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Author Topic: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??  (Read 6234 times)

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Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« on: September 27, 2010, 03:05:49 PM »
I need to duplicate a motorcycle chaincase, but having difficuty manually measuring the basic outside shape of the part.
Is there some way to use my mill (which runs on Mach3), to probe the outside contour of the part so that I may then be able to input the results into my Cad program ( I'm using Dolphin Cad).
Thanks for any help, Dan.

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Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2010, 03:18:10 PM »
There is a probing wizard and also a plugin which you could likely use if you make a probe and hook it into Mach. Whether Dolphin can work with the output I have no idea.
Other option may be to just  slowly jog around the part and use the Jog to Code plugin.
Hood
Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2010, 04:26:39 PM »
I'm obviously very new at this Mach program, and don't use it too often. Slowly jogging around the part and using  the Jog to Code plugin sounds exactly what I want to do. Where can I get this plugin, and info on how to use it ??
I'll figure most of it out If you'll send me in the right direction.
Thanks
« Last Edit: September 27, 2010, 04:28:15 PM by hemi43 »

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Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2010, 04:32:27 PM »
Look at the top of the forum and you will see the Downloads tab, you will then see the Plugins link when you move your mouse over it.
Hood

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Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2010, 04:34:36 PM »
Oh its called J Code plugin and when you download you should just need to double click it and it should install to the plugins folder. You will then be able to enable from Config Menu in Mach then Plugins.
I have never used it so not sure what to do but will go look now.
Hood
Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2010, 04:36:21 PM »
OK, Thanks !! I found it and installed it. I mess around with it and try to figure it out. Thanks again

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Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2010, 04:39:35 PM »
Looks like it may work for you, you can select to record the actual jogs or just record points so you could move around in small increments and press the record point at every location you wanted. Will probably take a while to do if its got a lot of curves in it but if straight sections then shouldnt be too bad.
Hood
Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2010, 04:44:09 PM »
I downloaded it here at work, and tried to get it to work on a demo version of Mach. It doesn't seem to work, because I now can't even get the MachMill to open up. It has been a while since I've opened this program here at work, and it is on a shared computer, so some files may be corrupt.
I will try and re-instal to see if that helps.
I would rather screw up the program here at work than my legal version at home . :-)
Dan

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Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2010, 04:50:00 PM »
Ok when you double click the m3p you have downloaded it should automatically install to the plugins folder. You then open Mach and go to Config menu then Config Plugins and enable the J Code plugin. You will then need to restart Mach and you should see a tab up at the top right which is for the pluging, you can click and a small window will open. You choose your feeds etc and where to store the code and its name then you can jog away.
Hopefully the reinstall of Mach will get you sorted at work, it may be an old version you had therewhich doesnt support plugins.
Hood
Re: Using my mill as a CMM machine ??
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2010, 05:27:16 PM »
Awesome !! OK, I got everything to work, and now have to figure out how to use it ! LOL