Not needed for this machine, but I'll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks

Thanks Guru. That was the ticket!

Thanks for the suggestions. Our Toyoda just stops at each Q depth, it doesn't reverse. I'm going to try to orient the spindle before each hole and tap each hole twice & see if it doesn't cross thread. - can't think of anything else.

Thanks Lefty, I'll give it a try tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how I make out.

Hi everyone. I need to tap some deep holes in my Toyoda HMC (Fanuc 15M). I know that the machine is capable of peck tapping but I cannot find the g-code in any of the manuals. I use G84.2 to rigid tap RH threads. Do any of you know how to do this? Thanks in advance!

I agree. I use an stl or solid as stock all of the time and it is a major pain to have to re-pick it 20 or more times a day.

Why can't this be fixed?

I haven't used any of the high speed toolpaths yet so I've been looking to try it out. I have an application in 304 SS that I would like to try it out in. I have to machine 30 3" holes thru 1" plate.

Do any of you have any experience with HST in 304? Is this a good application for a high speed toolpath? if so, which one?

Thanks a lot in advance. I've been visiting this forum a lot lately and always learn something, so thanks to all of you.

This happens for me in x4 also Dave. I add the machine and delete the original for a work-around. If there's something else I would like to know as well.

Thanks Verndog. I never knew how to do that before so I used transform stl - which has problems like you mentioned. Great tip

Great stuff Colin. I've used the transform stl many times and it works as you said. I never knew about bringing it into the file as lines though. That will save time for sure. I appreciate the tip!

I finally got it to work by setting my tool tol. to .005 and the stl tol. to .01

Thanks everybody.

I have my stl tolerance set as .001 by default. I reset it to .005 and am running the verify now... I'll keep you posted. Thanks, John

using x4

When I try to save the result of verify as an stl file I get this message:

Fatal error occurred in verify/simulation

Please exit verify & try again with reduced image quality.

At this point it will not save.

Does anyone know how to get rid of this?

In the Komo VMC that we have with an Oi control the tool register is found in the machine diagnostics page.

Diag. #300 - spindle tool

Diag. #301 - pocket 1 tool

Diag. #302 - pocket 2 tool

etc.

hope it helps you. good luck

Glenn - If you never enter a feedrate for your tap, how does MC estimate the time required to tap those holes?

You're right Dave. If you specify your taps with a feedrate in IPR I'm guessing that the software is interpreting that info. as IPM which is why the times are so long. - just a guess. Does anyone else know for sure the cause of this?

I do it the same way as gcode & it works very well. Your results will be as acurate as your custom tool is defined.

Thanks marting, I'm not sure how to do that myself, can you explain how you did it?

sure Mike - should've done that!

G87 Z-1.5 R.5 Q.2 F5.

This cycle offsets the tool the amount of Q, stops & orients the spindle, rapids down to Z depth, returns to original X/Y position, starts the spindle, feeds up the amount in R, stops & orinets the spindle, offset amount in Q, and retract.

The code is easy enough to change, it sure would be nice if I could get not only the code, but see what is going to happen in backplot & verify.

There are several times where I have needed to program a back counterbore tool. In the past I have manually edited the code to get what I want. Is there any other way? Have you heard of this toolpath being added to a future release? Thanks.

What you would need to do is create tool planes incrementally around the diameter of your part. Then, engrave as much as you can in one position, index, and engrave some more. Depending on how big and deep your characters are this may not look very good. I would recommend doing it in a sample part first. Good luck.

Thanks again Kannon. I didn't know how easy this was. I plan on cutting the parts tomorrow, it looks good on the screen.

Thanks Kannon. I'll be able to work on it tomorrow, so I'll get back with you then.

I need to engrave some information around a dia. in Gothic characters. I don't have that font as one of the choices in the font folder. Can anyone tell me if this is easy to get a hold of?

Also, I haven't ever engraved around the dia. of a part before. Can anyone give me an idea how I would need to program this to do in a 4th axis on a VMC?

Thanks in advance.

From my experience there definitely is inherent stress in the 'skin' on this material regardless of the thickness. I have used a polished high positive insert in face mills & shell mills with good success. You must get through the 'skin' on boths sides in order to get it flat. Milling 3-4 sides (depending on your flatness requirement) is usually necessary.

Regarding shimming, it is better to shim the part in the beginning of the process rather than later imo.

Good luck!