How to set up Subspindle and live toy stuff

[Zoffen]

hey all,

 

I'm currenty trying to wrap my mind around setting up and programming our Mazak SQT250MSY from mastercam.

 

I want to make it as easy as possible for our programmers to program in the mastercam enviroment and be able to use all the live toys and the subspindle to pull bars and stock transfer.

Since i'm new to all of this and kinda figuring it out, how do the pro's do it??

 

Currently in my machine def. i have defined a left spindle, a right spindle, a right upper tools group and a left upper tools group.

 

I would really like to be able to draw my two chucks and then be able to program each side and the barpull/sub spindle pick off and the stock would actually move and represent what will actually happen in my program.

 

I was thinking about making two operations with their own wcs. 1 wcs for the main spindle op and 1 wcs for the subspindle op. I would probably just define a variable for the operator to put the subspindle transfer position @ the control.

 

Getting into this it looks like its going to be a big undertaking. I am up for writing some c-hooks to make this alot easier. I would like to make a simple misc operation that has barpull/sub transfer options with alot less clutter and unneeded info. Possibly add a bar pull with sub, then spin both up for a cuttoff, but make it an easy simple to use interface.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Josh T™]

When you figure it out let me know! Going through the same thing with an SQT200MS

[Hardmill]

When you figure it out let me know! Going through the same thing with an SQT200MS

 

 

Im working on one myself, but being a post-tard its not an easy task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PEACE

[mayday]

you guys are funny. with MC?

[nateacox]

We were able to do it on our Mori NL and NT. Both have sub spindles, the NL has a bar feeder and the NT has a lower turret. Its taken a ton of work and we are working through the last of our bugs. We are hoping X6 fixes the last of our issues.

[Sticky]

I can't help, but I'd like to know how this works out for you. I have a sqt10ms that we are using Mazatrol to program currently, but we might be doing some jobs that would justify buying the MC lathe module for some more complex milling.

[Zoffen]

Basically i gave up on using the stock transfer and flip and all that BS.

 

you can make it work but for what it does the amount of work is not worth it IMHO.

 

Here's what i've done to get it to work.

 

I make 2 different programs in two different machine groups.

I take an STL of the stock from the first program, grab the outline of that and use that for stock for the subspindle side.

Both my Main and Sub programs origin is Mastercam default TOP.

I added some logic to my post and some misc values to the cutoff operation.

Now when i want to bar-pull with a tool, sub spindle transfer, or anything like that i have a switch in the misc valuse to signal to my post that i want a sub transfer or bar pull. For the sub transfer position i used a variable outputted in my code that the operator can set manually with the sub once he has cut the first side of the part.

 

Mastercam just needs to know way too much stuff to get it all working right. Most of this information should come from a machine defination type file that has the exact travels and specs and relations of all the parts of the machine. For a sub spindle hand off, why do i need to tell mastercam the position of the Main spindle??!?! why do i have to tell it the position of the sub before and after?!?!? or where the stock should end up in relation to these?!?!!? All i need to know is the position of the pickoff and that is it.

 

 

The stock flip and transfer works fine untill you need to change something. I've had geo dissapear and things move around randomly. I've beat my head against the wall for a while on this one so i just kinda gaveup and did like i always do in mastercam, FORCE A WORKAROUND! If any can enlighten me to how to set all of this up properly, my ears and brain are wide open.