Renishaw Productivity Plus

[Mic6]

Hey Guys,we got a quote for the Renishaw software for use in our Haas mills.  When we asked our reseller about using it in Hurco machines, we were told they recently worked on a project for months and couldn't get it to work.  Does anybody else know if the Productivity Plus will work on Hurco machines?  If not Renishaw, maybe another probe mfg?

 

 

Can someone move this to MT, Cutting and Probing?

[Mick]

Are you talking about the Mastercam addon, or the standalone Renishaw Productivity Plus software?

[Mic6]

Both

[Colin Gilchrist]

The Productivity Plus add-on to Mastercam should have no problem programming for any type of machine. The trick will be making sure you get a good RenMF (Renishaw Machine File) from Renishaw. I've got a friend who is fairly high up the food chain at Renishaw in the UK. I'll send him an email and see what kind of support is available for Hurco machines.

 

I can tell you that I've done a couple large projects with Renishaw Prod+ for Mastercam, and have had excellent results for both measuring/reporting of features, and using the probed features sizes to adjust the Wear offsets, based on macro logic output from Prod+.

 

The key to make it all work is to get good support from Renishaw. If your local Renishaw Rep isn't cutting it, then you might have to contact someone at the UK facility. Without their support, I don't believe I would have had the success that I did...

[Mic6]

Right on, thanks Colin.   Our shop has 2 Haas machines and we were told it won't be a problem.  The big bosses want to know if it will work on the Hurcos in the main shop and our distributor and MC both said they haven't had much luck.  Either way, when we get it installed and I have any issues or questions or local rep can't handle, I'll ping you  

[THEE THAINZ™]

You have mail mic6

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Is anyone using productivity+ to probe normal to drafted walls?  I'm having trouble getting good results from it, and my boss called our reseller and was told trying to probe that way was way off the deep end and no one was doing it.

 

We have 20° draft on features we're trying to hold +0/-.0005 on.

 

Thanks.

[jlw™]

Yes I use it for everything from setting angles for 5 axis mills as well as checking angles 3d'd in a 3 axis mill.

 

 

What control? All of my experience with inspection plus is in Mazak. I wrote my own macros in Siemens.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Fanuc 16i on a Kitamura HX500.

[jlw™]

Have you got a pdf manual?

[Guest]

Not a Productivity Plus. If they were to do the same with Inspection Plus... I'd be all over ti like white on rice. Inspection Plus (what most of us CNC guys are accustomed to seeing) and Productivity Plus don't play too nice together. We've got a customer with both and it was a nightmare getting them both to work right. All the MACRO programs.... jeez! Thanks but no thanks.

 

Like I said, format that Mastercam add-in or stand-alone software to work with/for Inspection Plus and they would REALLY have something. :

[GoetzInd]

 

 

Like I said, format that Mastercam add-in or stand-alone software to work with/for Inspection Plus and they would REALLY have something.

 

 

Huge +1. 

 

Mike

[Mic6]

Right on, thanks Colin.   Our shop has 2 Haas machines and we were told it won't be a problem.  The big bosses want to know if it will work on the Hurcos in the main shop and our distributor and MC both said they haven't had much luck.  Either way, when we get it installed and I have any issues or questions or local rep can't handle, I'll ping you  

 

 

You have mail mic6

 

Thanks again guys.   A little update...

 

    Management arrived at the conclusion that it would be way to much because they have to get Legal involved since it's software and the licensing headaches wouldn't be worth the trouble.

 

WTH!?  Multibillion dollar corp FAIL....yet again.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

 

 

Have you got a pdf manual?

 

For which, Prod+ or the control?

[THEE THAINZ™]

When I have more time to type I'll clue you in to the pains I'm going thru here.......

[THEE THAINZ™]

Home now so here is a little rant about work. 8 years ago when I started here I was asked what it would take to have a shop in house. I made a list of a hundred things, the only question I got was why are there not any machines on this list?

