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Author Topic: Tool Crib use in Mach 3 and Cam for drill bits  (Read 2048 times)

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Offline GMcG

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Tool Crib use in Mach 3 and Cam for drill bits
« on: October 18, 2015, 02:45:43 PM »
I have  questions about the best way to use the tool cribs in Mach 3 and my CAM program when using several different sized drill bits in a G-Code program.
  Originally I thought that I would use the same tool number, T11, for any drill bit and then, because I use automatic measurement of each tool in a non repeatable holder, NRH, provided for in MSM, it would give me the correct TLO each time even though the tool number is the same.  However, the program needs to know the diameter of the bit and this is held in the Mach 3 table for T11 and that is not measured by the MSM Auto Tool measurement. So I don't see any way to address the drill bit change issue except to create a separate tool # in Mach 3 and the Cam tool crib for each drill that I use in machining.  With all the different drill bits this seems like an awful lot of work and source for errors.

Bottom line question:  does any one have a better suggestion as to how to manage drill bit changes in Mach 3 Cribs and with Cam Cribs?

Thanks,
Greg

Offline BR549

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Re: Tool Crib use in Mach 3 and Cam for drill bits
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2015, 03:27:41 PM »
Tool Diameter is not important for drills,only TLO. The drill will drill what ever size hole it will drill. You cannot tool comp it in any way other than TLO.

BUT you have 254 tool entries you can work with so I am not sure what the problem would be assigning each tool  to its own number.

That is the way the rest of the world does it. FAR fewer mistakes are made with that method.  IF you are feeding teh machine tols by hand then simply make a rack to hold each jobs tools and assin each tool slot its number so yo can easily keep track of them. IF the tool is NOT in its slot then it HAS to be in the machine (;-).

Just a thought, (;-)

(;-) TP

Offline GMcG

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Re: Tool Crib use in Mach 3 and Cam for drill bits
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2015, 08:22:40 AM »
That makes sense. I believe I was obsessing over the tool holders more so than the tools in trying to use one tool holder for all the drills for a job. As you have described I can use one holder for each drill and just worry about the individual drills being designated by tool number.
Thanks

Greg