I have been having crazy z axis issues for months now, it’s gotten worse and at this point I cannot even make a part.
The issue is that I set my z axis 0 with the probe. I then calibrate my toolsetter. Next I put a tool in, calibrate it and then run my NC program and one of two things will happen. THe tool will come down on the part at the wrong height, or more often, the z axis will rise, but to far, and cut off the program and then I have to start all over.
Sometimes it will not exceed the z axis height and when the NC program starts, come down at the wrong height, to high, and miss the cut. When that happens I have zeroed the z axis manually using the tool instead of the probe. And then when the z axis rises at the start of the program, it rises to high and the machine cuts out. Its like the z axis is loosing its position. Or, it will start and the tool will come down to high again! So it seems to be missing a beat on the z axis change in height.
This problem happens all the time when I am working lower on the table, about 1 inch from the surface. It happens sometimes when I am working about 2 inches from the surface.
WHen this first started happening, if I kept setting things up over and over again, it would finally work. Now, there is nothing I can do to make it work and I have some parts I have to get down by the weekend so I hope there is an easy fix for this?
ALso, sometimes my probe will touch a surface, and at that moment give an error that something triggered the probe prematurely. I dont know if this could be part of the issue, but I don’t think so as I have tried setting the z 0 with a tool as well and still had this z axis wrong height issue.
It sounds like your Z is missing steps. Normally I would expect it to miss steps going up, not down, but your description is that it goes up properly but is ending up at the wrong place when going down.
Do you know if you have the large driver attached to X or Z? Langmuir shipped machines both ways. If it is on the X you could try putting it on the Z (or get a larger driver for the Z).
As a test you could write a program that cycles the Z axis up and down ~100 times (just moving 2 inches) at a variety of speeds. If you always move the same distance then it should end up exactly the same place that it started.
AlexW’s suggestion about running a program in Z at different speeds will identify a missing step issue. I suspect either a probing cycle problem or what I’ve seen is the stupid thing won’t actually write the new offset. Sounds like you’ve run into that problem too but even re-running the probe isn’t doing it anymore.
These bugs are getting annoying and I haven’t even seen all of the ones people are experiencing. I’m seriously starting to look into getting mine converted to LinuxCNC. At least then it will be reliable.
Thank you Alex, I will try the suggestion. I don’t know if I have the large driver attached to x or z. I will try to figure that out as well.
It seems to miss them both up and down.
By large driver, you mean the driver motor?
I mean the motor driver that is in the control box. Langmuir ships the machine with e smaller drivers and one high current driver, but was inconsistent on where the larger driver was used.
I ran the z axis up and down and it does not appear to be skipping steps as far as I could tell. I then played with my tool setter. Question - is the toolsetter offset supposed to change the tool offset value with each tool change. I would think so, mine keeps the same value of the calibration tool.
More detail on exactly what is happening:
I set my xyz using the probe. I then calibrate the tool setter with the probe. Then I put my tool in and set that tool using the tool setter. After this one of two things happen. I start my program and it starts to run but goes to the wrong z height, to high, and does not start the cut where it should. It may be a few mm high, or as much as 1.5 inches high. Or, I start my nc program and the z axis rises too high and cuts out with an alarm. So it seems that in this second case the machine is confused as to the z height and so rises up the z height to high.
To troubleshoot this I spent time checking the z 0 after random tool changes. Sometimes the tool change is successful and the new z0 is correct, other times it is not. On the times it is correct, if I start the program, the z axis rises to high and the machine gives an alarm and cuts out. So it almost appears that there may be that the z axis is missing steps.
It would almost have to be skipping steps or otherwise losing its position in order to hit the Z limit and alarm out. As long as the soft limits are turned on inside of CutControl it shouldn’t ever get to the limit switch and alarm out.
Doesn’t appear hes hitting the home switch. Hes hitting the soft limit.
This tells me its a program error or an offset. I would pay very close attention to the work offset compared to absolute machine position and programmed position. Quite often people don’t realize their z offset is already somewhat close to the machine absolute position limit and then their program tries to move the machine beyond that. I do it quite often lol.
It doesnt sound like thats the case here, at least not every time but it does sound like it is happening. The offsets not being properly written is a very annoying bug for sure.
i have had similar thing. i think like dre said, not sure its writing the new offset. I always check the z after i set it to make sure its actually where it should be and not 1" or so above.
also the z retract some times seems to go way to much, way more then needed.
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It would almost have to be skipping steps or otherwise losing its position in order to hit the Z limit and alarm out. As long as the soft limits are turned on inside of CutControl it shouldn’t ever get to the limit switch and alarm out.
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So it seems like you have had the same issue as I did, does it still happen sometimes?
I read through this thread because I was experiencing exactly what OP was but the outcome wasn’t the same.
I’m cutting a part that has 4 ops and after setting the stock for the 2nd op, I used the touch probe to to designate the origin. Last step before removing the touch probe was to set the tool offset by Calibrating the touch probe to the tool setter.
All of this was done in G54. I say this because for some reason my 2nd op defaulted to G55 which I never calibrated to. Luckily when I pressed Start the end mill started making passes well above the stock.
It took me a few repeated attempts to see what was happening because after pressing Stop, cut control defaulted back to G54, I had to be quick to notice that the op was running in G55.
Obviously, I’m leaning towards user ignorance and not blaming cut control. However, I’d like some guidance on how I ended up in G55 for my 2nd op? For CAM I’m using f360, and as a solidworks guy, I’m still learning all the intracacies with the new platform.
I’m hoping someone will chime in and impart some wisdom on how to toggle through the work coordinations and how I ended up here.
Need to clarify your steps, not saying you’re doing it wrong. Maybe it’s just the way you typed it. I was doing it wrong at first.
The steps are:
Probe stock Z
Calibrate Probe
Auto Tool Set
Seamus,
I F360 you should always set your WCS in the Stock Setup. It is located in the 3rd tab of stock setup called “Post Process” In Fusion 1= G54 2=G55 3=G56 etc…
In addition to setting the WCS when post processing there is a section that allow for splitting programs based on tool changes. I recommend that you don’t use it. Instead for each different tool change have it as a separate program. Its not hard to do in Fusion. Hope this helps