Roll time forward they've bought 2 shops one for it's assembly capabilities along with 5 axis, and location. The second specialized in metrology then machining. The have no G code verification software or machine verification software other than what comes with Mastercam. They sold themselves as having proprietary macro's for machining but in reality it was standard issue VQC imbedded in HAAS machines with probing capabilities. I could go on and on but without help from outside to show what is really available in the way of quick change fixtures, MRP systems, true probing routines tailored for machines are It's a lost battle. For them HAAS is King and the leader of the 5 axis machining for front.

 

 RANT over  

[jlw™]

Please accept my condolences.

[Guest]

You could always put in a request to your Machine Tool Dealer for Applications Eng. support. It may not be cheap but would probably be money well spent.

 

Side Note; sadly, sometimes companies will trust the word of outsiders rather than those inside who know the intimate details of the inner workings of a company's internal and external requirements. That aside, from time ot time, fresh eyes on a problem can yield successful outcomes.

 

HTH

 

Good Luck.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Since you are stuck without Productivity Plus, I'd suggest customizing your Post Processor to output the Macro calls, using the Custom Drill Cycles in Mastercam. Write it into your post, and customize the post with password/timeout protection. Do it on your own time, and then you've got protection for the time and effort you've put in...

[THEE THAINZ™]

Can anyone tell me who makes the best software for both g code back plot and custom macro's?  NCPLOT looks very promising for the cost. Are there any others out there?

[goooose]

Is anyone using productivity+ to probe normal to drafted walls?  I'm having trouble getting good results from it, and my boss called our reseller and was told trying to probe that way was way off the deep end and no one was doing it.

 

We have 20° draft on features we're trying to hold +0/-.0005 on.

 

Thanks.

 

The standalone Productivity Plus will vector on to non flat faces, the MasterCam addin will not...at least not the last time I looked. This will cause some issues with your results.

 

Can anyone tell me who makes the best software for both g code back plot and custom macro's?  NCPLOT looks very promising for the cost. Are there any others out there?

 

I've used Cimco with good results

[Aaron Eberhard]

Is anyone using productivity+ to probe normal to drafted walls?  I'm having trouble getting good results from it, and my boss called our reseller and was told trying to probe that way was way off the deep end and no one was doing it.

 

We have 20° draft on features we're trying to hold +0/-.0005 on.

 

Thanks.

 

Hey Matthew,

You shouldn't have any trouble getting a report to compare those two points, whether you would want it as an angle (relative to vertical Z) or as a difference between two points.  Shoot me an email and I can help get you down the path with that one.  I think you've emailed me before, but if not, send me a PM and I'll give you my contact info.

Cheers,

[Aaron Eberhard]

Not a Productivity Plus. If they were to do the same with Inspection Plus... I'd be all over ti like white on rice. Inspection Plus (what most of us CNC guys are accustomed to seeing) and Productivity Plus don't play too nice together. We've got a customer with both and it was a nightmare getting them both to work right. All the MACRO programs.... jeez! Thanks but no thanks.

 

Like I said, format that Mastercam add-in or stand-alone software to work with/for Inspection Plus and they would REALLY have something. :

 

Yeah, I agree that most of the I+ operators struggle until they get their head around P+. P+ and I+ can also step on each others' memory locations/calibration info as well.  Unfortunately, according to Renishaw, consolidation is not going to happen.  There's too much divergence between the two, and too much customization that happened for each manufacturer's variant of I+.  That said, we're aware of what you guys are going through, and I'm working with Renishaw to come up with better, more unified solutions, but it's not going to happen for a while. 

 

What I would expect to see is the next generation of P+ and I+ use the same macros, and Renishaw calls the program <whatever>+ with a gradual transition away from both I+ and P+.  Changes like that don't come quick, though, and I make no promises/projections for when something like that would come about.

 

Cheers,

[Guest]

... That said, we're aware of what you guys are going through, and I'm working with Renishaw to come up with better, more unified solutions, but it's not going to happen for a while. 

 

What I would expect to see is the next generation of P+ and I+ use the same macros, and Renishaw calls the program <whatever>+ with a gradual transition away from both I+ and P+.  Changes like that don't come quick, though, and I make no promises/projections for when something like that would come about.

 

Cheers,

 

:

 

Thanks Aaron!

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

The Renishaw guys were in town a couple days ago and stopped in to get us squared away.  We seem to be able to measure those drafted faces just fine now.

 

Thanks!