I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
...
I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

That sounds great! Not only would it be handy for gears and such but I
thought I would like one just to be able to machine 2 sides or 4 sides of a
workpiece. It would also be neat if you were making some kind of indexing
turret. Seems the possibilities are endless.

Years ago I called Anilam about adding I/O to my mill so I could turn on
coolant, spindle, etc, plus maybe turn the machine off at the end of the
program. The board was going to cost somewhere in the $1000 neighborhood
IIRC. It would only cost me a few hundred to convert to EMC2 and have all
the I/O plus additional axis I could want.

Got any plans for making things? I enjoyed the way you took the group
through the conversion process with you, all the info an pictures. I'd bet
there are many others that want to someday.

Thanks!

RogerN

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:37:41 -0600, Ignoramus8184
wrote:

I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

Great project Iggy. Say, did you look at just hacking into the step
driver and giving step/direction signals? Then you'd have a full
fourth axis.

The barn got too cold for work, so I moved to the heated shop.
Yesterday, I took a probe I scored on the bay and mounted it in a tool
holder then added an input for it. And a quick plugin connection.

My first macro is "find hole center". I put a user button on the
screen and thne jog to roughly put the probe in the hole, just press
the button and the machine stops after finding the center.

Today, I'll add a teach function so I can do several holes and record.
Useful for copying parts or making something to bolt up.

Next, I'll make an outline probe routine. Go all around the perimeter
of a part and touch off edge then record point. very useful to copy a
broken part or make something to match up. (I had connected a laser
last year, they are great at surfaces but poor at edge find)


If you're like me, you get addicted to how easy it is to add great
functionality to PC controls.

Karl

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 05:00:08 -0600, Karl Townsend
wrote:

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:37:41 -0600, Ignoramus8184
wrote:

I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

Great project Iggy. Say, did you look at just hacking into the step
driver and giving step/direction signals? Then you'd have a full
fourth axis.

The barn got too cold for work, so I moved to the heated shop.
Yesterday, I took a probe I scored on the bay and mounted it in a tool
holder then added an input for it. And a quick plugin connection.

My first macro is "find hole center". I put a user button on the
screen and thne jog to roughly put the probe in the hole, just press
the button and the machine stops after finding the center.

Today, I'll add a teach function so I can do several holes and record.
Useful for copying parts or making something to bolt up.

Next, I'll make an outline probe routine. Go all around the perimeter
of a part and touch off edge then record point. very useful to copy a
broken part or make something to match up. (I had connected a laser
last year, they are great at surfaces but poor at edge find)


If you're like me, you get addicted to how easy it is to add great
functionality to PC controls.

Karl

Bonus Algebra question:

I wanted two estimates of hole diameter. In the above routine, first
you can get X center and a chord length. After moving to Xcenter, you
get Y center and a diameter and now know how far off center the above
chord it. So, for a given chord length and distance from center: what
is the dimaeter of the circle? Note, the data I have is the four touch
points on the hole.

This would be helpful to know on worn parts.

Karl

....
Bonus Algebra question:
....

Second note. I said algebra, not trig for a reason. I can draw a
pciture and solve the problem for a given set of data. What I need is
the general case, given four X values and four Y values: what formula
can I enter into the computer to give the answer? At least for me,
this is MUCH harder to do.

karl

On 2010-11-27, RogerN wrote:

"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
...
I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

That sounds great! Not only would it be handy for gears and such but I
thought I would like one just to be able to machine 2 sides or 4 sides of a
workpiece. It would also be neat if you were making some kind of indexing
turret. Seems the possibilities are endless.

Yep.

Years ago I called Anilam about adding I/O to my mill so I could turn on
coolant, spindle, etc, plus maybe turn the machine off at the end of the
program. The board was going to cost somewhere in the $1000 neighborhood
IIRC. It would only cost me a few hundred to convert to EMC2 and have all
the I/O plus additional axis I could want.

Yes, it is not that EMC2 magically gives the machine better physical
performance than the original control, but what it gives us is
flexibility to do whatever we want at close to zero cost.


Got any plans for making things? I enjoyed the way you took the group
through the conversion process with you, all the info an pictures. I'd bet
there are many others that want to someday.


I need to make gears for one guy, for his machine. I will make a
couple for myself too and will sell them on ebay.

i

Ignoramus8184 wrote:

I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

Yep, the old indexers provided a way to to limited 4th axis work on a
control that didn't have a full 4th axis, but provided a general purpose
output or two. These days all the controls have 4th (and 5th, 6th, etc.)
axis capabilities so indexers are a thing of the past, but they're still
plenty handy.

