Re:Re: Re: 4th Axis Concept (long)

> Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2001 17:04:12 -0700
> From: Chris Luebke <datac@...>
>Subject: Re: Re: 4th Axis Concept (long)



>I am assuming the Servo when acting as a traditional motor will need to be
>powered from an auxillary supply and not thru the Control systems supply chain.
>Some Relay work there........I'm not sure how we'd get this lined up using
>Flashcut, Yeagers CNCPro, Master5, Kcam and controls as such. This is the market
>that it needs to operate in. Given that, it probably should stay stepper
>orientated at first. It would be *very easy* to control with an "indexable
>clutch" and any typical step/dir control on the market because there would be
>nothing proprietary.

Chris, this is standard start up for a CNC machine. "Machine Home". After you set a zero, you enter the work offset as distance, or in the case of a rotary as an angle from machine zero. You would just have to home the rotary after using the spindle as a lathe, and call out your work offset.

I know that Ahha has been used on some woodworking lathes with this kind of setup(with the servo motor). I helped a guy out a year or so back in understanding how to program the C axis with it(actually W, but I was advising the software Cad-Cam side only, and technically it is a C-word). I don't know if they did it themselves (Ahha), of if it was through a distributor.

Depending on your accuracy requirements, a simple prox switch with a bolt head may be enough to reset the rotary. Shopbot uses something like this, and I guess that it repositions to within about .005 inch or so. On a router and with woodworking this is usually plenty good enough for the kind of horseshoes being played. The wood may warp more than that by the next day anyway.

Best Regards, Fred Smith- IMService
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