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Help with RAH attachment, setup and post


jlw™
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Hello all,

 

Need a little help again.

 

I believe I have setup my RAH properly in my mach def.  It is a simple 90 degree angle head facing -X when loaded.  It will however rotate about BC to go pretty much any where.

 

I need to know how to make my post output the pickup routine (very simply IMO):

 

 

G0G53G90Z0.W0.

G53X-220.Y0.

T0M6

G0G53G90Z0.W0.

G950A1.

G0G53G90Z0.W0.

G53Y-71.

 

 

That empties the spindle and picks up the head, then it's straight off to machining with regular old code after a G680BC shift.

 

I had to "develop" the angle head in the mach def and I believe it is correct.  Posted code "looks" good but the angle is the complement instead of the angle I need.  Posting B71.5C0 when I need B18.5C0.

 

Is there a toolpath like "get RAH" that is only to pick it up?  The machine will pick it up then auto tool change just like with out it.  Inside of toolpaths I have "get RAH" but it does not output to pick it up.  I also don't want to return it after every path as I will have several tool changes on it.

 

Excluding that which I can put in by hand but really want to post, I also get the following error when posted:

11 Sep 2015 11:04:02 AM - RUN TIME -PST(2858,8870)- The value of the string select selection variable is out of range:-111 Sep 2015 11:04:02 AM - RUN TIME -PST(2873,8885)- The value of the string select selection variable is out of range:-1

Both line 2858 and 2873 are this:

        pcan1, pbld, pn, sgplane, `sgcode, [if gcode$ = 1, sgfeed], sgabsinc, pccdia,          pxout, pyout, pzout, protout, [if gcode$ = 1, pfeed], strcantext, scoolant, pe

So I assume the problem is with the if statement.

 

I have emailed my reseller but it usually takes  a week or little longer to hear back.  I expect to have to run this Monday if all goes well.

 

To summarize, how do I make it pick up the angle head, then how do I get it to output the correct BC angles?

 

There seems to be a black hole where the info for RAH in MCAM used to be.  I'd like to find a tutorial or maybe some one has some RAH files they can put on me.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

 

JLW

 

 

 

 

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Hi JLW,

 

No, no toolpath available like "get RAH". I would suggest using Manual Entry to load the RAH attachment, since you can just post out the NC code "as code". It will be the easiest to do without adding a bunch of logic to the post. (You would have to detect the first "RAH" toolpath, then look at each tool change to see if this is a "regual tool" or a "RAH" tool. Not so easy to do, although almost anything is technically "possible".)

 

For your Post error, I can guarantee that it isn't the "[if gcode$ = 1, sgfeed]" lines that are causing the problem. Any of the output parameters that start with 'sg' usually indicate that the variable is a "String select" variable. These strings are output based on the value of a numeric variable, and that numeric variable is what is out of range. I would suspect that it is actually 'sgplane' that is causing the error. It could be '`sgcode', or 'sgabsinc', but I doubt it.

 

When you define a "RAH" attachment inside the Machine Definition, you need to define the orientation of the "Station". The station orientation default position is to have the RAH tool pointing X+ for "zero". For a station that references X-, you should put in 180 degrees into the position. Depending on how your post is setup, you may also have to "trick" the post by using a 90 degree or 270 degree station position.

 

There isn't a lot of support for RAH attachments inside the Mill product. The development of RAH attachments was mostly done for the Router product, and then Mill and Router pretty much merged a few years ago, and stuff got ported over to the Mill side. The Mill Posts and the Router Posts are setup totally different for handling the 4th axis output. You can only drive a single rotary axis with a 4X Post. So if you want to be able to rotate your RAH "programmatically", you are best served by starting with a Router default 4X post (that has logic setup for the 4th axis to rotate around "Z"). If you just want want to use a "fixed" RAH, and you can live without rotary output, then supporting a RAH in Mill is doable without too much work.

 

In all cases, if you are trying to drive a RAH and a second rotary axis, (In other words, you've got a 4X machine, but the RAH is also "programmable"), it will require a 5X Post Processor to support that motion. Again, a 4X Post can only support a single "programmable rotary" axis.

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Thanks for the input Colin. I knew the if statements were fine and figured it was the value of the variables in the ifs. I didn't consider the other variables. It makes sense that it would be plane because its not outputting correctly. I was hoping to get an idea where that value is stored or where it comes from in mcam.

 

It's a 5 axis machine and I have a 5 axis post from postability. It can position practically any where and I expect to have to run some full 5 with it sooner or later.

 

It's a fixed 90deg mounted in a head/head machine. In the fixed options it only has the "2 sided" and I used it and deleted the unused side. I did set it up as 90 from z and 180 from x+. In that setup I had to define it as a tool. Can it just change tools or do I have to define every tool as a rah?

 

I haven't tried yet but will 5 axis paths use a rah in mcam? The way the machine handles it, it really only needs to know where to calculate the rotary motion to.

 

I was also wondering about stimulation. How do I set up a rah so I can see mach stimulation? It'd be good if i could stimulate it because I will have to sneak the whole head down in a 48in bore for some holes and a cbore.

 

Yes, I said stimulation and thanks for your input Colin! Look forward to hearing more.

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Ok, I haven't dealt with RAH on a Postability post processor. In the Gen Fan 5X post, you only use the Misc Real numbers to turn on the RAH, and get the offset. The Machine Definition is not used for the Gen Fan 5X Mill post. Only the misc values.

 

RAH work is so limited in Mastercam. Yes, you can get code output to drive the machine. Simulation relies on getting someone that can tie in a custom post processor to drive the Machine Simulation. I bet Dave at Postability can do the custom development for you, but it would be custom work. You'd be the second in the world that I've seen do it. Expect to pay big money if you really want to simulate this path with a RAH...

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I've almost got simulation set up. I need a little direction with the w axis reading the MR and then I have MI for safe to rotate xy positions.

 

After taking a look there is a MI for my rah.

 

I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what it outputs.

 

Thanks!

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