You could do alot of things if Mach2/3 could read and write points from a cell type table (spreadsheet?). For example, the simplest thing I could think of is check dimensions on a part.
For instance if you have a wall in the X axis and want to determine the thickness you could probe each side of the wall, use a formula (can you input formulas into Mach2?) to calculate the thickness. Basically a CMM. You could write a program to check an entire part, and have it output all the thicknesses in a text file, or back into a table type file.
You could also use points in the table/spreadsheet within a program if needed. For this, the easiest example I could think of is altering premilled, or even cast/forged parts.
We have a couple parts at work that are forgings. And since they are very rarely the same, and it's pretty much impossible to load them the same way, we load up the probe. And run a program that probes several points. Storing these points in tables (actually called Temporary Registers in the control). Then within the same program, there are formulas that set offset tables based off the values stored in the table.
I just want to clarify something though. I'm not really asking someone to do it for me. I would really like to learn this myself. But of course need a little help along the way. But if there is no way to read the points from within Mach2/3, then it's pretty much hopeless (I think).  |