Boss passed away left his son the shop. I need help.

[Ksuti]

Hello thank you for taking time to read my thread. My former boss Tim Rogan has passed away and in my eyes was a borderline genius in the machine world. He could do it all and truly had a passion for it. He taught me so much last year when I started working for him. Tim recently passed away and left his son the shop. We want to run it in his honor and because the works very enjoyable and want to pick up where Tim left off. Sadly he was the mastermind behind our g code on our ancient machines. His son has tasked me with learning g code for these older machines. I figured the forums would be a good place to start. I would appreciate some recommendations on what type of approach I should take to learning these machines and g code in general. I can understand it for the most part but putting a print into code is another story. Questions and machines I need to learn g code for first are listed below.

What programs if any would cater to these old machines?

What websites, resources, books, videos do you recommend?

What kind of homework, quizzes or things should I do to test myself outside of the shop?

Any recommendations at all? Especially if you are or have been familiar with any of the three machines listed below.

Machines
YAM CK 2 with Fanuc 6t control

Sheldon Mill unsure of control but can get name next time I'm in the shop. It's old see pics. Still works great though.

Unknown lathe until I get into shop again with Omniturn control

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[Jim Dawson]

G code is G code, the basic commands are the same for all machines. In some cases there are machine specific commands, and these won't be found in generic lists, the factory manuals are the best resource for this. Many times you can find machine specific G code on line with a Google search.

You can perform just about any function possible on any machine with a half dozen or so commands. The basic command format is Gn Xn.nnn Yn.nnn Zn.nnn Fn.n where Gn is the command number, X, Y, Z are the axis target positions, and F is the feed speed. M codes control things like the spindle and coolant. That's really all there is to it as far as the command set goes.

If the factory manuals are available for the machines in the shop, that would be the place to start. Look at the currently loaded programs and any others that may be around the shop.

Here is a generic listing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code

[metalmayhem]

ncplot is a good plotting software for viewing g code moves and verifying code . It's worth having if hand coding or using cad/cam . Loading some of his g code into ncplot will help you get into his head and how he liked to process things .

Since you didn't mention software I'll go out on a limb and assume that he hand coded . If thats the case then you'll need to investigate into whether or not he programmed to the center of the tool then diameter comp'd the difference on the mill , if he used g91 where and why etc .
As Jim mentioned , basic g code runs across the board with most cnc's

If you can follow a 2d drawing then you could easily hand code it once you understand the code . Even if you end up buying a cad/cam software you still need to understand the g code that your running . Hand coding off drawings will give you the most valuable tools that you'll ever need in the cnc world , some may argue the point and believe that the software should be in control , but running blindly is dangerous in my opinion .
One thing that helps it all stick in my head is to mumble the moves and code and I punch them into that machine . It may sound funny and you may get funny looks on the floor , but it's the old cramming for an exam technique and it works

Otherwise , if your looking to go straight to cad/cam then there is an array of softwares that you can purchase and learn . Personally I'd recommend staying away from subscription base , especially products like fusion

[lshingleton]

Take a course at local college for Basic G code and go from there ------------To not know or have anyone there to help is dangerous -------Learn Basic G and M codes so you can learn to read what the program is doing and learn the basic controls of the machine functions ----------Rapid override and Single block and feed rate and spindle controls

[deadlykitten]

hello i have seen shop owners in such a situation, like having a functionall machine that is no longer used, because no one knows how to handle it ( machinist retired or quit, etc )

i tell them to bring him back, or find another one that works on such machines, and:
... record his procedures : start up, setup, origins, corections, restarts, program load, etc : this is only a few hours
... make a part that covers all machine capabilites ( or at least those used by the machinist ), record program creation, print program, and store it : one day or more, depending on machine complexity
... perhaps convince him to share a few tricks, warkarounds, etc
... all recorded data to be stored near the machine ( so that someone that has no clue, but wants to learn, should find all these pretty fast ), and also in other places

is possible to categorize an entire activity into simple few actions, then make clear procedures for those actions; being busy has no corelation with the number of different actions performed / kindly

[gabedrummin]

When you are programing a part from print you decided where to start . Lets say for instance you have a block squared up to the outside dimensions of the finished part with maybe .030 over finish allowance . You set your work up .Pick one corner set zero . Most parts have some holes .I like to drill my holes or at least one hole to give me a place to pick up from in case you get lost . You break up your part into steps . Milling , drilling , profiling , Finishing .If your doing this from your head you will have multiple programs to make a part and you need to learn canned cycles . If you had a programing a system like Mastercam you would draw your part in the software and pick the features you want to machine and mastercam makes the G-code for you .I learned to program from paper and its not very efficient . Software allows you to machine you part virtuously on your computer screen before ever cutting the steel . Take a class do some you-tubbing lots of free resources out there and good luck sir.