On 2010-11-27, Karl Townsend wrote:
On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:37:41 -0600, Ignoramus8184
wrote:

I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

Great project Iggy. Say, did you look at just hacking into the step
driver and giving step/direction signals? Then you'd have a full
fourth axis.

I am not sure if I want to do it, since I have a big CNC rotary table
(cost me $149). It is more work to get it to work than the Haas,
because it has a resolver, it needs another servo drive installed,
etc. But eventually I want to use the Troyke CNC table as a real 4th
axis.

The barn got too cold for work, so I moved to the heated shop.
Yesterday, I took a probe I scored on the bay and mounted it in a tool
holder then added an input for it. And a quick plugin connection.

Awesome. I still have not gotten around to doing that.

My first macro is "find hole center". I put a user button on the
screen and thne jog to roughly put the probe in the hole, just press
the button and the machine stops after finding the center.

Today, I'll add a teach function so I can do several holes and record.
Useful for copying parts or making something to bolt up.

This is REALLY cool Karl. I would like to do the same. The math for
finding "inscribed circle" is very straightforward. I have a probe,
just have not hooked it up to anything yet.

Next, I'll make an outline probe routine. Go all around the perimeter
of a part and touch off edge then record point. very useful to copy a
broken part or make something to match up. (I had connected a laser
last year, they are great at surfaces but poor at edge find)


If you're like me, you get addicted to how easy it is to add great
functionality to PC controls.

I am already addicted...

i

On 2010-11-27, Karl Townsend wrote:
...
Bonus Algebra question:
...

Second note. I said algebra, not trig for a reason. I can draw a
pciture and solve the problem for a given set of data. What I need is
the general case, given four X values and four Y values: what formula
can I enter into the computer to give the answer? At least for me,
this is MUCH harder to do.

All you need to know

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumscribed_circle

In article ,
Karl Townsend wrote:


Bonus Algebra question:

I wanted two estimates of hole diameter. In the above routine, first
you can get X center and a chord length. After moving to Xcenter, you
get Y center and a diameter and now know how far off center the above
chord it. So, for a given chord length and distance from center: what
is the dimaeter of the circle? Note, the data I have is the four touch
points on the hole.

This would be helpful to know on worn parts.


Second note. I said algebra, not trig, for a reason. I can draw a
picture and solve the problem for a given set of data. What I need is
the general case, given four X values and four Y values: what formula
can I enter into the computer to give the answer? At least for me,
this is MUCH harder to do.

There is a complication: holes need not be round, even new holes, but
especially if worn.

How should wallowed out or rounded triangular holes be handled?
Smallest diameter, largest diameter, the average, something else?

Non-circular holes need not be symmetric, so the location of the center
may vary as well. Here, the best approach is usually some kind of
average.

Given that measurements are made by machine, is there any reason to be
limited to four measurements? With more measurements, it becomes easier
to detect and handle irregular holes.


Joe Gwinn

On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
Yep, the old indexers provided a way to to limited 4th axis work on a
control that didn't have a full 4th axis, but provided a general purpose
output or two. These days all the controls have 4th (and 5th, 6th, etc.)
axis capabilities so indexers are a thing of the past, but they're still
plenty handy.

I have a fourth axis CNC rotary table (I do not remember if you saw
it), but I have not wired it yet, it is going to be pretty time
consuming. I will use the indexer for now.

i

"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
...
I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

Here's a link for making a digitizing probe, seems that could be a nice
thing to have if you want to digitize parts sometime.

http://www.indoor.flyer.co.uk/probe.htm

It's one of my hopeful future projects, after the EMC2 conversion of my
mill, after getting a building to put a shop in.... :-(

RogerN

Ignoramus18541 wrote:

On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
Yep, the old indexers provided a way to to limited 4th axis work on a
control that didn't have a full 4th axis, but provided a general purpose
output or two. These days all the controls have 4th (and 5th, 6th, etc.)
axis capabilities so indexers are a thing of the past, but they're still
plenty handy.

I have a fourth axis CNC rotary table (I do not remember if you saw
it), but I have not wired it yet, it is going to be pretty time
consuming. I will use the indexer for now.

i

They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

"Ignoramus18541" wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)

RogerN

On 2010-11-27, RogerN wrote:

"Ignoramus18541" wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)


I am planning to add one more axis to motorize the knee (it is called
W if I recall correctly, it is along the Z axis). I have a DC motor
with a reductor already, to which I can easily add an encoder. Plus I
want to put an encoder on the spindle. 4th axis is definitely in plans
too. I might even do true "5th axis" as I have a rotary turntable from
an auction.

With two more rotary axes and the W it will be a six axis machine,
plus a spindle encoder. And the good news is that it will not be very
expensive, I have all the pieces, just no time to get to it all at once.

