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14.4 PRACTICE PROBLEMS

1.

14.5 TUTORIAL - EMCO MAIER PCTURN 50 LATHE (OLD)

•The lathe is shipped with software that is meant to emulate shop floor interfaces. We don’t have the standard keyboard, so we need to use special key stroke sequences on the PC keyboard.

•Procedure:

1.Connect the air supply to the lathe and make sure that the regulator on the lathe is between 25 and 75 psi - 50 psi is good. Ensure that the lath is connected to the PC with the DNC cable. The computer card must also have a terminator on the second connector - this is an empty connector. Turn on the lathe, and the PC.

2.Once the PC is booted, run the emco control software. The screen may come up with warnings. If these warnings don’t disappear when you hit ‘ESC’ call the instructor.

3.First we must zero the lathe. To do this first hit ‘F1’ and then ‘F7?-ZRN’. A small label ‘ZRN’ should appear near the bottom of the screen. Press ‘4’ on the number pad of the keyboard - the lathe should move in the ‘x’ direction. Next, press ‘8’ on the keyboard, the lathe should move in the ‘z’ direction. After all motion has stopped the lathe is calibrated, and it will be put in jog mode.

4.You can move the lathe with the keys on the number pad as well as perform other function.

4 - move carriage left

6 - move carriage right

2 - cross slide out

8 - move cross slide in <SFT>7 - turn spindle on <SFT>6 - turn spindle off

<SFT>2 - turn on/off chip blower <SFT>1 - turn tool turret

+/- - increase/decrease feed

5.You can now put the mill in MDI mode by pressing ‘F1’ then ‘F6?-MDI’. Push the door open and hold it for a second, it will then stay open. Clear the error on the screen with ‘ESC’ and press <SFT>~ the chuck should open and close. Mount a work piece and then close the door.

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6. Put the computer in program mode ----------------

14.6 TUTORIAL - PC TURN 50 LATHE DOCUMENTATION: (By Jonathan

DeBoer)

• SETUP:

The lathe is controlled by a computer through an RS485 port. RS485 is a serial data bus that can be chained from one device to another and must be terminated.

The controlling computer must be running Windows 3.1 or 3.11 and must have the RS485 card installed. Windows 95 will not get along with the interface card, and the software refuses to use an RS232 port with an RS485 adapter. The machine should have as few peripherals as possible; if one device happens to use any of the IRQs/ DMAs/IO ports as the RS485 card, there will be problems. So remove sound cards, extra interface cards, etc. The RS485 card has two DB9F connectors on the back, plug the cable from the lathe in one and a terminator in the other.

Install WinNC (the control software) under Windows 3.1. There are two disks; the installer and a machine data disk.

The lathe needs to be plugged in to the computer, to a power outlet (of course), and to an air supply at 50-75 psi (less than 50 and there isn't enough pressure to open the door). A pressure gauge is on the left side of the machine, all plugs/etc are on the right.

•POWER ON/OFF: To Turn On:

Turn on the computer and machine. To turn on the machine, turn the key on the right side. On the computer, launch Windows if neccisary. Once windows is running, launch WinNC. Make sure NumLock is on before launching WinNC. WinNC will then establish communication with the machine.

To Turn Off:

To just shut off the lathe but not the computer, just turn the key on the lathe. An error will come up in WinNC indicating it lost RS485 communication. Not to worry; when the lathe is turned back on later, hit ESC and the error will go away. To turn off both, exit WinNC by hitting Alt-F4 and then exit Windows. Then Simply switch off both the machine and the computer.

•OPERATION:

Some notes:

The EMCO software is distinguished by having the most counter-intuitive, unnatural, information-withholding, and ornery interface known to man. Most technical references available are in German.

The software periodically pops up error messages for minor and major errors.

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Errors can be dismissed by pressing ESC. If they don't go away, there is a problem that needs to be looked into.

At the bottom of the screen is a menu of options you can select with the F3-F7 keys. This is called the "softkey list" by the Emco documentation, and will henceforth be referred to as the "menu".

A note on coordinates:

The X axis is into/out of the material. X = 0 should be the center of rotation. As long as X is a positive value, moving along X in the positive is moving the tool out of the material and away from center. Moving along X in the negative is moving into the material and toward center.

The Z axis is along the length of the part (along the axis of rotation). Moving along Z in the negative direction is moving toward the spindle head (to the left, facing the machine). Moving along Z in the positive direction is moving away from the spindle head (to the right, facing the machine).

Modes:

The software is ruled by modes. What mode the software is in determines what it can do and what it displays. If something doesn't work or doesn't look right, check what mode the software is in. Remember operational modes are set independently of display modes. The operational mode can be EDIT but programs cannot be edited until the view mode is set to PRGRM, and vice versa.

Hit F1 to get a menu of operational modes:

ZRN mode is used for zeroing the tool position. This should be done the first thing after the machine is turned on.

