relevant machine axis 0

[sourkraut]

HI, I am new to grinding and CNC in general. I work for a tool grinding company. We grind hard metal frictions drills.
My question pertains to the zeroing of an axis. I see on our current machine and program that zero and all the axis has nothing to do with the tool holder, grinding wheel or any point. It appears to be totally random. Is there a reason for this? Would it be bad to change the program so that the zero would be the center of the tool holder for two of the axis?
Thanks

[Switcher]

Originally Posted by sourkraut HI, I am new to grinding and CNC in general. I work for a tool grinding company. We grind hard metal frictions drills. My question pertains to the zeroing of an axis. I see on our current machine and program that zero and all the axis has nothing to do with the tool holder, grinding wheel or any point. It appears to be totally random. Is there a reason for this? Would it be bad to change the program so that the zero would be the center of the tool holder for two of the axis? Thanks

That would be an instant CRASH!!

If your running the Schutte W305 Toolgrinder.

I do machine calibration on my machine (9 hours).

If you move the machine zero, you would have to offset everything else, wheel magazine, probe (zero), software limits.

The machine zero (all axis) is far from random, the zero for all axis is set during calibration with a 3D indicator with a 4mm ball on the probe.

Trust me, you don't want to move that zero position.



.

[sourkraut]

HI,
for this one it is not the Schütte. And I am willing to reset the zero, but I want to know why it was not put somewhere relavant in the first place. The zero on this machine is not at or near the limits of any axis.
I would like the center of the collet to be one zero and the diameter of the grinding wheel being perpendicular to that axis being zero for X. And Z being a rotation table in this case would be at 90 Deg to the collet axis.
Would this work and why was it not set up like this in the first place.

[sourkraut]

Let me post my question in different form and then I might come closer to what I am looking for.
Where is the zero on your machine for all the axises?
I work with a custom built grinding machine which is one of a kind. I am writing a new program for it, and things are going really well.
*BUT* the old program had 0 for all three axises some where random as far as I can tell. I want to know if I can put them somewhere logical when I rewrite the program.

ANY INPUT IS APPRECIATED!!!!

[terrysn]

I don't know about your machine, but the zero on mine, or home position, is at the extreme end of the travel stroke, for that particular axis. Meaning, when I zero the machine, it travels away from spindle, until it reaches the limit switches, hidden under the protective bellow. These limit switches define zero. But this is on a deckel 5 axis.
Hope this helps,
Terry

[sourkraut]

terrysn thanks

That does help!
My goal is to set the machine up so that when you put in the size of the work piece you do not have to subtract it from these (home) numbers that make no sense. If I want to grind a rod of 10mm down to 8mm I would then tell it to move to 5mm and start grinding till it reaches 4mm. Or I could even tell it to go to 10mm and stop at 8mm if I let it know that these two user inputs need to be divided by two. I am using an Engelhardt controller. The control has the worst user input interface known to man, but the programming power behind it is really out of this world if you are willing to stand in front of it for days putting the program in.
Thanks for you help

[terrysn]

Sourkraut,
in theory, thats a great idea. But the next time that you have to dress your wheel, your numbers will no longer apply. Is there any way to touch off of your part, measure that dim. than zero your relative positioning, and program from that point in incremental, instead of absolute?
Terry