Re: Digitizers, Renishaw

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com, Alan Marconett KM6VV <KM6VV@a...>
wrote:

>Hope this makes some sense. Any other ideas? I'd love to
> watch a digitizer program run!
>

I had a chance to play with some Picza files a couple of years ago.
I was trying to import the scanned files into Bobcad or Vector and
then do something useful with them. The files were DXF 3D face
entities. I wrote a VB program to translate them into a series of
cross sections, in the X-Z plane. The cross sections were planar &
either Bobcad or Vector could apply an offset curve to the contour so
that it could be cut with a cutter of any desired size.

MicroKinetics has a command G26 that makes a conditional branch,
based on some switch setting.

Flashcut has an M100 that sppears to be similar.

You could probably even use the axis limit switch sensing to control
the probe contact.

A good setup to me would be to use one of these digital indicators
with an Spc output. If you had one with say a sizable range, you
could calibrate at full depth against the table=0 say , then pick up
the Z axis, position to a defined place on a grid, and move the head
down to the zeroing Z height, that would zero out the indicator if
there was no contact, or record some vertical displacement if the
object being measured was contacted. Pause at this depth until the
measurement is recorded, then use a macro to continue to the next
position. Sony makes a 2.36" travel digital indicator with .00005
resolution and RS-232 that is available from MSC for about $500. I
expect that this would be a more reliable solution than the MaxNC
probe which some have complained about the quality.

>
> Found a site for Renishaw, I dare not ask the price:
>

MSC has them for $3000-$8000, Fowler has one for about $1000. Out of
my price range.

Best Regards,

Fred Smith
IMService