Yes…the XR has it all worked out…but it is a different table…
but you are missing the picture of all the smaller things that need to be addressed to make this work…I pointed out some before…I will point out a few more for you…
location on the Pro is different than the XR for switches
you have different drive and gantry system so you need to design a new mounting style that any person can install the switches
you need the right hardware that can be installed without getting in the way of the existing function of the table
the control box requires modifications as the present box does not have the knock-outs for extra components.
then you need all the parts for the mounting hardware…control box modifications…wires for the Pro…
I have had my table since the first batch went out of the Pro…2 years ago…I bought the table…like you knowing the limit switches were not available…
they will come out when they come out…and when they do I am sure Langmuir will have covered all the bases to make sure they deliver the best product they can…like they have done with each of their products…along with customer service.
why did you not buy a different table if limit switches were so important to you?
Because this is the only CNC machine I have every worked on that didn’t have limit switches integrated from the factory.
I have worked at a few shops with 20+ CNC machines and went to school where we had 6-7 CNC machines
A mistake on my part for assuming something designed to be a CNC would not have limit switches.
The only CNC’s I have seen without limit switches are DIY contraptions or something like a much older Prototrak which is a retro fit for a manual mill. All the up-to-date Prototrak retrofits have an E stop built into the controller.
Part of the reason why I didn’t buy an XR is because I don’t make or cut parts that large.
I also don’t have the space for a machine that large right now.
I also don’t own a forklift or buy materials in full 4X8 sheets.
Thanks for taking the time to answer, I wasn’t aware of the differences between the machines and had not seen any mention of any differences in this thread previously.
For what I am wanting to do, just waiting isn’t an effective strategy at this time
All different manufacturers? I can’t imagine the operational nightmare that having 20 different manufacturers machines for one function (CNCing parts) would create. The logistics would be ridiculous. If they’re all from the same manufacturer then they would only represent one design choice because manufacturers like consistency in their products & manufacturing operations.
I have a 7K laser, a 5K CNC router, neither of which have limit switches - they use different tech to establish “home”.
But I have worked with a 15K laser and a 12K CNC router that did have limit switches.
So following your approach I might say that half the machines I’ve used had them and half didn’t.
There are a number of ways to get the same result limit switches provide - just do a search. You’re not the first guy who wanted them. But if you don’t want to go through the trouble you can sell the LS for pretty much what you paid and move to one that matches your work preferences.
I wish my Lexus got more than 18mpg. It’s the only car I’ve had that doesn’t. Pretty much every car gets better gas mileage. But I’m not selling the Lexus because I love the ride and the rest of the experience.
I fail to see what you guys hope to achieve by adding limit switches. Admittedly, this machine and a 3d printer are my only experience with CNC machines, so maybe I’m just not understanding what you hope to gain with limit switches.
I kind of like being able to just choose where to locate my parts by zeroing the torch on the spot where I want it. I jog the torch around the drawing to make sure it fits and hit start. If I screwed up the placement of my part, limit switches will prevent a crash, but my part is still ruined.
I’m sure I’m missing something, but I’ve seen a few guys with damaged limit switches on their XR tables and they can’t run the table because it won’t “home”.
I agree that limit switches aren’t very useful during the actual cutting… if you crash during a cut or hit the limit switch the result is still the same, wasted ,material.
I follow a similar process you do when setting up for a cut.
For me when a limit switch would come in handy is when I make the avoidable mistake of being in continuous mode when I think I am in incremental mode jogging close to the extents of the table.
A totally preventable mistake… but one I have made more than I would like to admit.
It is probably more practical to just slow down and be more attentive of what I am doing when jogging near the extents of the table but sometimes I am thinking about 5 or 6 things at the same time.
limit switches are helpful in indexing large parts. If you have a known torch starting part you can use the torch DRO to line up a couple known cut locations to align the part for the next series of cuts. I’ve done this with a set of physical pins and things but home switches make it easier to do from startup.
What you just impulse buy? Should have done your research on the pro, and you would have known before purchase it has NO homing switches.
Been using my pro for 3 years and have had no issues using it. Bought the XR couple months back and don’t see real advantage with the home switches over the pro, except that the Xr will resquare itself.
While I am eager to get them, I also understand that LS is going to have to stand behind this kit so, yes, they’ll want to source identical parts, verify all the wires, brackets etc are what they need to be. Now, those of you that are really handy, (looking at you two, Dykas and Goheen), can probably hop over to your local electronics store, buy the switches, mill the brackets and be in business. I, OTOH, will continue to (impatiently) wait for the finished product. I’ve been running the heck out of this table since batch 1 and I am doing fine without but I still will grab the convenience of limit switches when they happen.
