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Productivity+ Custom Macros - any tips and tricks out there?


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Within the Probing Dialog, there are a number of Custom Macros available for use.
They don't show any toolpath preview (no backplot), and don't have much documentation.

Does anyone have any tips & tricks they'd be willing to share?
Or notes about what works and what doesn't?

One interesting issue I'm currently seeing:
If I use the "Measured Sphere" command and generate NC code, I see the code calls G65P2301. But when I click "Run Macro File Wizard", I don't get any O2301; I get a list of 72 programs ending in O2207. 
In my RenMF I have "_P_SPHERE_FIT   2301". I would think that this would cause a O2301 to be generated, but apparently not.

 

Screenshot-CustomMacros.png

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11 hours ago, JChurch3 said:

The Renishaw rep I talked to said there is no documentation for the custom macros; Renishaw only offers on-site training to explain them. I found this answer surprising.

Custom Macro is literally "I want to customize a Macro Program to do something unique from a Probing requirement standpoint".

For example, you want to measure 20 points around the ID of a bore, and take the average of all of those points, to determine not just diameter, but cylindricity. Or, you want to measure and compare the true position of multiple features, relative to a bore, etc.

There is a lot you "could do" by building your own Custom Macro Probing Routine, and Renishaw will come train you on how to unlock this potential, but they aren't just giving away documentation which would allow other Probing Manufacturers to copy their designs. Plus, they need to be sure that your probing knowledge is up to a certain level, and explain how the architecture of the whole system works.

When you generate a Custom Macro Program, it will never "call an existing Macro that is already loaded into your control". That is by design. For a Custom Macro Program, you are essentially telling the system "what macro program number to call on the G65 line", and the system will then output that new Macro Program below the M30, after your NC Program has been output.

There is nothing to backplot, unless you've created a "path" for the Macro Program to execute. That involves picking positions and entering probing data into the interface. It is certainly possible to create a Macro Program which does nothing but output a "call" or enters "Macro B Logic Statements" into your NC Code, for calculation purposes only. For these programs, there wouldn't be anything to output for Backplot, as no "probe motion" is actually being generated in these scenarios.

I would highly recommend having Renishaw come in to help you customize the RenMF File (Renishaw Post), and give you the rundown on how the system works. Are you just trying to call existing Macros on your control, or do you truly need the capability of generating "a custom Probing routine, where the measurement cannot be calculated by using a combination of the existing macro programs".

There is also a difference between "writing and calling a Macro Program", and writing/adding Macro B Logic Lines, following a standard macro call.

For example, you could write a macro call for a Bore,

G65 P9814 xxxxx

Then, add lines of Macro B Logic to capture the output variable value:

#590=#185

#591=#186

Then, perform some other Probing Cycle

G65 Pxxxx   xxxxxx

Save, the result;

#592=#185

#593=#186

And finally, do some macro logic/math with those saved values

So while you're using the Prod+ interface to create Macro Calls, you can also do things like "Add a Sequence Number Block between Mastercam Operations". This can be use with a "IF/GOTO" statement to go jump backwards in your program. For example, you can zero out your wear offset (or add to the existing value to leave extra material), and then cut a feature, probe it, calculate the difference between nominal and actual, and then adjust your wear offset, and then jump back to the starting sequence block, to re-cut the feature.

There are all kinds of cool things you can do with Prod+, but you really need someone who knows the Prod+ system well, and you're better off getting Renishaw involved, than your Mastercam Reseller. Most Resellers are not experts in driving Prod+, and they know the basics. But to get all the power out of the system, I'd suggest getting Renishaw to train you how the whole system works.

 

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There are a few books out there which cover developing custom Macros, but you still need to understand how Productivity + processes everything.

There just is no substitute for training from people who really understand the system.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good morning Nick and Colin,

Thanks very much for your advice.

My original question was regarding the items shown in my screenshot; the items that show up in the Custom Macros list (GUI dropdown menu) right out of the box when Mastercam/Productivity+ are installed. Examples: Cone Measure, Intermediate Point, Measured Sphere, Touch Test, etc. When you click to use them, there is some Help Information that displays for each field. It ranges in quality from "very good" to "somewhat vague". That's why I was reaching out for any tips-and-tricks that people have discovered while using these particular cycles.

