Re: 4-axis control

Message: 22
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 14:25:58 -0400
From: Fred Proctor <proctor@...>
Subject: 4-axis control

EMC folks,

I'm working on 4-axis control for EMC. We are finishing up a version of
the G code interpreter that is configurable for variations of XYZABC. I
need to fix the motion planner to handle orientation control. This is
what will take the most time. The stepper motor interface can handle 6
axes (this is what I used for the hexapod) so that's done. Servos
already handle up to 8 axes.

For those of you who want four (or five) axes, what are your
configurations?

--Fred

[I'm using a mill with a rotary axis fixed to the table like the bed of a
lathe- perpendicular to the spindle. The two milling methods I've been
tinkering with are 1) Running the g-code file for a 3-d contoured form to
carve the part out from one view, then indexing over (90 or 120 degrees at
a time, usually) and running another 3-d NC program representing the part
rotated the appropriate amount. The other method (2) involves generating
2-d splines for every degree or so of the surface's circumference, running
a g-coded version of that spline path, then indexing over a degree and
running the next one. ]

Andrew Werby

Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com