MasterCam 8 with Haas TR210: How do I get the toolplane orientation so the part stays towards front of machine?

[bryanrichards78]

We are doing a simple part that requires holes in opposite ends of the part.

 

The post is rotating the trunnion to A90 B0 for the first hole (which is fine) but going to A-90 B0 for the next hole.

 

I would prefer it the 2nd hole used A90 B180 so the part stays towards the front of the machine where it is more visible.

 

Any ideas?

[Bob W.]

IIRC there are misc integers in the Haas post that will allow biasing the primary or secondary axis to positive or negative, mi8 and mi9 I believe.  If A is biased to positive it will stay put and the indexing will be handled by B only.  Experiment with these to see which does the trick.

[Bob W.]

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

[Jayson Kramer]

In this case Bob you are correct as the Primary is the B axis and the secondary is the A axis.

[AMCNitro]

The simple way to do it is to just edit the program...

[Reko]

I'm with Bob and Jay

[crazy^millman]

The simple way to do it is to just edit the program...

 

If you want to run the risk of crashing the machine and not get good a trust able process out of the CAM program then sure, but if do it like suggested then the CAM Program does the job is was designed to do.

[crazy^millman]

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

Yes Welcome to the Forum.

[Watcher]

If you want to run the risk of crashing the machine and not get good a trust able process out of the CAM program then sure, but if do it like suggested then the CAM Program does the job is was designed to do.

 

+1000

 

Besides, in such cases X/Y needs to be recomputed as well, often they change signals when you have biased an axis... not a safe task like Ron spotted...

[bryanrichards78]

Thanks for the tips.  Yes I was trying to use MasterCam to fix the program and think we found the solution.  In the Planes Manager you can rotate a tool plane around an axis.  In this case we rotated around the X-axis and it appeared to work.

 

Just joined the group and I look forward to future advice from you all. I am sure we will need it!

 

Thanks!

Bryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Bryan

[bryanrichards78]

How can I post a picture?  Can I copy/paste easily into this forum or do I have to upload the image?

[Bob W.]

Thanks for the tips.  Yes I was trying to use MasterCam to fix the program and think we found the solution.  In the Planes Manager you can rotate a tool plane around an axis.  In this case we rotated around the X-axis and it appeared to work.

 

Just joined the group and I look forward to future advice from you all. I am sure we will need it!

 

Thanks!

Bryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Bryan

 

In my experience this is not a fool proof method.  Often times the post makes a lot of decisions during posting regardless of how the tool planes are set up.  There were times when the tool planes showed the part being machined parallel to the x-axis in the X-Y plane but on the machine it was askew by 30 degrees or so about Z in the X-Y plane.  The program ran perfectly and it was a function of how it posted and decisions the post made.  That is why verification software (Vericut or similar) is important with 5-axis machining.  What shows up in backplot and verify can be a whole different animal than what runs on the machine.  The only fool proof method (okay, 99.9% fool proof) is the misc integers.

[Colin Gilchrist]

We are doing a simple part that requires holes in opposite ends of the part.

 

The post is rotating the trunnion to A90 B0 for the first hole (which is fine) but going to A-90 B0 for the next hole.

 

I would prefer it the 2nd hole used A90 B180 so the part stays towards the front of the machine where it is more visible.

 

Any ideas?

 

For the Generic Fanuc 5X Mill Post, the post makes use of the Misc Integers and Real Numbers to control or influence the output. Your question in this case is actually fairly easy to answer.

 

The post internally has "rotary limits" that control how far the A and B axes are allowed to rotate. The default I think is +-120 degrees on the A Axis. (This is the "trunnion" axis, and the platter is "B", which has +-360.)

 

Misc Integer #10 lets you restrict the travel range of the secondary (A) axis. A setting of '0' is "off", which means the A Axis has full +- range. When you set this Misc Integer to '1', it restricts the range to 'positive' only. When you set it to '2', it restricts the travel range to only stay 'negative'. I may have the positive/negative number setting backwards, but if you try 1 and it is negative, then just change the number to '2'. Regenerate, and repost and you'll see the difference in the output.

 

Bob and a couple people have mentioned some of the other "misc" values not being reliable in producing code output. Several of the Misc Values (integers and reals) will cause different behavior, based on the internal configuration of the post type.

 

For example, with the Haas VF-TR post, it is setup internally to use a "table/table" configuration, and based on the values of some of the internal variables, the post is setup to use "MR6$" for an "absolute safe Z height" for unwind moves. Because the machine is a Vertical 3 Axis Mill, with a 2 Axis rotary table, it makes more sense to retract the Z axis to clear the tool. Then the table can unwind itself, and the tool will feed back down from the "safe Z height". The cool thing about this is that you don't have to retract to the machine Z zero (which might be a 15" move or more). You can set the Z height you want, and the move is output as just a normal Z motion, so it is relative to your active work offset.

 

Now, if the same post processor is modified to support a "Head/Head" configuration instead, it no longer makes use of the "Absolute Z retract height". Instead it uses the "vector retract/approach distance". This is "MR1$".

[Bob W.]

Bob and a couple people have mentioned some of the other "misc" values not being reliable in producing code output. Several of the Misc Values (integers and reals) will cause different behavior, based on the internal configuration of the post type.

 

My reference was to rotating T-planes to change the posted code or how the trunnion will index, not very reliable...  The misc values have been very reliable though I have only used the two to bias the primary and secondary axis.

[crazy^millman]

My reference was to rotating T-planes to change the posted code or how the trunnion will index, not very reliable...  The misc values have been very reliable though I have only used the two to bias the primary and secondary axis.

 

Bob I have to agree I have used the Generic 5 Axis post all the way back to V9 day when it 1st came out and I have always had good luck using the misc integers with that post on just about any machine.

 

Colin not sure where you got we think that is not a reliable method quite the contrary I was referring back to the person saying just edit the code in a text editor. Either way as always a great detailed explanation.

[TheePres]

I am programming a hass trunnion and a DMU. With the hass machine I do use misc values to force bias. For the DMU I have no control as we are using 3rd party post processor and the misc switches are only used at MC posting level and not referenced or read in NCI file. In the past using APT files I could control bias with statement such as LIMIT/ CAXIS,0,-180.

I have been told that I can insert PP statements using Manual Entry that would be included in the NCI file. Would you guys know the syntax for adding statements?

[Elmer Fudd]

We are doing a simple part that requires holes in opposite ends of the part.

 

The post is rotating the trunnion to A90 B0 for the first hole (which is fine) but going to A-90 B0 for the next hole.

 

I would prefer it the 2nd hole used A90 B180 so the part stays towards the front of the machine where it is more visible.

 

Any ideas?

I changed these lines in my post:

 

sec_limlo$   : 0    #was -270 DN

sec_limhi$   : 135