changing power settings

[flippinjig]

I'm wiring two pockets in the same part that have different thicknesses so I want to change my power settings for each pocket. I want to rough both then tab cut the slugs out and then skim. I'm using mastercam 8.1.1 and my machine has a fanuc control. Any suggestions?

 

[Lars Christensen]

I would:

Contuor pocket 1, pick power settings as if you were rough and finsihing, but only preform rought cut with tab, but uncheck numbers of tab cuts.

Contuor pocket 2, do same thing as above.

 

Right click in operating manager and copy 2nd. folder, now change this one to skim and iliminated rough. (wire parameter, starting pass#2)

Right click and copy 1st. folder and do the same.

 

Right click and copy 1st. folder and preform tab cut without rough and trim.

Right click and copy 2nd. folder and do the same.

 

I do not know if there is a better way, but after 12 days of straigth work that is the best I can think of at this moment.

HTH

Lars

[flippinjig]

Thanks for the help. I was trying to "change at point" but could not get it to put the change in the correct place. I think you deserve some time off! Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Sorry Mark, I dident think of that the different heights was within the pockets.

Did you figure it out?

 

Right click on geometry icon in operation manager, pick your point and "Done Sel" => "Control Setting".

 

Lars

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

Yeah, that's what I was doing but it puts the "S" code on the wrong line.

 

I change the geometry I want to cut to a different color and put a point on the wire start hole. Then I use "window" to create the wire path, masking the color. I window each pocket in the same operation. I select a power setting from my library that calls up stuff for roughing, dropping the slug then skimming which is applied to both pockets. Then I tried changing S101, S102, S103 to S201, 202, 203 on the second pocket using the "change at point" "control setting". Its putting the change on the point preceding the one I pick.

It seems so simple but no matter which point I pick it will not put the S at the start of the contour, closest I can get is after the G41 line.

I'm baffled.

 

Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Mark I am sorry about all the confusion, I think I am getting closer though

So let me try again (just want to help so bad)

 

If you create a lead in line, lets say 0.100 vertical line, and start your contuor there. Then you select that endpoint as your changes, then my MPWFanuc post outputs the condition changes to be between G40 and G41 for the pass. This could be a post issue.

 

Let me know how you make out.

 

Lars

[Lars Christensen]

[flippinjig]

Lars,

I didn't get back to EDM tonight, but I'll try it tomorrow. It looks like you have version 9, is the post the same as version 8? I like how you posted an image of your screen. How do you do that?

Mark

[beej]

Mark

No answers to help you but it's good to hear from you, ole buddy

[Lars Christensen]

Mark,

I posted the picture from home, where I have Wire 9 Demo, but actully tested it out at work with version 8.1.1

 

I hit print/screen on the keyboard while in mastercam, paste into paint, and then using photobucket.com to get it on the forum.

 

Let me know how you make out.

 

Lars

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

I got it work! I've been trying to do all that in one operation and one power setting library. I ended up making a power setting library and two operations on each pocket. First operation roughes pocket 1 leaving a tab. Second operation roughed and dropped slug out of pocket two. Third operation dropped slug out of pocket one and skimmed it. Forth operation skimmed pocket two. Now I can start my program, come in the next day and drop both slugs and kick off the skim passes.

 

My machine has an automatic rethread if the wire breaks. It goes back to the last G92, rethreads and dry runs back to where the wire broke and starts again. I have been manually putting in G92 after every G0 line. I would be thrilled to get my post to do that for me (it doesn't take much to get me excited), can you help me with that too?

 

I tried to use photobucket.com but am blocked by "Surfcontrol".

 

Thanks, Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Mark,

I personally like to split things up in the operations manager, to me it makes it eaysier to edit and keep track of what is going on, when you are going to look at this file a year from now.

About power setting library's. I have my own personally made library saved in explore, I started it the 1st. day we got the machine. Now I got a folder based system where you do his:

 

Material=>wire size=>thickness=># passes.

 

Now if I come across a senario that I have not seens before, I will create a new power setting and when I am done with the job I tweek it in my library and save it before I start on the next job. This way I now have a bullet prof power setting, so if you ask me to make a 1" diameter in a piece of steal 2" thick, I know that my power setting with my tweeked offset will cut within .0002".

You might already have something like this set up.

 

G92, try this.

Back up your post, then open it up and search for "ptlch_nstrt"

 

code:

---

ptlch_nstrt     #Tool change, do not use start position

pcom_moveb

pcantxt1, pbld, n, pwcs, `sg20code, sgabsinc, pxout, pyout, pzout,

pstrtij, strcantext, e

postlchng = zero

pcantxt

pbld, n, stank, e

pcom_movea

---

Changes this line to

code:

---

 pcantxt1, pbld, n, "G92", pwcs, `sg20code, sgabsinc, pxout, pyout, pzout, 

---

Test it out and see if that works, if not let me know.