In the time since I wrote this post, I've begun using some of the cycles and getting a feel for how they work.
Some work perfectly; others are flat-out broken  (Productivity+ is not outputting the necessary subroutines to run them).
A rep from CNC Software has told me that some of them are actually incompatible with Mastercam (they're only shown because they're leftover from Renishaw's standalone Productivity+ software).
I hope that some on-site training from Renishaw will indeed be in my future; and I hope to have a list of good questions to ask if/when that happens.

I did not consider the possibility of developing my own Custom Macros, integrated with Productivity+. I am probably a year away from trying anything like that, but now you've started the wheels turning in the back of my mind. Thank you for the ideas.

-Josh

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5 minutes ago, JChurch3 said:

Good morning Nick and Colin,

Thanks very much for your advice.

My original question was regarding the items shown in my screenshot; the items that show up in the Custom Macros list (GUI dropdown menu) right out of the box when Mastercam/Productivity+ are installed. Examples: Cone Measure, Intermediate Point, Measured Sphere, Touch Test, etc. When you click to use them, there is some Help Information that displays for each field. It ranges in quality from "very good" to "somewhat vague". That's why I was reaching out for any tips-and-tricks that people have discovered while using these particular cycles.

In the time since I wrote this post, I've begun using some of the cycles and getting a feel for how they work.
Some work perfectly; others are flat-out broken  (Productivity+ is not outputting the necessary subroutines to run them).
A rep from CNC Software has told me that some of them are actually incompatible with Mastercam (they're only shown because they're leftover from Renishaw's standalone Productivity+ software).
I hope that some on-site training from Renishaw will indeed be in my future; and I hope to have a list of good questions to ask if/when that happens.

I did not consider the possibility of developing my own Custom Macros, integrated with Productivity+. I am probably a year away from trying anything like that, but now you've started the wheels turning in the back of my mind. Thank you for the ideas.

-Josh

You're welcome Josh. There is a ton of stuff that is possible with Prod+, but it requires education in how the product works. That education is best sourced from Renishaw, as Prod+ is a product produced by them, and integrated into Mastercam as an add-in. While CNC Software is familiar with how the system works, and is responsible for the integration into the Mastercam Interface, Renishaw are the ones who build the product and are the experts in Probing. Getting some training from Renishaw will pay huge dividends.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Collin,

While I'm waiting 4 days now for both my reseller and Renishaw to get back to me on a problem I'm having, I was wondering if you might have some insight. I'm 3+2 probing a surface on a fixture. The "A' and "C" angles output from Prod+ do not match if I drill at the same point using the same plane as the probe. Actually the "A" axis is correct but the "C" Axis is way off. Using Mastecam 2022 and programming for a Mazak Variax i700 with the Smooth control. The probing works fine for 3 axis.  I've tried adjusting the kinematics settings in the RenMF editor without any luck. Any ideas what could be going wrong? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

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On 9/14/2022 at 9:30 AM, mcpgmr said:

Hi Collin,

While I'm waiting 4 days now for both my reseller and Renishaw to get back to me on a problem I'm having, I was wondering if you might have some insight. I'm 3+2 probing a surface on a fixture. The "A' and "C" angles output from Prod+ do not match if I drill at the same point using the same plane as the probe. Actually the "A" axis is correct but the "C" Axis is way off. Using Mastecam 2022 and programming for a Mazak Variax i700 with the Smooth control. The probing works fine for 3 axis.  I've tried adjusting the kinematics settings in the RenMF editor without any luck. Any ideas what could be going wrong? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi Paul,

Not sure why you'd be getting the different angular output between Probing and Drilling. That would really be a question for Renishaw and/or your Mastercam Post Developer. Is this a question of being "off" by 90-degrees, or 180-degrees for the C-Axis Rotation? If it isn't an easy answer like "90-or-180 degrees out", then I think it would warrant some investigation for Renishaw and the Post Developer.

Have you looked in the RenMF File? (Renishaw Machine File = Renishaw Post). I know there are some unit vectors defined in that file, were the values are either "0", "1", or "-1", to defined rotary axis directions. Perhaps the unit vectors aren't setup correctly, which could be giving you a 90 or 180 degree shift in the C-Axis output.

Are you using the "Miscellaneous Values" (Integers and Decimal Numbers), at the operation level, to control the rotary output? Could this be giving you a different output for the C-Axis when drilling?

As a Test, can you program the Drilling Operation as a separate Operation, then take the Probing output you're testing, and edit the C-Axis value to match the Drilling Cycle output? If you hand-edit the code for testing purposes, does the Probing cycle now work as expected?

All of the actual rotary axis angle output should be generated by the Mastercam Post Processor, not the 

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