Re: 4-axis control

Dan Falck wrote:

> From: Dan Falck <dfalck@...>
>
> Fred,
>
> How about a 3 axis mill with a rotary table on it? I would mount the
> rotary so that it's axis was parallel to the X axis of the mill's table.

Right, that is pretty much the same as using an indexing head, in
the same position. A rotary axis parallel to the X axis would be called
an 'A' axis. If the rotary is parallel to Y, it would be a 'B' axis. And,
if the rotary table was facing up, it would be a 'C'. With a CNC
vertical mill, there is no reason to put the rotary table facing up, unless
you are tilting the head so that the quill & spindle are no longer
orthogonal to the X-Y plane. You might do this to cut boat propellers
or turbine blades.

That is what I'm eventually shooting for, a system with XYZ and A.
And, maybe, sometime when I'm old and tired, add a W axis for
the knee, so I don't have to crank that thing by hand. (UVW are
auxilliary linear axes parallel to XYZ. And, ABC are rotary axes
parallel to the XYZ linear axes.)

Jon