Hello Everyone

[Bubbles]

Hello all, I have had a fustrating week at work and this site has been a breath of fresh air. Our shop recenlty purchased a Promac Zephyr VTR 5axis cnc machine with the Heidenhain Control... I am not familar with the controller at all.. So you will be seeing lots of posts from me asking for help from the experts here.

If anyone is will to help me learn this controller or has any "tricks", I would be greatful if that knowledge was pasted onto me....

this looks like a great place to learn and make friends, very, very nice fourm..



Brad (AKA Bubbles)

[wms]

Welcome to the forum Bubbles.

[CJL5585]

Welcome Bubbles to the CNCZone.

I am not familiar with that machine, but I am pretty sure that someone on this site is.

Good Luck.

Jerry

[watzmann]

yes i can help you with this control , just go on

[Bubbles]

thanks... I am getting my list of questions inorder, so I don't look like a fool!!!!!

[ViperTX]

Bubbles.....one question...if this is a CNC machine...why are you worried about the controller......

[Bubbles]

good question....... I run the machine, need to do basic programing. THe office programs cutter paths and such, but I try and do as much as I can on the controller itself which is heidenhain control. They come to me yesterday asking is I knew how to right macros for the Blum laser to check the tool for breakage or wear after running a program, and if the tool is broken or warn, grab its sister tool and re-run....... huh......lol.....


b.

[Dan B]

Hi Bubbles,

We looked seriously at that Promac machine this spring. We ended up going with another Hermle. It was a tough decision. That seems to be a very solid machine. We saw it running at a mold shop here in town (I'd bet my last dollar we are in the same city), and Frank offered to take us to Italy to meet the owner. In the end though, we went with what we were familar with already.

I know that doesn't answer any questions, but since no one is going to know that machine, I though some words of encouragement were in order.

Dan

[Bubbles]

Dan.... hmmmm Frank you say(lol)..... have to agree we are in the same city... better watch what I say, cause it may get back to my boss!!!! LOL....... never had had anyone so close to me in a fourm before!!!

[Hitachi_man]

Bubbles, macros are not that hard to write. in each control you have program numbers which are protected for example 8000 programs on Fanuc controls. you just write a program telling the machine to do what you want it to and give it the "macro" program number. then in normal program use you would just call up that "macro" program number for example:

%
8001
G92 G00 X0. Y0. Z0.
[your program moves]
%

As far as the control goes, are you have trouble with that you need help with or is it just a programming problem?

[Bubbles]

Hitachi_man....


this is what I am trying to accomplish with this new controller and Blum laser pickup. I use the Blum laser to check the length of my cutter, and it records the length in my tool page. I then run a program, the program completes, and then the cutting tool is then "rechecked" to check for wear or breakage. If the tool is broke or exceeds my wear tollerance I had set in the tool page, a sister tool is loaded into the spindle and the same program is then "rerun" and the program completes, then carries on with the next program or the next tool. They tell me I need a macro for this...

I can get the machine to recheck the tool and flag it, but it stops, locks the tool in the spindle then sits there... it won't proceed to the next step which is the sister tool...

[Hitachi_man]

Yes you do need a macro to run this. now that you have the machine set up to flag the tool it won't be to hard to do. the macro is written the same way i explained in my last post but in the begining you will need to put an if clause in it.

%
8001
#if x = -.004 then etc.
#if x = -.001 then do nothing

in your programming manual you should have gotten with the machine it should go over some of this. The fact that you are already programming this machine says to me you can write this you just need to find the "protected program numbers" in the parameters.Hope this helps

Good luck
Hitachi_man