable of 6 axis simultaneous interpolation but what it cant do is command  individual axis movements independent of other axis movements at the same time.
Hood
Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2010, 05:56:55 PM »
Hi Hood,

Thanks for the speedy reply.

Forgive my ignorance, but if it can interpolate 6 axes simultaneously, why can't it drive 6 servos simultaneously ? How many can it do ?

Thanks,

Dave.

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2010, 06:09:40 PM »
You misunderstand what I said I think. It can drive all six axis at the same time. If you commanded a G1X10Y10Z20A20B30C30 it would move all axis at the same time and each axis would end up at its destination at exactly the same time as the other axis.

Hood
Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2010, 06:08:58 AM »
Thanks again. But I REALLY need to know that we're on the same page.

What would happen when you gave a G2 command with feed rates to all six axes ?

Dave.

Offline Hood

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Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2010, 08:14:01 AM »
That I do not know, give me an example of what you are meaning in code.
Hood
Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2010, 12:42:05 PM »
Hi

We used to do this sort of thing with full-blown CNC controllers that had what was then known as "multi-process" capability. Synchronisation between the different processes was usually the main headache.

Just an idle thought but I wonder if you could configure and run multiple instances of Mach 3 to achieve the same thing?

Sean

Offline Graham Waterworth

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Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2010, 02:00:44 PM »
If you are wanting to have the machine rapid one axis and be feeding on another then Mach3 V3****************** can NOT do this yet, to do that you need multi planners, that is for the future.

Graham
Without engineers the world stops
Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2010, 05:32:26 PM »
Thanks Graham. So it seems that Mach3 on its own can't do what we need.

If there were a way to run more than one instance of Mach3 on the same machine, and some method for synchronisation could be established, would it work to run 6 instances at the same time, doing different parts of the same job ? Obviously using different ports as well.

It might sound like a wacky idea, but what exactly would stop it from working ?

Dave.
Re: Mach3 with a lathe - 6 axis simultaneous ?
« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2013, 08:58:28 AM »
Even my company would like to run 2 instances of mach3 on the same computer. This would be to control 2 different machines, both using their own sets of x,y,z  axis each. Both would be in use simultaneously. So we would run mach3 window to take up half the monitor space.
The purpose is only to save on the price and the space needed for putting one additional computer, monitor, and bluetooth mouse and keyboard.

So were any of you able to do this successfully?