JOG is used for manual control of the lathe.

MDI is used for changing tools, opening chuck, etc. (actually, you can do all this with JOG)

EDIT is used for editing, loading, and exporting programs. AUTO is used for running programs.

Hit F12 to get display modes:

Note: when you switch view modes, the menu changes.

The default is ALARM mode, which displays operator messages and alarms. Hit F3 to display alarms, F5 to display operator messages.

POS mode displays positions. Hit F3 to display the current absolute position, F4 for the current relative position, and F5 for a variety of details.

PRGRM mode displays the program. Hit F3 to display the program code, hit F4 for a list of all the programs available. If the operational mode is EDIT, you can also edit the code when you hit F3

OFFSET is used for displaying and changing offset values. Hit F3 for wear adjustment and F4 for geometry. These are both parameters for tools. Data for up to 16 tools can be stored at once. Hit F5 for work shift. This is how the working reference point is set. See below.

PARAM is used for changing setup parameters and viewing system information. Hit F3 for setup see below for details. Hit F4 for diagnostics on the RJ485 port and the software version.

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GRAPH is used to simulate output with a graph

The fact that all these modes must share the menu can cause confusion. Remember that if you should be seeing a menu and you aren't, the menu you are looking for may be "behind" the one you are seeing. For example, when you switch to a display mode, you should see the menu for that display mode. If you hit F1, that menu is "covered up" by the menu to select an operational mode. Once you select something from that menu, you will see the view mode's menu again.

Keyboard control:

Note on keyboard control: Many of the keys outlined in the manual are for German keyboards only and are mapped differently on US keyboards. Use this as reference, NOT the manual:

Alt-F4 - Exit

ESC - Dismiss error message F1 - mode menu

F3 thru F7 - select item from current menu

F11 - scroll through menus when they are too wide to fit on the screen (like the MORE key on a Ti-85 calculator)

F12 - function key menu

Ctrl-\ - open/close chuck (must not be in EDIT mode, door must be open) Ctrl-] - open/close door (spindle must be off)

Ctrl-1 - change tool (must not be in EDIT or ZRN mode, door must be closed)

Ctrl-2 - Turn on/off blower

Ctrl-6 - Turn off spindle (JOG mode)

Ctrl-7 - Turn on spindle (JOG mode, door must be shut) arrows - move cursor in the editor

on the numeric keypad:

4 - move -Z in JOG mode, or zero Z axis in ZRF mode 6 - move +Z in JOG mode, or zero Z axis in ZRF mode 2 - move -X in JOG mode, or zero X axis in ZRF mode 8 - move +X in JOG mode, or zero X axis in ZRF mode 5 - zero both axis in ZRF mode

Parameter setup:

There are several screens of setup parameters, you can scroll through the pages with the up and down arrow keys and set these parameters:

On the first page:

INCH =: Sets the unit system. Hit 0 for metric (mm), hit 1 for English (inches)

I/O =: Sets the device for I/O (exporting programs, etc). Hit 1 or 2 for COM port 1 or 2. Hit A for the a: drive (root directory). Hit B for B drive (root directory). Hit C for the hard drive, the c:\WinNC\fan0.t\prg directory, or whatever is specified as the path.

On the third page:

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Baudrate, data bits, stop bits, etc. can be set up for the COM ports On the sixth page:

GEAR =: Sets the gear for the spindle. See the manual.

PATH =: Sets the working path, the default is c:\WinNC\fan0.t\prg. It would be wise not to change this.

• REFERENCE POINTS:

Setting the working reference point (that is, setting 0,0):

The working reference point is the point that your programs will consider to be 0,0 and should be placed at the center of the point where the part enters the jaws of the chuck. The working reference point is defined in terms of the machine reference point. The machine reference point is the center of the face of the spindle head. This is the center of the point where the chuck is fastened to the spindle head, NOT the face of the chuck.

The X zero reference is already at the center of rotation. Don't change it. To set the Z zero reference, do this:

Hit F12 and select POS view mode.

Hit F3 in the POS view mode to select absolute view. Hit F1 and select JOG mode

Now, move the tool holder so that it's left edge is at the point which should be 0 in the Z direction. If you want zero to be the first point of the material that is out of the jaws of the chuck, VERY CAREFULLY move the tool holder (NOT the tool)so that it is just touching the jaws of the chuck. The manual suggests using a piece of paper. Place a sheet of paper between the tool holder and the jaws of the chuck. When the sheet of paper is pinched between the two and can't move, stop moving the tool holder.

Look at the value for Z on the screen, it would be wise to write it down on a sheet of scrap paper.

Hit F12 and select OFFSET mode. Hit F5 for work shift.

Type the negative of the value for Z you wrote down as a Z code. That is, type "Z" followed by "-" followed by the value you wrote down.

Your zero reference has been set. however, you still need to calibrate the tools.

