Re: Electronic Lead Screw & Power Cross Feed | Poor CNC ?

Bob,

In many ways, I agree with you, but with respect to the word-
processor/DTP comparison, I tend to disagree a bit. Here's why:

If you design a part to be manufactured on a lathe or mill using an
app like Mastercam, you can easily make a dimensioned drawing and
take it to the manual lathe/mill to build, or with a few more mouse
clicks, you can send it to the post-processor and output a CNC
executable G-code file.
Plus Mastercam has backplot and simulation modes where you can
visualize what is happening and check for tool crashes etc. (major
simplification...the app is extremely powerful)

You can use all sorts of app functions to take the CAM part as far
as you want to go a'la the DTP analogy, but for a good number of
things, you have an easily executable CNC program for little more
effort than the part drafting design itself.

I belive this is where the folks who are saying that "if you intend
to spend the time, effort and money to ELS a single axis, you might
as well CNC the whole thing" are coming from.

As I have posted elsewhere, I see the ELS as a CNC "Super Axis"
which can either participate in full CNC, or it can do just the ELS
function on its own.

I have read your posts over at 9x20 & shumatech and viewed your
website and it sure looks like you are really tearing into a new and
very fun hobby!
I think though, if you try Mastercam and see how easy it is to
create parts and turn them into G-code files, you'd agree that the
jump from manual to CNC isn't that huge if you intend to use a
design tool to draw up your parts in the first place.
If you will do your design on a napkin, of course, the difference is
a lot more.

Regards,

Tom

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "BobWarfield" <bob@t...>
wrote:

>
> Aye Juan, you are right, but only sort of.
>
> The trouble is that the word processor is the e-leadscrew, the
> pencil and paper is a pure manual lathe, and your fancy CNC system
> is what used to be heard of as a "desktop publishing system." The
> analogy is very good. Publishing makes sense when it has to be

just

> so and I want a lot of copies. Word processing is quick and easy,
> but a bit more polished than pencil and paper. I sure don't turn

to

> fire up a PC and run a WP when I want to jot down a quick
> measurement in my workshop, however! I type 70 wpm very well and
> don't care for WP's to take notes in meetings either. There is
> no "comfort zone" here at all. I make my living with computers
> writing software.
>
> CNC today is much more like desktop publishing or even more

closely

> like editing raw HTML than it is like firing up the word

processor.

> Maybe someday it won't be, but it is today. Until that later day,
> other solutions will continue to be attractive. And it isn't just
> that people "don't understand or aren't comfortable." They are

not

> the same solution! The e-leadscrew actually will save work for

some

> scenarios regardless of comfort zone. I hear the latter from

rabid

> CNC'ers all the time who love it to make many copies or really
> intricate stuff, but want manual tools to do quick one offs.
>
> What's specious is to ignore that there can be two perspectives

and

> insist there's only one answer to everything. There never is, and
> that's the nature of tools in particular.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> BW
>
> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, juan gelt <juangelt@y...>
> wrote:
> >
> > perspectives on specialty machinery and general
> > automation...
> >
> > 'what is the benefit of a specialty lathe that ONLY
> > has spindle and lead screw synched'?
> >
> > i think that's what this now resolves to....
> >
> > and, as always, any question of value presupposes an
> > answer to 2 other questions: of value to whom and for
> > what?
> >
> > many specialty machines exist that only do a small
> > part of what *could* be done on a cnc rig. a gear
> > hobber springs to mind...
> >
> > electronic synch of lead screw and spindle, if it
> > serves some pupose for someone, is completely
> > justifiable.
> >
> > for a cncer to scorn that as 'the height of one's
> > ambitions' is also only natural.
> >
> > despite all the confusing fruit metaphors that may
> > have r&d watermelons mixed in with the apples, it is
> > my own view that creating a circuit to accomplish
> > everything you can do with a 2$ optodetector on a cnc
> > rig makes about as much sense as building a plane with
> > no wings 'cuz of the added complexity' (well, it will
> > get me down the road and tha's all i need. who needs
> > to actually fly?!!)
> >
> > quote: replace the
> > > leadscrews, learn how to programm fight with
> > > software control and
> > > have a big controller box and find a place to put
> > > it. endquote
> >
> > um...i regularly send stuff to the printer instead of
> > scrawling it out with a burnt stick on pressed
> > vegetable matter. the device is so much bulkier than a
> > pencil, too! i've somehow gotten used to typesetting
> > on an expensive complicated pc instead...lol. i know
> > it's indirect...i'm shielded from all the
> > complexity...it gets the job done much faster and
> > better, tho.
> > this analogy is to show how we do get used to
> > programming- even to our spoken words. this very
> > message was done thru layers and layers of excessive
> > complexity when i *could* have used a cup and a
> > string!!!!
> >
> > comfort zone matters a whole lot, for i've seen ppl do
> > ten times the work in order to avoid a tiny bit of
> > what they are unfamiliar with...lol.
> >
> > comfort with one's resources and talents IS a valid
> > concern in the production of anything. morbid phear of
> > having to learn an extra 50 vocabulary words in order
> > to master the complexities of a line and an
> > arc...well...that's spretty specious.
> > (simplified to the point of distortion for the sake of
> > brevity)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________
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> >
>