I am new to CNC work. I have just completed conversion of my G0704 mill to CNC. Now I am finding that one of the things that I really need is a good probe. I have been doing a lot of research on them and was toying with the idea of making one. However, I really like the Tormach passive probe, and the price is not too high.

The thing that I am thinking about is the probe stylus. At $50 each I see that eventually replacement tips could wind up costing more than the probe itself. Like I said, I am new and jamming a probe into things is highly probable. How often do other people break a probe stylus?


So, here is my thinking. If I was to build a probe, I could add a second limit switch that stops the motion of the probe even if the probe function is not yet being used. Yes, I know the probe is already a limit switch in effect, but, my software (Mach 4) doesn't pay any attention to the probe signal unless in probe mode. The second limit signal would be a normally open signal so it doesn't interfere with motion unless the probe is connected. The normal probe signal would be used during probing operations as usual but the new limit signal (lets call it Probe Crash Stop) would limit motion when jogging and setting up or finishing a probe operation.

The Probe Crash Stop signal would be setup such that it only triggers if the probe is pushed almost to its limits. It would not trigger if the probe touches the work, only if it touches it and continues moving.

If any of the readers here think this would be useful let me know and I will build one and see if it works.

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