So, the most possible outcome is:

* 4th axis -- Troyke CNC rotary table
* 5th axis -- Ferguson geared rotary table
* "W" axis -- motorized knee
* Encoder on spindle

Of course, many plans do not come to fruition and I do not have time
for this right now. As of now, I have three axes plus the indexer, all
working.

i

Ignoramus18541 wrote:
On 2010-11-27, RogerN wrote:

"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
...

I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

That sounds great! Not only would it be handy for gears and such but I
thought I would like one just to be able to machine 2 sides or 4 sides of a
workpiece. It would also be neat if you were making some kind of indexing
turret. Seems the possibilities are endless.


Yep.


Years ago I called Anilam about adding I/O to my mill so I could turn on
coolant, spindle, etc, plus maybe turn the machine off at the end of the
program. The board was going to cost somewhere in the $1000 neighborhood
IIRC. It would only cost me a few hundred to convert to EMC2 and have all
the I/O plus additional axis I could want.


Yes, it is not that EMC2 magically gives the machine better physical
performance than the original control, but what it gives us is
flexibility to do whatever we want at close to zero cost.



Got any plans for making things? I enjoyed the way you took the group
through the conversion process with you, all the info an pictures. I'd bet
there are many others that want to someday.



I need to make gears for one guy, for his machine. I will make a
couple for myself too and will sell them on ebay.

i

What's the resolution off the indexer?. I guess suitable for your gear
requirement. I used to know a guy that specialised in gear cutting and
broaching, unfortunately now dead from leukaemia shortly after retiring,
and he had a number of Fellows gear shapers. His only foray into CNC was
a large CNC Beaver mill and CNC dividing head which he used to do an
order for a set of prime number master gears IIRC for a gear cutting
machine. That one required a fair degree of accuracy on the part of the
CNC dividing head.

On Sat, 27 Nov 2010 10:10:19 -0600, "RogerN"
wrote:


"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
...
I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

The way it works is that you program it like a VCR, and upon pressing
a button, it advances one step of the program. You can, say, specify
that it needs to divide a circle in 23 divisions. There is a provision
of a remote button at the end of a two conductor cable, and it can be
wired to the CNC mill.

Which is what I did.

Now the mill can use the M64 and M65 G codes to tell the indexer to
advance. I wrote a G code subroutine advance_indexer that does its
namesake job using M64, M65 and waiting.

After this I added a GUI button "advance indexer".

I used an "audio extension cable" to provide a disconnect capability.

What is really amazing is how easy it was. I was tired, garage was
cold, I made several dumb mistakes (like forgetting to install a DC
SSR into the slot that I wanted to use), and yet the whole job took 2
hours from start to finish.

Thank you, EMC2. Also kudos to Jon for his easy to use PPMC system.

i

Here's a link for making a digitizing probe, seems that could be a nice
thing to have if you want to digitize parts sometime.

http://www.indoor.flyer.co.uk/probe.htm

It's one of my hopeful future projects, after the EMC2 conversion of my
mill, after getting a building to put a shop in.... :-(

RogerN


This is exactly the one I bought for $100. His manual says email to
aminearATwyomingwirelessDOTcom Its made a bit nicer than mine
would have ocme out and has one spare piece that will break when you
crash it.

I was impressed with the accuracy. I calibrated on one ground and
polished measurement ring. Then put others in, the result was within
..0005 on diameter with my probe routine.

Karl

Ignoramus18541 wrote:

On 2010-11-27, RogerN wrote:

"Ignoramus18541" wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)


I am planning to add one more axis to motorize the knee (it is called
W if I recall correctly, it is along the Z axis). I have a DC motor
with a reductor already, to which I can easily add an encoder. Plus I
want to put an encoder on the spindle. 4th axis is definitely in plans
too. I might even do true "5th axis" as I have a rotary turntable from
an auction.

With two more rotary axes and the W it will be a six axis machine,
plus a spindle encoder. And the good news is that it will not be very
expensive, I have all the pieces, just no time to get to it all at once.

So, the most possible outcome is:

* 4th axis -- Troyke CNC rotary table
* 5th axis -- Ferguson geared rotary table
* "W" axis -- motorized knee
* Encoder on spindle

Of course, many plans do not come to fruition and I do not have time
for this right now. As of now, I have three axes plus the indexer, all
working.

i

For much of this it's best to just put it on the drawing board until you
have an actual project that requires the capability. With what you have
now there aren't many projects that you'll run into difficulty on.

On 2010-11-27, David Billington wrote:
Ignoramus18541 wrote:
"Ignoramus8184" wrote in message
I have a Haas 5C indexer, similar to eBay item 310175166880, except mine
is a stepper driven model. It has a chuck on its nose also.

What's the resolution off the indexer?. I guess suitable for your gear
requirement.

