lessons for programming with a tooling ball

[aaron tabor]

I feel like mastercam should have a lesson about programming a part using a tooling ball as the part origin. Its a common way to set x,y,z zeros when doing multiaxis machining so it would only make sense that they create some tutorials covering this.

[JParis]

If you know how to set an origin, you know how to set an origin for a tooling ball...

There's nothing different about it...

For ease, I will set a point on the bottom flat location face of the tooling ball....they should have a known distance from that face to the center of the ball...I then project that point up that distance for an easy to select point in the center of the ball

[Leon82]

Just model the ball with a point in the center.

 

McMaster has the 3D files if you get it from there.

[aaron tabor]

1 hour ago, JParis said:

If you know how to set an origin, you know how to set an origin for a tooling ball...

There's nothing different about it...

For ease, I will set a point on the bottom flat location face of the tooling ball....they should have a known distance from that face to the center of the ball...I then project that point up that distance for an easy to select point in the center of the ball

I would just like some examples of how it would look in mastercam like where the tooling balls would be located in reference in the parts and some different placements of the ball.

[crazy^millman]

30 minutes ago, aaron tabor said:

I would just like some examples of how it would look in mastercam like where the tooling balls would be located in reference in the parts and some different placements of the ball.

Sorry, but why? I am about to be labeled mean and apologize up front for how this may come across. I was never taught many of the things I know and use daily in the work I do. I came up with a thought and I gave it a shot. It didn't work I learned a way not to do something. I worked then I learned something new. You need an example of where to even think about how to use a tooling ball? No you don't you need to use your imagination and come up with where and how you think it will serve you best.

I am setting up a part on a 4th Axis and I need to have 12 different index positions for the part and it is not on COR and/or I don't trust the COR to be accurate enough to allow me to track each operation I am machining. I need some external method to use that will be easy to sweep in and touch off my tool at. Okay I have my need where do I put my tooling ball into place? I run it through my 12 rotations and decide the front edge of the fixture facing 90 degrees from the part will give me the best place to pick it up in all 12 indexs. I just came up with the in my head as I typed and I solved the problem as I was typing this response.

I just did a duck duck go search of tooling ball examples and got some of pictures showing me different things.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=tooling+ball+examples&atb=v227-1&iax=images&ia=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rrfixtures.com%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2Fgen%2F95c9da6872084e7e96df2caeac66a1ef.jpg

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffsb&q=tooling+ball+examples&atb=v227-1&ia=web

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnEl6Kj-F-E

https://www.emastercam.com/forums/topic/98168-using-a-tooling-ball-in-mastercam/

[aaron tabor]

I added a tooling a ball to this fixture from a mastercam tutorial.  I did Solid mesh and then selected the origin as the center of the ball you will see what I am saying if you click the link and download the file, (file was too big too upload) this is how its done correct? https://www.dropbox.com/s/aj219rp5tif64bt/TUTORIAL%207%20UNIFIED%20PART2%20with%20tooling%20ball.emcam?dl=0

[crazy^millman]

58 minutes ago, aaron tabor said:

I added a tooling a ball to this fixture from a mastercam tutorial.  I did Solid mesh and then selected the origin as the center of the ball you will see what I am saying if you click the link and download the file, (file was too big too upload) this is how its done correct? https://www.dropbox.com/s/aj219rp5tif64bt/TUTORIAL%207%20UNIFIED%20PART2%20with%20tooling%20ball.emcam?dl=0

Turned my computer off for the day. That is the right way to ask the question by putting up a file you need help with. Monday I am on-site with a customer so may not take a look till Tuesday. Hopefully others will review your file and provide their prospective on how to do it. You are on the right track with the questions you are asking. I have looked at every file and question you have posted. I may not have answered because John or others had given you great answers. Again apologize if I come across the wrong way I am glad to help anyone who is learning this trade, but don’t limit what you can do by not trying. I have failed and made so many mistakes over the years. I had a gotomeeting this morning thinking I was off my rocker for a good hour until I stopped and collected my thoughts. Once I did I realized I didn’t mess up what I thought I had messed up. My friend also realized what needed to be changed and we are both better for it.

[Leon82]

When I did it it was a for an angles hole before we got the 5 axis machines. First I made the fixture with the locators and hole for the ball. I cut the surfaces with the same tool.

 

Then flipped it over and machined the angle. I used the relative screen and indicator to make sure I had the angle right.

 

Then when I put it in the vise it was on the correct angle. I indicated the ball and touched off the top and set the bias to half the ball.

[JParis]

18 hours ago, aaron tabor said:

I would just like some examples of how it would look in mastercam like where the tooling balls would be located in reference in the parts and some different placements of the ball.

Where you can and do locate a tooling ball is 100% predicated on wherever you decide to place it..the location of it is not relevant to anything other than it then gets used as the origin point.  There is no, "it "has" to be placed here or there.

It can be above, below, left or right of, placed in the part, it can be under the part(though picking this one up can be tricky) but there's no rule....it matters not to Mastercam it is simply an origin location.

If you probe on your machines it really is the same kind of thing....the probing artifact, be it a ball or a ring, the location of it matters not, just the the origin is known, the probe then does the rest.  It is essentially the same with a tooling ball......you know where the location of the ball is....the tool paths simply run in relation to that location.

 

[cncappsjames]

I think you are overthinking this. The tooling ball doesn't even need to be your origin point. It certainly can be your origin, there aren't any hard and fast rules about their use. It can literally be anywhere you have the access to it that you need. The tooling ball is a reference point. A known position that you have access to. That's it. 

[cruzila]

Shops need more old school guys yelling to just hurry up. Necessity is the mother of invention.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

3 hours ago, cruzila said:

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[So not a Guru]

35 minutes ago, Matthew Hajicek - Singularity said:

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