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Author Topic: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up  (Read 46135 times)

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Offline RICH

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2011, 12:45:35 PM »
Mabe it's time for me to try it Ian. I am reverse engineering something for a project i am doing and it's time consuming.
May need to make a probe that can be destroyed. ;) Have one that cost a bunch and just don't have the courage to harm it. ;D
Guess another item on the list of stuff to play with.
Thanks for your work on the probe routine.

RICH

Offline BR549

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2011, 12:49:58 PM »
HIYA Jack, Yes I understand what you are trying to do. The point I was making is that point probing in MACH can be a very tidious process and very time consuming to gather very detail shapes (high resolution).

You would probably have to set up a 4th axis to auto rotate the parts to gather ALL the data at one setting. That would make the final points file all relative to the base coords and it stay very accurate. OR you could do separate scans and then merge them into points file.

The point I was making with the nurbs is you will need to make sure that the final output does not contain NURBS shapes as MACH3 cannot process a nurb in the Gcode side it only understands lines and arcs in Gcode.

Other controllers can deal with nurbs directly in Gcode but not Mach3.

Please keep us up to date on your project, (;-)TP

« Last Edit: December 04, 2011, 12:52:15 PM by BR549 »

Offline stirling

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2011, 01:01:13 PM »
May need to make a probe that can be destroyed. ;) Have one that cost a bunch and just don't have the courage to harm it. ;D
I know what you mean RICH - it can get a tad scary, but to be fair that's probing. When I was developing the software I trashed plenty but they were all home made cheapies so no matter. I then came up with the "brilliant" idea of adding in a limit switch for overtravel which worked a treat but then discovered it wasn't my idea at all and had been around for ages.  It therefore always seemed strange to me that expensive probes don't come with that protection.

Actually one of these days I must update the software with one or two improvements I've come up with. Time.....

Ian

Offline BR549

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2011, 01:04:43 PM »
RICH, where is the faith(;-) I did that log ago when testing the G31. Oldest son send down a very high dollar probe to test accuracy with. All went well for about an hour ,then MACH did a NONO and that was about  a $1000 mistake ( cost of repairs)  (;-)

Have  learned that is is NOT good to mix Gcode and CB in the same sentence(;-)

Straight Gcode probing is "VERY" dependable. I can very quickly gather many thousands of points without a glitch or a missed point.

Can't say the same thing for macro probing (crunch).

Ian Please keep the Check as I KNOW I still owe you many beers for all your help AND teaching (;-)

Just a thought or three, (;-) TP
Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2011, 01:49:07 PM »
HIYA Jack, Yes I understand what you are trying to do. The point I was making is that point probing in MACH can be a very tidious process and very time consuming to gather very detail shapes (high resolution).

You would probably have to set up a 4th axis to auto rotate the parts to gather ALL the data at one setting. That would make the final points file all relative to the base coords and it stay very accurate. OR you could do separate scans and then merge them into points file.

The point I was making with the nurbs is you will need to make sure that the final output does not contain NURBS shapes as MACH3 cannot process a nurb in the Gcode side it only understands lines and arcs in Gcode.

Other controllers can deal with nurbs directly in Gcode but not Mach3.

Please keep us up to date on your project, (;-)TP




TP

I am very confused.   Will Mach3 probing wizard output a point(s) or a point cloud that I can load into Rhino.?   I don't want G code since there is no machining involved.   Just need to get points off a part.  Once I have points in Rhino, I can go from there easily.    I am also considering manually using the router with a simple probe to obtain point coordinates but dread the task.   I don't need high accuracy,  if I am with in .015" I'm good, the parts I am designing are often off more than that!

Jack

Offline BR549

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #15 on: December 04, 2011, 01:56:00 PM »
IF you are just gathering points disreguard the Gcode and Nurbs comments . (;-) I thought you were going to Machine the part when done.

Yes the Mach3 Probing Wizard will ouput an XYZ point cloud  file that you can use.

(;-) TP

Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #16 on: December 04, 2011, 02:01:37 PM »
TP,

OK, now we're on the same page!  Thanks!     I were to machine the part I would start with a model in Rhino and then run it through Rhinocam to post the G code to run in Mach3.

OK, now, where shold I start to learn about how to use the wizard and wire a probe to the Gecko?    Is there anything like Art's wonderful Mach3 set-up tutorial?

Jack

Offline BR549

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #17 on: December 04, 2011, 02:19:12 PM »
To wire up the Probe you would use an input pin on the Gecko that was not being used. One wire to teh pin and the other end to a common.

Then assign the port and pin number in Mach3 config so mach knows where to look for it.

Which Wizard are you looking at? There was a ture Wizard that comes up under the Wizards and there is a Plugin routine that Art wrote.

(;-) TP
« Last Edit: December 04, 2011, 02:20:44 PM by BR549 »
Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #18 on: December 04, 2011, 02:41:31 PM »
TP,

Thanks, I think I understand the wiring.    I'll have to look at Mach3 as installed in my router computer and take another look at the Gecko.

I'm a model maker and a lot of the design work I do is reverse engineering and doing it so a model can be built.   Most of what I design is pretty simple but some stuff like model outboard motor cowls and lower units are tough to design from scratch.

Most of what I design is intended to be cast in Britannia metal or resin though I do machine some wood/plastic/metal parts.    Once I have the design done I send it out as an stl file for 3D printing which is what those blue parts are.   The printed parts are used as patterns to make either a low temperature vulcanized silicone rubber mold or an RTV silicone rubber mold.  Once in a while I machine brass patterns.    Once the mold is made the parts are cast using a spincasting machine.

In the past we have spent as much as $2000 in scanning and my time to develop a shape in Rhino and it was a tough slog convertng the mesh to a nurbs model.   Rhino doesn't do well in editing meshes even with the wiz bang gaming computer I now use.    I need to work out a way to get reasonable price reverse engineering and I think the easiest way is to use the router to determine points that I can work from.

Regards,

jack

Offline BR549

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Re: Mach3 digitizing wizard instructions and set up
« Reply #19 on: December 04, 2011, 03:17:40 PM »
Like I said before it can be a very time consuming proceedure.  ANd to get an entire 3d shape of an object you may have to do it in 4th axis mode where you can get all the profiles. OR at least scan all 6 sides one at a time. You may want to set up a fixture to rotate the part without having to do multiple setups each time.

Really depends on the size and shape of the object.

Have you looked into laser scanning with Mach3 ???

(;-) TP