 

HTH

Lars

[Matt Berube at Ferron Mold]

Mark,

 

Try image shack for hosting images.

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

I tried changing the post and now get:

 

G92 G0 X1. Y1.

M60

 

Will this do the same as having:

 

G0 X1. Y1.

G92

M60

 

I do have libraries set up but in a different way. I have libraries for "in the slot" which does: Rough-# of skims-drop the slug for cores. And "in the open" that does: Rough-drop the slug-# of skims for pockets. I actually set my power settings at the control with the techno page. The library calls up 101,102,103,104. I have been taking notes of settings I used, sizes I acheived and time it took on the set up sheets so I can refer back to them on similar jobs. Is this kind of what your are doing in explore?

 

Thanks, Mark

 

Image shack? I'll give it a try. Thanks, Mark

 

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

I do alot of core holes too. I have a generic 1" diameter hole program with "line" lead in/out and I use the machine to scale it to the size I want. I have been moving to the location of the hole, rough-drop the slug-3skims. To get rid of the line I have been rotating each skim 90. I have developed subprograms to do all this scaling and rotating for me. Do you do core holes the same way?

 

 

Thanks, Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Mark,

I just read back to your previus post, and you clearly stating that you want the G92 after your G00, sorry my mistake, get the "G92" out of there and add it in the line after, like this:

code:

---

 ptlch_nstrt     #Tool change, do not use start position

pcom_moveb

pcantxt1, pbld, n, pwcs, `sg20code, sgabsinc, pxout, pyout, pzout,

pstrtij, strcantext, e

n, "G92", e

postlchng = zero

pcantxt

pbld, n, stank, e

pcom_movea

---

Test it out.

 

I am actully running Mits. And they dont have any software like Charmilles has to setup power settings. The line you are getting when you are doing cores is more a machine issue, because the spark want to jump, the old Agie use to have controled spark gap, what verly worked well for finish, but not great for speed. I do not see such bad result with the Mits when it comes to overlap, have you played with overlap in mastercam?

 

Lars

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

I moved the G92 and it does post out on a line by itself after G0.I program with skims in reverse. It roughs in G41, skims in G42, skims in G41 etc. It also posts G92 between skims after the G40 line. If the wire breaks it will go to the last G92 location to rethread and start over. The threader is really good on this machine but it isn't that good! Ha Ha. :

 

N138 G40 G1 X-1.71946 Y-.11436

N140 G92

N142 S102

N144 G42 G1 X-1.69951 Y-.113

 

I also have a late 80's model Fanuc wire that I plug in my own settings. It has a register feature that I can save the settings to and call them back up with a S number. That's my library for that machine.

 

I've used overlap before but I developed these subprograms for core holes so the operator on days (he doesn't program) could just plug in locations and the subprograms do everything else. I've even tried to cut holes with no slug by stepping the diameter out but it really took a long time, found it was faster to just pull the slugs out then go back and skim everything rather than machining the steel away. Do you cut core holes using contour?

 

Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Mark,

I also tested it out today at work, and you are right that it out puts G92 after each wire cancelation, no good, give me a chance to look at it again.

 

I only nocore if there is => 0.015 per/side stock left in the hole.

[flippinjig]

Lars,

We generally drill core holes 1/16 under before heat treat so I drop all the slugs out and then go back and skim. Sometimes the holes are far enough off location that I get half a slug. If that's the case then I limit my servo on the rough cut, otherwise it will go around so fast where the wire is not buried that it doesn't get a chance to cut and it causes wire breaks trying to skim.

Thanks for all your help, Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Mark,

I played with the G92 issue about an hour yesterday, and I am having some problems getting the G92 right after the G00 move, I think it is because it is getting mixed right into a canned cycle, after thinking about it on the way home, I do think it might work with the 1st. solution "G92 G00 X0. Y0." Could you make a simpel pocket program with out any material in the machine, then break the wire in the middel of the program and see if it would return, thread and retrace?. It bugs me that I am having such a hard time with this, but hate to chase my tail if we already came up with something that works.

[flippinjig]

Lars,

I have a cut going tonight but at first chance I will try it and let you know.

Thanks, Mark

[flippinjig]

Lars,

 

I finally got to try it with the G92 G0 X Y on a program that cuts six parts out of one piece of steel. It reads the G92(machine changes absolute numbers) but disregards the G0(does not move to the next part). I tried moving the G92 to the end of the line: G0 X Y G92 but got the same result.No good.

 

Mark

[Lars Christensen]

Hmm, what if the G92 is before the G00 line?

[flippinjig]

What if we put the G92 before each M60?