Tool offset setup:

Tools must be matched with tool properties in programs. You can have as many as 16 sets of tool properties, and the PC Turn 50 has three tool holders. Thus, a command in a program to change tools should be of the form "T0316" where T is the command to change tools, the first two numbers are the tool to switch to, and the second two numbers are the tool offset description to use.

To get the Z offset:

Hit F1 and select JOG mode.

Having gotten the Z zero reference, rotate the tool into position and then move the tool to the zero position just as the tool holder was moved to the zero position when setting the zero reference.

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Hit F12 and select OFFSET mode. Hit F4 for Geometry settings.

Properties for up to 16 tools can be stored at once, and are listed on this screen. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the tool description number 1-16 that the X offset is to be stored in.

Hit Z and then hit enter. The Z offset will be saved in that tool description number.

To get the X offset:

Hit F1 and select JOG mode.

Measure the radius of any round part and place it in the chuck. CAREFULLY move the tool so the tip is just touching the surface of the

material.

Hit F12 and select POS mode.

Hit F3 for absolute position display. Observe the value for X. Subtract the value of the radius of the sample part and write this value down.

Hit F12 and select OFFSET mode. Hit F4 for Geometry settings.

Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the tool description number 1-16 that the X offset is to be stored in.

Type "X" followed by the value you wrote down, then hit Enter. The X offset will be saved in that tool description.

• PROGRAMMING:

Multiple programs (up to 9499) can be stored on the hard drive of the computer itself and be used by WinNC. They are treated as subprograms, and addressed with O codes. So a program name is O0001 or O4365, etc.

Creating/opening/exporting programs:

Hit F1 and select EDIT mode from the menu Hit F12 and select PRGRM mode

Type Oxxxx where xxxx is a number between 1 and 9499 and is the number of the program. Then:

To create a program, hit Enter. If the number specified already exists, nothing will happen.

To open an existing program, hit down arrow. If the number specified does not exist, nothing will happen.

To delete a program, hit Delete. If the number specified does not exist, nothing will happen.

To export a program, hit F9. If the number specified does not exist, nothing will happen. The program will be exported to the device specified by the I/O parameter under the settings menu (see above). If the export device is a disk, the file name will be oprgxxxx where xxxx is the program number

Running a program:

Hit F1 and select AUTO mode. Hit F12 and select PRGRM mode.

Open the program: type Oxxxx where xxxx is the program number and hit down arrow.

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Hit 0 on the numeric keypad (this is RESET) Hit Enter on the numeric keypad. (this is RUN)

Loading a program:

The interface for this is unusable and completely undocumented. Do this instead: Exit WinNC by hitting Alt-F4.

Open the Windows File Manager, and copy the G-code file from your disk to the c:\WinNC\fan0.t\prg directory.

rename the file o1, o2, o4567, or whatever you want the new program number to be.

Now when you get back into WinNC, the file will be there as if you had created a program by that number right in WinNC.

Notes on the editor:

The editor is a basic text editor with some restrictions to make sure you enter valid codes.

Type a "word" (that is, a code: N00, G01, X5.395, etc.) and hit enter. Hit enter twice to start a new line. You can use the cursor to move about and insert text. It's a bit hard to control, but fairly intuitive.

Notes on G-codes for the PC Turn 50:

The PC Turn 50 takes a fairly standard set of G codes, which is the only thing covered well in the manual. Note that WinNC and the PC Turn 50 use command definition set C in the manual. There are several things worth noting.

O codes are not allowed, as they are used for identifying programs.

There are only two axis, X and Z, so all the 3d aspect of G codes do not apply. Keep in mind most tools are designed to cut only in one direction in the Z axis. There are some G codes relatively unique to the PC Turn 50. G20, G21, G24, and

G33 are new cycles for turning and threading for example.

• STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL:

assumes you have written a G-code file.

1.Switch on the lathe with the key.

2.Switch on the computer, launch Windows File Manager.

3.Copy the G-code file from your disk to the c:\WinNC\fan0.t\prg directory and rename it o---- where ---- is a number that isn't already being used.

4.Exit the File Manager, launch WinNC.

6. Close the door if necessary with Ctrl-]

5.Hit F1 to bring up the operating mode menu, and hit F7 for ZRN mode.

6.On the numeric keypad, hit 5 to move the tool to the machine's reference point. The machine should then go to JOG mode.

7.Set zero references and tool offsets if they haven't been set already. See above for details.

8.Open the door with Ctrl-], then open the chuck with Ctrl-\.

9.Place a part to turn in the chuck's jaws and close the chuck with Ctrl-\. Close the door.

8.Hit F1 to bring up the operating mode menu, and hit F4 for EDIT mode.

7.Hit F12 to bring up the view mode menu, and hit F4 for PRGRM mode.

8.Type what you renamed your file to, ("O0042" for example) and hit the down arrow key. Your program should be displayed on screen.