How do you do tool height presetting?

[TTalma]

I curious how many of you are using an automatic height setter and how does yours work? Let's see some great ideas!

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[Ntl]

I am and here's a video of how mine works.

[nlancaster]

If you are using Mach3, Ger21 made the Mach3 2010 screenset, It includes macros for tool zero and tool change offset.

Mach3 2010 Screenset

[109jb]

I think you are asking the wrong question. The title of the thread asks about presetting. The video that Ntl posted is a tool setter, not a pre-setter. A pre-setter is a tool that is used outside of the machine to measure the tool for entry into the tool table.

[nlancaster]

109jb, true and unless you have a ATC spindle a tool presetter is not going to be very useful.

[rcheli]

I don't get why you are touching off two different spots. Once you've touched off the top of the stock with the bit the machine should know where it is. On my mill I place the touch-plate on top of the stock, press a button on the touch-plate, the Z moves down and touches off. The thickness off the touch-plate is automatically added to the Z position and that's it. Ready to run.

[GME]

I use the Makers Guide Triple Edge Finder that Bill Griggs sells. It's a great tool, because it not only allows you to set Z height, it allows you to set X=0, Y=0, if you are setting off one of the corners of the stock (like I do). I would have provided a link, but i when I tried to access the site, I got a message that the account was suspended. There are some videos on Youtube worth watching to see it in action.

Here's are other version on EBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Edge-Fi...QAAOSwP6pbxCjQ

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Corner-Cent...QAAOSw5EpcOMip

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Corner-...ss!98335!US!-1

I'm guessing any one of them would work fine. If you cut aluminum on your machine, you could draw one up in CAD, create toolpaths and cut your own.

I use mine every time I start a new job, or change tooling. If anything ever happens to it, I'll probably make my own.

Gary

[nlancaster]

the second touch off in the video is for tool length. when he changes tools it only has to re touch off the new tool on the second location. That way if you have machined off your reference surface of your material you can still get a tool length Z-zero set properly.

[ger21]

The OP DOES have an ATC.

[nlancaster]

ger21, ah, didn't know.

[Ntl]

I think you are asking the wrong question. The title of the thread asks about presetting. The video that Ntl posted is a tool setter, not a pre-setter. A pre-setter is a tool that is used outside of the machine to measure the tool for entry into the tool table.

What I use is used for setting the tool height. If I had a ATC I would use it to set up the tools in the tool database with the software. You are correct that there are external one's as well but from what I've seen they are used more for large shops with lots of machines. So you don't have to buy a presetter for every machine and you just use the one and enter the values manually.

Hope it clears things up a little bit for you. Nlancaster is correct on how the macro in the video I posted works, I believe it's a common way of doing it.

[109jb]

The shop I used to work at we had a block with the tool taper in it attached to a small granite table and then used a digital height gauge to measure the tool heights. The nice thing about an external one is that if you run lots of smallish jobs you can set up and measure your tools for the next job during a cycle on the current job. We did that a lot at that job because most of the jobs we ran were on the order of 20 parts with probably an average 15 minute run time. We set up new jobs once or twice per shift. That setup was used for just 2 machines

[Ntl]

The shop I used to work at we had a block with the tool taper in it attached to a small granite table and then used a digital height gauge to measure the tool heights. The nice thing about an external one is that if you run lots of smallish jobs you can set up and measure your tools for the next job during a cycle on the current job. We did that a lot at that job because most of the jobs we ran were on the order of 20 parts with probably an average 15 minute run time. We set up new jobs once or twice per shift. That setup was used for just 2 machines

I'm sure that works great. The only reason I posted the video is because he asked for a automatic way of doing it. The macro along with the tool setter makes it as close to automatic as I can do it with out having a ATC. One day when I can afford it a ATC spindle will make it more or less completely automatic when running a job. The thing I like about using a tool setter with the macro is it eliminates some of the human error of having to manually measure and input the off set.

[islaww]

If I understand Tim's question properly the answer would depend on the control system that he uses. Some have internal systems for just that purpose, some don't. Some that don't have workarounds to allow it to work.

Which controller are you using?

[TTalma]

I'm a little unclear how that works. The first touch off, was that for the top of the work piece?

And the second touch off for tool height? Are you checking the delta between them? Is the fixed height touch off something you made or is it something you bought?

[Ntl]

I'm a little unclear how that works. The first touch off, was that for the top of the work piece?

And the second touch off for tool height? Are you checking the delta between them? Is the fixed height touch off something you made or is it something you bought?

If you were talking to me then yes the first one set's the z0 to the top of the material.

The second is is setting the tool offset with the fixed tool setter and the ones after that are are setting the new offset for the new tool. I personally didn't write the macro, a couple of the Centroid Acorn users were nice enough to share the macros.

The fixed tool setter is a inexpensive XHC DT02 wireless tool setter, so far it works great. Like Gary said different controllers do it differently, I personally only have experience with Centroid and I'm new to it as well. If I had a ATC I would just use the tool setter and set up the offsets in the tool database and skip measuring during tool changes. I don't know if what I'm doing is the best way, but it works for me and I haven't had any issues with anything.

Dan