Inserting a manual retract.

[Hugh.Venables]

I am machining some 5/8" wide blind slots 3" deep in aluminium with a finishing cut on one

side at full depth. The swarf from the roughing cuts tends to get pulled through between the

cutter and the job during the finishing cut, marking the surface. I would like to insert a retract

routine before the finishing cut so I can blow all the swarf out and restart the machine. If I

use "manual entry" to do this I can get all the codes I want into the NC file but they all come

inside brackets so the machine ignores them. I presume this is because "manual entry" is

for adding comments, not code. I want to add something like

(complete roughing)

G0 Z100.0

M5

M9

M0

M3

M8

G0 Z(previous depth)

(start finishing)

I have a few of these to do. Any suggestions? BTW, as I'm writing this message, it is being

composed as one endless long line of text. I have broken it into lines myself but it might

come through a bit strange. Can someone tell this computer illiterate how to fix this?

Thanks, Hugh Venables

 

[ 06-26-2002, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: Hugh.Venables ]

[Todd Mann from Fastech]

Try using misc. values .

I modified our post to post a

G91 G28 Z0 EOB

G28 Y0 EOB

M00 EOB

at the end of the operation.

If you are using the same tool to rough and finish you will half to create two operations. With some stock to leave on the roughing operation and in the finish operation if you are using the same tool go to the change NCI botton on the tool par. page and toggle on force tool change botton.

[david b]

try using clearance height make sure u have the keep tool down toggle off and the tool should retract beafore doing its finish pass.

[DangBubba00]

Try using the little known "Ref. point..." option common to all toolpaths on the first page of the parameters. You can approach and/or retract to absolute points or an incremental move in any or all XYZ motions.

[Hugh.Venables]

Thanks for your replies, guys.

Airborneman, I haven't got into modifying posts, but how do you control which NC files will have this and which ones don't? You wouldn't want it to happen at every tool change, would you?

David, I don't know how to get a program halt at this retract. Will this also cause the tool to retract before every roughing pass?

Dang, I will have a play with this, but will it give me a program halt at the retract?

Thanks, Hugh Venables.

[mbuster]

WHEN I WANT A TOOL TO STOP BETWEEN ROUGHING AND FINISHING... CALL THE SAME TOOL UP AGAIN...SO YOU WILL HAVE 2 TOOL BUT THEY ARE THE SAME SIZE AND SAME TOOL NUMBER... I HOPE I EXPLAINED THIS GOOD ENOUGH

[Hugh.Venables]

Hi mbuster. Shhhhhh! (caps lock off). Thanks for your reply. Could you expand on that a bit please. Is that when roughing and finishing are in the same operation? Have you set a clearance height, Ref point or checked the "Keep tool down" box?

Thanks Hugh Venables.

[Fig sign]

Hugh.Venables !

My post is modified in such a way that after each M6 in the next line goes M01.

Thus you can call the tool twice and it will stop if M01 is activied like Mbuster said !

 

[Hugh.Venables]

Thanks for that clarification, Plasttav. M01 instead of M00 does give some measure of control, but won't help if it's wanted for some operations but not others in one program. I was hoping to find a way of inserting a retract in selected operations between roughing and finishing. Manually writing what I posted at the start of this topic does what I want but is a little tedious especially if I change anything, regen and repost.

Hugh Venables.

[Smit]

This is what I've done to insert an M0 and retract info into a program between operations. I change mi10 to 1 where the M0 is wanted. This is modified from the MPMaster post, for a Fadal mill.

 

pstop # Stop routine

pretract

pcom_moveb

if mi10=one, n, "X0.Y10.Z0.E0H0", e

if mi10=one, n, *sm00, comment, e

if mi10=one, n, ptoolcomm, e

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Have you tries the Manual Entry "Toolpath"?. It allows you to insert stuff upt to like 250 characters or so. If you're going to have the same thing then create a text file then insert the file. It's that easy.

 

Hope that helps.