Airblast

[plastibob]

How do people use airblast (M14-M18?) to clear chips? I can't find anything on my 2000 Minimill - any thoughts?

[parkson]

shift, then coolant button should turn on airblast during cycle

[Cory]

The air blast is actually M83 and M84

[dougtyler]

I've always wanted to know this. I've thougth about rigging up a high speed air turbine spindle that would work off of the air coming through the spindle. That is what we're talking about here right. The air blast during tool change?

[plastibob]

No, I wasn't talking through the spindle. An example of what i'm looking for is if I'm cutting a deep pocket in P20 the chips want to just sit there. I have to manually blow them off. I want to automatically have it programmed to blow the chips off.

[Donkey Hotey]

Originally Posted by parkson shift, then coolant button should turn on airblast during cycle

Man, I was all excited about trying this out...no worky.

I think shift-coolant is for turning on the Through-Spindle-Coolant (if you have it). It didn't turn on the air blast on my VF-2. The only thing that worked is M83 to turn it on and M84 to turn it off.

Oh well, it was fun to dream.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey Man, I was all excited about trying this out...no worky. I think shift-coolant is for turning on the Through-Spindle-Coolant (if you have it). It didn't turn on the air blast on my VF-2. The only thing that worked is M83 to turn it on and M84 to turn it off. Oh well, it was fun to dream.

shift-coolant turns on the air blast on my 2007 VF-1.

[Donkey Hotey]

Interesting. They've obviously changed it then. What code do you use to activate it?

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey ...The only thing that worked is M83 to turn it on and M84 to turn it off. Oh well, it was fun to dream.

Your airblast is pobably controlled through one of the small relays on the IO board. See the picture here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...4&d=1179964182

The relays I mean are labelled P31, P32, etc. These are used for various machine options as well as for the M-code relays to pearte outside equipment. I seem to recall they have a little led which lights up when the coil is on so you may be able to identify the one operated by M83 and then install a small manual switch wired in parallel with the contacts.

The relay will probably be switching 120volt AC so be careful in any poking around you do otherwise you could be Donkey Smokey.

[Donkey Hotey]

Thanks, Geof. Yes, I could certainly figure out how to bypass it. I've only used it once anyway and that was just for grins (blow off the coolant after a cycle).

I bought it for HSM on steel and I really haven't done any of that yet. In fact, the last time I fired up the air gun, the shaft was stuck from coolant residue.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey ...I bought it for HSM on steel and I really haven't done any of that yet. In fact, the last time I fired up the air gun, the shaft was stuck from coolant residue.

I didn't get the air blast on any machine and now I wish I had, and back when I didn't get it I wondered why they had the fancy extending nozzle. Now I know, it is so it retracts and doesn't get eaten during a tool change. I have started using air blast quite a lot and make my own nozzles with a longish Delrin tip. When I forget to swing the nozzle away before doing a toolchange just the Delrin part gets eaten.

Someday I will figure out how to make an extending nozzle that doesn't get smunched when the rotary table and spindle nose are close together. I could put one working from the back and then get a face full of hot chips the first time I dreamily open the door to have a closer look at something when single blocking.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey Interesting. They've obviously changed it then. What code do you use to activate it?

M83 an M84 as well.