Got figured out. Using the wrong linking button - RTFHF, which in my defense didn't exist last time I did this One tiny little overlap which I couldn't see using my normal sweep cursor method, I found the other 5, it was so small. And like magic.........Thanks guys.....

So as Newbeee says that is only .0013 inch, and maybe double if you have to work three sides, really not that bad for an off the shelf product in this category. What tolerances are you having to hit? What material are you cutting? What's your largest endmill you need to run? I ask because this is a pretty lightweight machine. Most applications I have seen with these machines involved parts in the 1"-3 " range, usually from aluminum extrusion and +/- .01" - +/- .03" tolerance. That's a pretty big/heavy fixture for a machine this size . So the amount you are off on your rotation could be easily drowned out by tool deflection/pressure, droop from the weight of the fixture, etc..... I would agree with Newbeee that the trunion bearings would be my first suspect because they are bolted together so there is bound to be "some" inbuilt error. The axis of rotation is probably sweeping, that is it is not perfectly parallel to the X axis. If you really need to tease this out can you attach an aluminum block at each end using the outboard holes? Have you got a Bridgeport or some other three axis machine? You need to start with as square a block as you can manage. Get them attached as far out on the trunion on each end as you can. Find the Center of rotation in the middle of the table. Use that as your offset in Y and Z Take a side cut on one face of the blocks at A0 then an end cut at the same Z value as Y on the first cut on the A90/A270 rotation. So Y3.0" at A0 and then Z3.0 at A90 Make the cuts so they overlap but don't cover each other. Any step between the two cuts will tell you how far off the center of rotation you are for any particular rotation/plane at that point on the X axis If you can do this on all three faces of the two blocks at opposite ends of the table you will be able to work out which planes are out and by how much. But even if you get this far what's the fix? Are the trunion components pinned? If not maybe you could loosen the bolts and tap it closer to square. If they are pinned then you would need to rebore and resleeve the bearing holes. You will need some very good indicators and probes to even get it close, or at least closer than you are. The last beam (not trunion) I made was 24" long. I ground to adjacent faces square and then put it in a 50T big travel Mori Horizontal (very new machine never crashed) probed the ground faces at each end ( B180 degrees apart) and bored my bearing holes. Then checked with a CMM. And we were still a few .0001s off, which was fine, our tightest tolerance plane to plane was .003. Do you have access to that sort of machinery? And with all that maybe you get it down to .0005 - .0008, its never going to be perfect......you might be better off just learning to live with it.....if you can. Hope that helps......

Don't have Machine Sim set up. No real need, all vertical 3 and 4 axis machines. It's saying it can't access the geometry and will substitute a generic tool. I did notice that MC had created a generic tool outline of the same diameter on the same level, so I got rid of that....still no go. Created one from scratch using custom tool selecton and MC created a different generic, got rid of that but still no go......might have made a mistake tho', it just didn't make MC sense if you know what I mean. Anyway I just got dragged off onto an emergency job so I will have to leave it 'til morning. I will try again AM and let you know......

Haven't had to do this since X5. Created a tool profile on a level (feedmill). Tools looks beutimous in the picture field of the Tool page. But Verify and Backplot aren't "seeing it". I know there are now new ways of doing since X9 (which is what I am using). What am I missing? I did just copy and modify an existing tool of the same diameter, do I need to start with a blank slate ?

Totally agree, the Sinha book is more comprehensive and better laid out, at least to my eye/brain. Having said that they are both written in completely different styles so I think it is worth having both for more complicated topics.

And on cncchipmakers note how does the "index lock" work, is it automatic or do you need to command it in the code?

I did a quick review in both the Smit and Sinha books last night and they both talk about IF__THEN and WHILE functions in the loop sections. But you have to search a little, its not as well indexed as the IF , GOTO, GT etc......

Can you post a picture? This is often the problem with off the shelf 4 axis systems. You say the "bearings" are in line. Is that the Head and Tailstock/A-frame bearings, or the "bearings" on the trunion (they need to be in line to each other)? If ALL of the above are good and aligned properly are the trunion surfaces parallel and perpendicular to ALL three machine axis? Don't just check at A0, sweep the faces at A0, A90, A180 and A270. How about your fixture, is it parallel and perpendicular? Anyone of the components being off will throw a spanner in the works...... I always prefer to make my own trunion/beam and leave extra stock on the surfaces. Then with everything aligned I qualify the trunion/beam surfaces to the spindle. then I machine my bolt pattern (or whatever holding system I am using). This assures everything is "square" to the spindle. Have you got enough material on the trunion to requalify it? Don't jump in here, you must confirm that ALL of the above components are in line and square first, or you could make things worse. Time checking now will save 10x (make that 100x) the number of hours of frustration and heartache later. Consult the dealer. Maybe they expect you to qualify the trunion? If it is brand new, get the dealer in to have a look (make sure it isn't your tooling/fixturing first to avoid embarrassment). And all this assumes the table is flat and square to the spindle. It would be unusual for it not to be, but not beyond the realms of possibility. If there is a subplate check that it is flat and square to the spindle. I'm not usually happy unless everything is square ad parallel </=.001 over 18" - 24". This is achievable with care.

