Need Help!- Rotary Axis help with Bobcad

[foustchoppers]

I have a chinese built machine that has 3 axies and a rotary that will sub for the x axis when turned on. How should I post for this? Would it post with "a"s like a full 4th axis machine or not?

[Chipload]

Your post may need to be set-up to output rotary moves.

Check line 10 in post

10.Rotary axis index string
"A",rotary_angle

"A" can be changed to any letter for the rotary axis

Then insert variable "output_rotary_angle" in the spot that you would like the post to output the Rotary axis command

On your milling and drilling operations go to posting in the file tree. Select output rotary angle and enter in angle for the rotary axis to position to.

[sandy baby]

You can always call Bobcad and they will do it for you. I downloaded my latest post for a Haas from their website. Try to find the post that matches your control there. You might not need to change anything. Also don't forget to "edit" your material from rectangular to cilyndrical on your material definition.

[foustchoppers]

Ok thank you all! I have got the post processor down now but im still having trouble with getting our rotary to index with NC Studio. If you put in an "A" or "B" (followed by degrees) it says iilegal character. The guy at Bobcad said try a different letter, have tried every letter in the alphabet, no luck. Wish I had a american machine that actually offers support!!

[BurrMan]

Is it worth talking about your actual machine make and model? Maybe we could figure out what it's expecting... Hard to research NC studio.. Have you exausted looking in it to "configure" the rotary input?

[foustchoppers]

The make and model is Bodor BRM-0303A .

[BurrMan]

Well, that didnt help, lol..... I think I'm back at nc-studio. The best I can find is it "comes with a manual???" Can you get that attached here..

Also, can you create a sample file you are trying to post along with the post processor you are using here?

[foustchoppers]

First I want to thank you for your help so far. But yeah I havent had much luck with finding stuff on this but I attached the manual, didnt see anything except for it tells how many degrees each pulse should make which is .006, unless ive missed anything. I won't be able to get you a real example til monday but it is just a basic post, it don't even let you use g02 or g03, techs at bobcad had to modify post to post arcs with just G01's. Right now all I want to do is to get the thing to index 90 degrees on its own but cant seem to even get that.

[dwood]

been searching for info on this also for a while

when you say you you want to get it to index on its own
does this mean it has not rotated at all, either by mdi input or
the jog buttons????? if it has not rotated by any means then
something in the control needs to be turned on to recognize the 4th axis

also can the 4th axis be considered z axis 2

in the manual it mentions z1 and z2 no A axis or any other letter
for the 4th axis , some controls look at anything other than x&y as
auxually axis
also the manual does mention G02 and G03, so something may need to be
turned on to get the control to recognize them
just asking so all can get on the same page

[foustchoppers]

Okay first on the front of the machine there is two buttons "X-Axis" and "Rotary", If you turn the x-axis button off and the rotary button on, the rotary can be controled by pushing the x jog buttons. This is all I can figure out so far. The 2nd Z is worth looking into.

[dwood]

which way is the rotary mounted right to left or front to rear
if i read this correctly the machine does not have drive board
for the rotary just uses the x board or something like that


can you open up the panel and see how many drives you have
should be x,y,z, and a or w or z2 something like that

[BurrMan]

"A button for rotary"

You might try posting out your rotary code, then open it in predator and replace all the "a's" back to "x's or y's" (Whatever is the rotary axis)....

You may be able tyo do this with the post processor also, setting the rotary digit to the expected axis value.. In other words, your code would still be x-y-z.