I saw resolutions under a minute of angle.

I used to know a guy that specialised in gear cutting and broaching,
unfortunately now dead from leukaemia shortly after retiring, and he
had a number of Fellows gear shapers. His only foray into CNC was a
large CNC Beaver mill and CNC dividing head which he used to do an
order for a set of prime number master gears IIRC for a gear cutting
machine. That one required a fair degree of accuracy on the part of
the CNC dividing head.

Interesting. I believe it is far more accurate than necessary here.

i

On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus18541 wrote:

On 2010-11-27, RogerN wrote:

"Ignoramus18541" wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete C. wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)


I am planning to add one more axis to motorize the knee (it is called
W if I recall correctly, it is along the Z axis). I have a DC motor
with a reductor already, to which I can easily add an encoder. Plus I
want to put an encoder on the spindle. 4th axis is definitely in plans
too. I might even do true "5th axis" as I have a rotary turntable from
an auction.

With two more rotary axes and the W it will be a six axis machine,
plus a spindle encoder. And the good news is that it will not be very
expensive, I have all the pieces, just no time to get to it all at once.

So, the most possible outcome is:

* 4th axis -- Troyke CNC rotary table
* 5th axis -- Ferguson geared rotary table
* "W" axis -- motorized knee
* Encoder on spindle

Of course, many plans do not come to fruition and I do not have time
for this right now. As of now, I have three axes plus the indexer, all
working.

i

For much of this it's best to just put it on the drawing board until you
have an actual project that requires the capability. With what you have
now there aren't many projects that you'll run into difficulty on.

I sort of agree.

i

Ignoramus18541 wrote:
On 2010-11-27, wrote:

id wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)


I am planning to add one more axis to motorize the knee (it is called
W if I recall correctly, it is along the Z axis). I have a DC motor
with a reductor already, to which I can easily add an encoder. Plus I
want to put an encoder on the spindle. 4th axis is definitely in plans
too. I might even do true "5th axis" as I have a rotary turntable from
an auction.

With two more rotary axes and the W it will be a six axis machine,
plus a spindle encoder. And the good news is that it will not be very
expensive, I have all the pieces, just no time to get to it all at once.

So, the most possible outcome is:

* 4th axis -- Troyke CNC rotary table
* 5th axis -- Ferguson geared rotary table
* "W" axis -- motorized knee
* Encoder on spindle

Of course, many plans do not come to fruition and I do not have time
for this right now. As of now, I have three axes plus the indexer, all
working.

i


If you really want to do it right, set up a readout that combines the W
and Z axis for an absolute position from the part. Fanuc charges
another couple grand for this option.


John

On 2010-11-27, john wrote:
Ignoramus18541 wrote:
On 2010-11-27, wrote:

id wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-27, Pete wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.

i

Are you planning 6 axis and an automatic tool changer yet? :-)


I am planning to add one more axis to motorize the knee (it is called
W if I recall correctly, it is along the Z axis). I have a DC motor
with a reductor already, to which I can easily add an encoder. Plus I
want to put an encoder on the spindle. 4th axis is definitely in plans
too. I might even do true "5th axis" as I have a rotary turntable from
an auction.

With two more rotary axes and the W it will be a six axis machine,
plus a spindle encoder. And the good news is that it will not be very
expensive, I have all the pieces, just no time to get to it all at once.

So, the most possible outcome is:

* 4th axis -- Troyke CNC rotary table
* 5th axis -- Ferguson geared rotary table
* "W" axis -- motorized knee
* Encoder on spindle

Of course, many plans do not come to fruition and I do not have time
for this right now. As of now, I have three axes plus the indexer, all
working.

i


If you really want to do it right, set up a readout that combines the W
and Z axis for an absolute position from the part. Fanuc charges
another couple grand for this option.

Should be appx. 20-40 lines of config with EMC. Some setting up of a
variable that is a difference between Z and W, and some settings in
panel.xml to display said difference in the GUI.

i

--They're nice but they're pricey; I've been making do with the
little Sherline cnc rotary table to do similar stuff; I'm using it to radius
the ends of aluminum parts on my semi-manual mill. Video he
http://www.youtube.com/user/wanglydi.../6/CASnbTeknzE

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Time flies like an arrow
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Fruit flies like a banana
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

On 11/27/2010 10:35 AM, Ignoramus18541 wrote:
On 2010-11-27, Pete wrote:
They both have their uses, and the chuck on the indexer makes it useful
for a lot of stuff. There are a lot of things you might make that don't
need full 4th axis movement, just indexing.

Exactly, unless I want to mill spirals or dildos, I do not really need
a 4th axis.
Until you need a helical gear. Then the true 4th axis comes in quite handy.

Jon