Basic Renishaw Work Offsets Question

[henn111]

So I am pretty new to my VM3 mill. I learned how to use my HAAS lathe recently.

I have a renishaw table touch probe, and a spindle work probe.

I have set tool offsets successfully (I think) using the table probe, for example tool 1 is a 3/4 end mill, I see a tool gemoetry measurement of 5.23 for lenght and 0.753 for diameter, so it must be working ok.

Next I put a piece of aluminum rectangle stock in the vise. I went to the Intuitive Progaming screen IPS and went to work offsets. I used G54, and pressed F2 to use the spindle probe to measure the work automatically. I centered the tool probe 3/4" over the center of the part as the screen prompted me to do. I told it the part X measure was approximatly 7.5 inches, the Y measure 3.5inches. Pressed cycle start and the probe touched off the z top face to the block, then moved all around the edges and measured all four outside faces successfully.

I went to IPS facing operation filled in the blanks. It asked for an X and Y dimention or the width of the block and graphically shows the lenght and width when prompting, I put in 8.0 and 4.0" a little bigger to be safe. It asked for the R plane I dont know what the "location of the retract point above the part" is so I put 0.2. depth of face 0.125.

If I look at the work offsets page it says G54 X =-12.04, Y=-13.14 and Z= -17.31. This is after the spindle probe set these numbers.

So I pressed cycle start and it began facing.

It took tool one, and began facing well above the part maybe 8 inches and way off to the right and front of the work piece, like a foot away guessing.

So I decided to see what these probe generated work offsets were.

I then hand jogged the tool to the XYZ coordinates of the work zero offsets page (X-12.04, Y-13.14, Z-17.31) to see where in space this was, it is located directly at the center of the block just above the top face.

So whats wrong? The IPS work offsets page told me to locate the spindle probe in this exact same position before it automatically measured the work sides. It seems to have just entered the probe starting point, not the probe measurements.

Also, the IPS Facing screen graphically shows the work zero as the back left corner, but it does not ask for the location of that point, just the block dimentions.

The IPS work setting screen shows the same icon in the center of the rectangle block. Maybe there is some problem here?

Finally setting 64 is turned off in case that matters after looking at old posts.

So whats wrong, with the lathe I just set all the tools with the probe, I take one tool and manually face the work face, press Z face measure, and all the tools are adjusted to this particular work piece. With the mill I used the take probe to set the tool, used IPS work setting and the spindle probe to set G54, shouldnt this work?

Yes, I'm very green to CNC, sorry.

[henn111]

To be more specific about which probes I have, they are the Renishaw WIPS Wireless Intuitive Programing System.

They are calibrated by the HAAS service guy when the machine was installed. And I checked their function by running the basic MDI program that casues them to beep when touched, both are ok today.

[henn111]

To be more specific about which probes I have, they are the Renishaw WIPS Wireless Intuitive Programing System.

They are calibrated by the HAAS service guy when the machine was installed. And I checked their function by running the basic MDI program that casues them to beep when touched, both are ok today.

[Delw]

did you specify the g54 offset in your program?

[Delw]

should look kinda like this

O1111 M6 T1 (0.375 DIA. END MILL ) G0 G90 G54 X-0.1875 Y-6.5 M3 S12000 G43 Z0.1 H1 M08 G1 Z-0.575 F50.0

[Geof]

To be picky you do not need to specify G54, that is the default work coordinate on Haas. You do need to specify any other work coordinate.

[henn111]

Yes I did specify G54 in the IPS facing screen.

Since then, since the IPS facing screen shows the part zero in the center of the work, and the IPS screen for setting the work offsets shows it in the back left corner, I decided this must be a problem. So I found an IPS screen for the work offsets that used the back left corner and ran that program. Now when I run the facing program it works directly over the part, so only the Z offset is wrong.

How do I set the Z offset using a probe?

[Delw]

Originally Posted by Geof To be picky you do not need to specify G54, that is the default work coordinate on Haas. You do need to specify any other work coordinate.

Thanks for the heads up, I didnt know that. I use g55-57 for everything.

Originally Posted by henn111 Yes I did specify G54 in the IPS facing screen. Since then, since the IPS facing screen shows the part zero in the center of the work, and the IPS screen for setting the work offsets shows it in the back left corner, I decided this must be a problem. So I found an IPS screen for the work offsets that used the back left corner and ran that program. Now when I run the facing program it works directly over the part, so only the Z offset is wrong. How do I set the Z offset using a probe?

use the z set probe marco. its the on second row right side I think.

[HelicopterJohn]

Originally Posted by henn111 I centered the tool probe 3/4" over the center of the part as the screen prompted me to do. I told it the part X measure was approximatly 7.5 inches, the Y measure 3.5inches. Pressed cycle start and the probe touched off the z top face to the block, then moved all around the edges and measured all four outside faces successfully.

I may be missing something but when I am probing parts with my Renishaw Wireless Probe it will tell me to position the Spindle Probe at .4 above the part. If I set the Spindle probe at .750 it will alarm out as it is looking for a surface at .4 or less.

Also, I do all my probing in the visual quick code mode which could possibly make a difference.

Like Delw said you might want to re-calibrate the spindle probe on the tool setter. Then reset all your tools on the tool setter.

Did the HAAS Tech also run the spindle probe on a ring gauge as part of his setup?

John

[henn111]

Strangely, if I set the probe too close like .4 inches it alarms out, or too high the same thing, it likes about .75.

My software version has the VQC probing options integrated into the IPS screens, but I think its all the same thing regardless of were you access them.

The service guy ran a ring gauge, I recalibrated the probe myself, also for runout, but to no avail.

Short of taking the difference of the Z position of the part face and were the cutter actually starts machining above, I dont know what to do to correctly set the Z.

Does anyone else set their parts offsets with IPS or VQC and want to describe your sequence?

[crabbass]

Are your tool offsets positive numbers? I have read in another post some people do not use the tool length for their H number in the offset page. If your tool offsets are the length of your tool from spindle face to tip, Your probes H offset will be the tools exact length. From what I have read about your problems, the first thing I would look at is the H number for your probe, and compare it to what it actually measures (manually measure with a scale between flat surface between drive dogs and the bottom of stylus). If this is an obviously different number, calibrate your probes length. Your toolsetter is capable of this, only if it is correctly calibrated. I use a the bottom of a solid carbide endmill (ground flat and perpindicular to shank) and mount it in my best collet holder. I then use a mag base mounted on table and zero a .0001" indicator on the bottom of the tool. Use jog and the operator screen as a DRO, I zero the z position then jog to where the indicator reaches the same zero when in contact with the spindle nose. The distance traveled in the Z axis is the tools length. (I do not have a fancy tool setter, If you do I would compare this methods lenghts, as this may cause more problems)

If any of you can think of a way to set the toolsetter and probe with a resulting negative number in the tool offset page, I would love to hear It.
When I handwrite code(sometimes in a hurry) I dread forgetting to program the G43 H__. Knock on wood.

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi,

The guy that will be able to solve your problem is Rich Foley.

He is in the Technical Support Department of Renishaw.

Renishaw's phone number is 1-847-286-9953. That is a Chicago phone number.

He is extremely knowledgeable in the operation of the Renishaw probes on the HAAS Machines.

Let me know how you make out.

John