Haas Renishaw Probe

[Tazzer]

I was hoping someone could help me out. We have a billet motorcycle wheel tht we want to reverse engineer so we can model it up in mastercam and machine it out. Does anyone know if their is a macro or a easy way to use the Renishaw probe to do this? Any info will be great.

Right now I projected a grid onto the wheel and made points on the wheel with a sharpie. Then I am hand jogging to each point. This is very time consuming but the only option I have right now.

[gar]

060711-1848 EST USA

Tazzer:

Check out www.perceptron.com Plymouth, Michigan. Whether they will do contract work I do not know. Their equipment using lasers can 3D image such objects as car doors and whole car bodies. They may have customers that do contract work.

This scanning will not produce the accuracy of a probe, but could provide a data base for a probe.

.

[DEAN]

What did Renishaw have to say?

[guypb]

Renishaw digitising probes for machine tools were discontinued some time ago.
It is possible to use the OMP40 probe on a Haas machine tool to digitise a wheel etc. using a piece of software called Productivity+. With that, you can define a grid, define a resolution and output all the XYZ data as and when the probe makes contact with the surface - all done in macros, all output automatically.

My questions are:

What data do you require to reverse engineer into MasterCAM - will you be taking point cloud data?
What resolution do you need (spacing between points?)
What probe, machine tool and controller do you have?

Dependant on your answers to this, I may be able to knock a program together for you - interested?

My guessing is that anthing is better than doing it manually!!

[Tazzer]

Dean I talked to a rep from Renishaw and basically they guy said they couldn't help me as it is a Haas branded Renishaw probe, and my Haas dealer wasn't able to give me any information other than me buying a manual where I can write a macro to do it myself which I ordered but waiting for it to arrive.

Guypb here is some of the info:


That is exactly what I am needing a point cloud data set (X,Y,Z) that I can bring in and add surfaces to the data.
As far as the resolution actually it doesn't have to be tight right now I am doing every 1/8 inch by hand which is taking me a good couple days.
The probe along with the Machine is only 3 months old and is a Haas VF-3 and the actual probe is shown in the below link.

Haas Renishaw Probe

Any help would be great,

[larrycoyle]

Tazzer... Welcome to my world. Ever since I started my business to which a major portion is the digitizing and reverse engineering of cylinder head ports I have fought this and been through exactly what you are experiencing now. Questions, why do you want to digitize the wheel on your cnc machine? What Renishaw Probe do you have? I went through this with my FIDIA CNC. Fortunately it has a digitizing option but it involves the purchase of a FIDIA analog scanning probe.

Talking to Renishaw about this is futile. Every time I read an article they publish about on machine digitizing I call them and they don't know anything. Believe me when I say that I truly feel for you. But... help is not far away. Do you know of anyone close to you that owns a Renishaw Cyclone? This is perfect for what you are doing or rather for what you want to do. The Renishaw probe you got with your machine was probably along the lines of a MP-10 touch probe. While you can do this with that probe, get ready to tie up your machine for about a month.

Someone above mentioned using a laser scanner. This is a great suggestion but ususally expensive. I have also looked into X-ray scanning and this is more expensive. You could use one of the arms like a FARO or something but you will probably not be happy. The Cyclone is your best shot. This is what I ended up purchasing for my application. It actually has a Renishaw scanning probe which maintains constant contact with the surface I am scanning and the software is decent. But these things cost in the 40K range.

My suggestion is this...

Call Me.

Larry Coyle
Cylinder Head Engineering, LLC
www.CylinderHeadEngineering.com
913-585-1113

[tobyaxis]

Tazzer,

I only worked with a HAAS once, but I remember a section in the Programming Manual that may have mentioned probing. At the time I was trying to find something else so I really can't be 100% sure it is in the manual. The section it may be in is either Programming or Subroutines.

If any thing maybe you can write a short program to take most of the manual jogging out of your task. Write the program to come within an inch of your rim at 8 points (X & Y). Insert an M00 (Program Stop), Switch to Manual Mode, then jog the rest. You will record all your points in the WPC (G54-59 up to you on which one).

Something like this
%
O00000
(P/N=)
(NAME=)
(HAAS VF-3)
(OP#)
(DATE=)
(MATERIAL=)
(SIZE=)
(FIXTURE / VISE)
(S/U)
(S/U)
(P/U)
(START)

G0G17G20G40G49G54G80G90G98M5
G91G28Z0M9
N1(3 AXIS ELECTRONIC PROBE)
T1M6
G90G54G0X0Y0
G43H1Z5.0
Y7.5
M00(jog xyz record position)
G0X5.3033Y5.3033
M00(repeat above)
G0X7.5Y0.
M00(repeat above)
G0X5.3033Y-5.3033
M00(repeat above)
G0X0.Y-7.5
M00(repeat above)
G0X-5.3033Y-5.3033
M00(repeat above)
G0X-7.5Y0.
M00(repeat above)
G0X-5.3033Y5.3033
M00(repeat above)
X0.Y0.
G91G28Z0
M30
%

By plotting a series of points that scale from the outside to the inside you will save a little time. Of coarse the program above is much shorter than you will actually end up with, because I only did the profile of a 15" Diameter.I used to use a VMC for a CMM back when I worked for an HP Torque Converter Rebuilder. It was time consuming, but it worked. They had no real measuring instruments either. I supplied everything for them, and at the time had nothing to measure over 12". The contours of a Torque Converter can be tricky. The task was to make a Billit Cummins Core and all the internal parts including the Stator Assy.

Good Luck

[guypb]

Guys, I used to work at Renishaw up until Xmas (16 years man and boy!!).

My main focus since leaving has been how to open up the capabilities of spindle and tool-setting probes other than just simple part set up and tool length setting - but to make advanced features more accessible by making them simple to program and simple to understand.

Believe me, when you think outside the box, you can do some pretty great stuff with a probe - and not just inspection. It's a matter of knowing how - and how to do it simply without having to struggle with loads of long hand macros.

Yes you could use a Cyclone, great machine - but does come at a price. However, if you already own a machine tool and a probe, and a lot of Haas users do nowadays, wouldn't it be great to utilise what you've already paid for without buying MORE hardware!

With the resolution you are talking about, I am sure I can help you Tazzer - I'll see what I can cobble together - can you PM me with your e-mail address so I can ask a couple more questions, and send some info.

[tobyaxis]

Guys,

If you want you can go to www.ncplot.com this guy makes a macro calculator that you can back plot. $75.00 NcPlot V2 Bata 22.

I'm now trying to write my own macros for pocketing contours and tapered pockets with islands. It's a lot of fun and educating.

[pugsley]

Does the wheel have a valve hole or can you drill one first??? or the wheel should have some holes in the center for the hub you should be able to mak a jig to locate of either of those holes and the center of the wheel then when you turn the wheel over relocate of the same hole and then you will have an accurate point and position if you jig is correct.That is the way i would do it.

[Verissimo]

Renishaw Productivity + does not digitizes, you have to import a model select measur points and from them update work or tool ofsets , and some logic to identify a piece on the machine.

[pit202]

if your shape is 2D you can use my macro : http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...8&postcount=12 , my macro trace a shape and puts point via rs232 , then you need to draw a line from these point and shrink it by 1/2 ball diameter.