IMService Kit Requirements

[dcprecision]

Hi Burn,

What Fred said is true about the IM serve drivers, I use them and like them and a runaway servo is something that does not happen. The same thing holds when running a machine program in the sense that there is no reason for your machine to run into anything if the program is ok. When I first test a parts program, I run it with no tool in place and the Z zero set higher than needed so that the machine will not hit anything in such a way to cause damage. I then run the machine with the spindle off and observe the motion. If satisfied, I run with a tool in place, and finally cut metal if all looks ok. Also when you first load a program and view the tool path in 3D, any gross dimension errors are obvious by tool paths that run off the screen or out of the machine envelope. I have crashed when I have entered a 10 in place of a 1 or misplaced a decimal point. The IMserve servo motors/drivers with a TAG are sensetive enough to encoder errors that if you hit a stop or lead screw end, the servos will fault without damaging the machine. If you use the Deskcnc controller, combination home / limit switches work great. I use this method on all my machines. Remember, nothing can compensate for human error, the machine always folows the program. Proper approach to beginning the work is the answer no matter what system is used. If you intend to actually make duplicate parts on an ongoing basis, home switches are essential to be able to fixture a pice of material and start at a known location with repeatability. Without them, each time you shut down for down time or a program problem or fault, you will have to accuratly relocate your X & Y zero points with an edge finder or a dowel pin in the chuck, then touch off z zero with the tool. Use a little imagination here and you will begin to see what a pain in the *$# this could be, especially when troubleshooting a program with errors. With the switches, hit the home button and you are back up and running in a minute rather than 5 or 10.

[dcprecision]

Hi Burn,

What Fred said is true about the IM serve drivers, I use them and like them and a runaway servo is something that does not happen. The same thing holds when running a machine program in the sense that there is no reason for your machine to run into anything if the program is ok. When I first test a parts program, I run it with no tool in place and the Z zero set much higher than needed so that the machine will not hit anything in such a way to cause damage. I then run the machine with the spindle off and observe the motion. If satisfied, I run with a tool in place, and finally reset z then cut metal if all looks ok. Also when you first load a program and view the tool path in 3D, any gross dimension errors are obvious by tool paths that run off the screen or out of the machine envelope. I have crashed when I have entered a 10 in place of a 1 or misplaced a decimal point. The IMserve servo motors/drivers with a TAG are sensetive enough to encoder errors that if you hit a stop or lead screw end, the servos will fault without damaging the machine. However, you can knock the column out of alignment but without damage if you hit the vice or fixture with the Z axis. If you use the Deskcnc controller, combination home / limit switches work great. I use this method on all my machines. Remember, nothing can compensate for human error, the machine always folows the program. Proper approach to beginning the work is the answer no matter what system is used. If you intend to actually make duplicate parts on an ongoing basis, home switches are essential. They enable you to quickly fixture a piece of material and start at a known location with repeatability. Without them, each time you shut down for down-time or a program problem or fault, you will have to accuratly relocate your X & Y zero points with an edge finder or a dowel pin in the chuck, then touch off z zero with the tool. Use a little imagination here and you will begin to see what a pain in the *$# this could be, especially when troubleshooting a program with errors. When using the switches, you hit the home button and are back up and running in seconds rather than 5 or 10 minutes.