20+ machines but not 20 different manufactures.
For manual machines there was probably 5 different brands and for the CNC’s there was probably 8-9 different brands.
The concepts are all the same so it’s not so difficult to go from one machine to another.
Right, I have seen other people suggest just crashing the machine to it’s physical limits to setup up a reference for X and Y zero. I’d rather not add unnecessary strain and abuse if possible.
Adding limit switches if you want to make a car analogy should be something akin to putting aftermarket wheels and tires, but that’s probably me just over simplifying
With limit switches you can set a machine zero, which is a fixed repeatable location.
From there you use G code to tell the machine where the edge/corner of your part/stock is (G54)
Check out this video it’s pretty easy to understand the concept
I guess we work differently,
I weld custom parts together and to ensure parts come out dimensionally accurate as possible I use Jig’s and Fixturing to hold parts in place because often times dimensions and angles are critical features.
Dimensions may not be important for something that is ornamental or say has a loose tolerance which maybe the case for many people.
Having limit switches would make it possible for one to have much smaller pieces of material cut and setup against a fixture/jig/stop to make the same part.
It also helps when you needed to make fine adjustments, so the parts come as close as possible to finial dimensions.
Most of us are cutting parts from a large sheet of material. Over time, that material gets a lot of parts cut from it and there are only certain spots where a part will fit. It’s easier to just jog the torch over to a spot where the part will fit and zero the torch there. Otherwise you have to keep a record of each sheet and what has been cut from it, so you can program where to place the part in CAM.
ds,
You’re right for 95% of the parts I do limits switches are not needed. but for those 5% of parts that I want to make on the table and now I make another way limit switches will speed up the whole process make it more precise because I can run it on the table and not manually.
For those jobs their worth the cost to me just in time and wasted materials.
Their not for everyone but the most of the folks that have been looking for them on the boards have use cases for them (yes a couple are using to say see it’s not as good as my favorite fanboy brand X but those folks are going to always find a way to prove theirs is bigger than yours (no 2" is not that big))
The fact that the switches that not everyone needs are an optional part is awesome. It allows the whole machine to be just a little cheaper but give the few of us that really want them the ability to add them.
@Max and @maleybr I keep seeing comments that limit switches make the parts more precise. You both have allot more CNC experience than I will probably ever have so this is a genuine question.
How do limit switches make the part more precise? Do they communicate with the control board to create a square cutting envelope if the gantry is slightly out of square?
I was referring to the fact that I have to manually cut out parts that would require indexing to be cut on the table. Or have to come up with a work around to align parts as it index them through the table. The work around is to set a point on drawing 1 as “Home” for drawing 2. Then move the torch to that point on the sheet and reset the machine zero. I’ve had parts that I was on the last index (3) and 2hrs into the total job to have the torch cut backward across the part an into the clean sheet all before I could hit stop. Because I had set home on the last drawing with it upside down and not noticed it. Of course it was the last sheet of the material I had on hand too, the day before the deadline. On the upside it was a part for me and not a customer…So I could make something else work. But it was watching $50 disappear right in front of me in a blink of an eye. I’ve indexed a few parts with no issues. But it’s a pain and I don’t like doing it because theirs too much human in it. That’s me as the guy that pays for everything doing it. I would not put an employee in that position just wouldn’t be good for them (too much stress if their trusted) or for the business (not my $$ I’m keep running it till it works. Not going tell anyone I made scrap all afternoon) . Limit switches Allow you to set a know “Home” on the machine. That home can be set to match on the Drawings. It doesn’t change. So for indexing a part I know that if Line up these 3 points (to make sure the part is square in a know direction) and the torch starts from this fixed point it will cut this and it will all line up.
Also as max says it allows you to setup a fixture or jig to do repeat parts. Helpfull if you have a bunch of the same shape drops from a job that you want to reuse for another part. Just drop it in place hit go. Reload blank, hit go…all day long. No lining up on this or that. It lets you maximize your yield every time. You have to think a little different if you have “help” running the machine. Try to take the thinking and skill out as much as you can where you can.
The switches don’t communicate anything more to the controller than the carriage has hit me. Depending on the setup it could be defined as Home (0) or extents (to keep the carriage from running into the end of the rail and loosing steps) or both. They infer nothing about the squareness of the gantry that’s up to you in assembling it.
