Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] How important are manual controls on CNC machines?

jmkasunich wrote:

>WIth the new design, the ballscrew and the stepper shaft are
>both parallel to the quill (vertical). It will be very hard
>or impossible to provide a hand crank in the available space.
>
>Am I going to regret not having manual control of the quill?
>
>

Probably not. I have no drill press or other tool, just my CNC'd
Bridgeport. There
are a few times I might have used it as a manual machine with
handwheels, but it
really is no big deal. I'd MUCH rather have the CNC capability when I
really need
it, and use the jog buttons, etc. for simple jobs like drilling a hole
in something.

>I do have a scrounged jog wheel, which I intend to hook up to
>my CNC system. So when the system is powered up, I can still
>move the quill easily. But it will be very difficult to
>adjust the quill when the CNC system is turned off.
>
>

You could put a handwheel on there, if the stepper has a shaft on both ends.
It might not be real convenient, but it might be usable on occasion.
(I do miss the instant-on feature of my Allen-Bradley CNC control.
You could push 'control on', and the complete CNC system would be
ready for jogging before the CRT warmed up and had a picture. But, it
was sluggish and unreliable.)

Jon