Thanks guys, that will get me started......

So: result on left, calculation on right (jlw pointed this one out right from the get go), result on the left, calculation on the right...... Thanks to everyone for their input. ALL good stuff, what the forums all about....... I will be printing out the whole thread for my studies And again!!

I think on specvs it was a re arrangement of the GOTO lines. However, made the change on yours and: Double Bingo. With one caveat, it gave a PLC alarm with no message on the PLC alarm page. This instantly cleared with an MDI M30. Maybe it was just a hang up. I will try adding a GOTO2 line at the end to return it to the program, The next line in the program is N2 M6 T2.

Bingo. I get it , it was how it was jumping. I need to work on my flow chart skills too......... Now on to cncchipmakers version, I get that one too.......

Hey Folks, The guys down in our Gundrill dept. just had a whoopsie and destroyed a 4 start thread on one of our Drill Tubes on a BTA STS (Single Tube System). The lathe manger has asked me to see if we can program a new thread if we cut back the tube to "fresh metal". This is something I have yet to try in MC. Can someone point me in the right direction? Is it even possible? We have a Mori NLX single turret with C and Y. Thanks for any help.....

First thing I notice is the blank fields for Printer and Settings in the top screen shot. You need to link to a printer.....Both these fields are populated when I select print

#101 = #5223 - #5263 ABS[#101] IF[#101GE.0015]THEN#3006=1(CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) IIF[#101LT.0015]THEN#3006=1(CONFIRM LOAD) Still gives address not found. Have I got the code right here? I can certainly see how this would work #101 = #5223 - #5263 IF ABS[#101] LT.0015 GOTO1 IF ABS[#101] GE.0015 GOTO2 N1#3006 = 1 (CONFIRM LOAD) GOTO2 N2#3006 = 1(CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) N3 Now gone back to Format error. I can also see how this should work......

That would definitely explain the Address Not found error. Will try at next opportunity, appreciate the help. I have the Smit and Sinha books. I guess my Holiday reading is taken care of......

So I am getting Can't Find Address on both of these. I used : #101 = #5223 - #5263 ABS[#101] IF[#101GE.0015]THEN#3006=111(CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) IIF[#101LT.0015]THEN#3006=110(CONFIRM LOAD) version of cncchipmakers syntax. Still getting address alarm.

I think you got a double paste? Maybe I'm wrong, should it be IF[#101LT.0015]THEN#3006=111(CONFIRM LOAD) IF #101 GE 0.0015 #3006 = 111 (CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) or, IF[#101GE.0015]THEN#3006=111(CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) IF #101 LT 0.0015 #3006 = 111 (CONFIRM LOAD)

Morning Gentlemen, Firstly thanks for the responses. I'm just about to get Productivity + in mastercam set up so I will be doing a lot of this. Mainly offset setting and testing to start, so I appreciate all the different approaches. Kinda like MC itself, always more than one way to skin the cat. Just need to figure out the "style" which suits our shop best. Using specv's code I now get a : "can't find address" alarm Will try cncchipmakers version

Don't worry guys, haven't forgotten you..... I'm just waiting for a "break in play" at the machine to try it out. We are in "end of year hell" here so I don't want to disrupt production. At the moment we have our top machinist on it so he's just monitoring the offset page. Want to put the macro in for the "newbs". And its a Fanuc (18 if my memory serves) based Mori 503 III control. Will report back AM

I have a custom drill cycle I am working on. One option is to reduce feed rate on exit. I have 2 custom parameters to control the start of the reduced feedrate and the actual reduced federate (normally 1/2 the normal but I want control so I have the extra parameter). If these fields are 0.0 there is a Boolean to not post the reduced exit feedrate , so the end of the cycle branches to 2 possible endings.

I haven't used Macro B to do this before and getting Format error. Just want to take the 2 results of 2 z probe cycles and compare them. If the part is flat within .0015 we are good, if not restart prog. At the moment I have: #5223 - #5263 = #101 ABS [#101] IF #101 LT 0.0015 #3006 = 110 (CONFIRM LOAD) IF #101 GE 0.0015 #3006 = 111 (CHECK LOAD RESTART PROGRAM) Am I allowed to use the parameters directly like this or do I need to assign them to variables first?

I'm old enough now I just chalk it up to early onset, the key words being "dim" and "distant"........

Not familiar with either the machine or the control but #3 suggests you are driving a spline. First analyze the "circle" and see if it is in fact a spline. If so convert using Edit / Simplify. On ramp contour there is a tick box for linearize helixes, make sure it is UNCHECKED. Linearized helix ranps and splines generate A LOT of code which might explain #2

This is the only path where I use a different C plane and T plane. But I think there are other instances.....Right Angle heads maybe? Perhaps Colin could help here......I know of no documentation.....