Thread: TL2 used as a Manual

Hi All,

I am trying to find out if it is possible to use the TL2 lathe as a decent manual. I ask, as today all I wanted to do was to quickly bore a part. I essentially wanted to stick the boring bar in, touch the face of the job and zero the Z axis on the screen (like a DRO) then feed. Just like I could on a traditional lathe by just pulling the feed lever, can I do the same on the TL2. It was a quicky that I didn't want to be spending time setting up tools and datums and writing a 'quick' program etc. If we had a decent manual I would have thrown it on there and done it in half the time it eventually took me on the TL2.

I seem to remember from using a TL1 a few years ago that you could just position the tool and then somehow tell it just to feed in Z 'x' length, I'm maybe thinking of some other machine I have used but it is all a bit blurry.

Reading the Addendum in the Haas Lathe manual it mentions the screen with the tabs on it that I remember from my previous experience on the TL1 but I am not sure how to get this up on my TL2.

I may end up requesting a decent manual lathe to compliment our existing machines to allow me to do jobs like this more quickly.

Thanks

I've never use a Haas, but there are several ways to do that. Easiest would be to just move the tool to where you want it and use the manual jog, either via the pulse wheel or with the jog keys. You should be able to zero the Z and X and disregard all of the tool and program offsets for a simple job like that. No need to write any programs.

Yea I used the Z jog key but I had to stand there and hold it, which as it was a longish bore and smallish dia was a very long and slow and painful experience on my poor fingers. I thought there was some way of hitting the jog key twice and it would just feed until I hit it again. Again, maybe I am thinking of other machines I have used.

Some machines have latching jog, but not many (safety thing). You could have typed in a simple MDI line.

Something like: M3 S800 G97 G95 G91 G1 Z-8.0 F.012

Yea tried that, it didn't like the G91 for some reason. Take it out and it obviously tries to go to the Z- position from the G54 machine datum.

You ABSOLUTELY can use it in manual mode. Push the "Hand Jog" button. Then do a SHIFT-X+ and a SHIFT-Z+ (or minus... doesn't matter). You should see an annotation that X and Z are in "Manual Jog" mode. You can then move the hand wheels at will.

Press the "POSIT" button and you'll see your position as on a DRO. Use the ORIGIN button and you can reset the X and Z axes in the "OPERATOR" field of the position window.

Not an elegant manual machine, but totally doable.

Yea I know how to use is as the basic manual using the handwheels to move the X and Z axis and how to zero either axis as needs. I would like to know if I can get it to feed in a single axis as you would with a traditional manual lathe by just pulling the feed lever. Setting up tools and offsets and writing 'quick' programs to do simple tasks such as boring out is too long winded for my liking.

Can you really just waltz up to a manual lathe and pull a single lever and bore a part? No. You have to set the spindle speed, turn on the spindle, zero the tool and DRO, select the feed rate, set the carriage feed direction, THEN you can pull your lever.

A CNC lathe needs all of those steps as well. It is not any more complicated or time intensive than a manual lathe. The only difference is that you are not as familiar with it. You just need someone to walk you through it. Is anyone else at the shop familiar with the machine? Or you could contact your local Haas sales office and see if they can drop by and help you.

No G91 on a lathe. Incremental is done with U & W for X & Z.

MDI --> G97 S800 M03; G01 W-1.0 F.012

I am fully familiar with the machine and can program it and get it to do what I want with my eyes closed (and some mornings I do ), obviously bar this issue.

It would take me a matter of moments to do it on a manual and really just want to know if I can get a TL2 to feed as I could quickly on a manual (ok a couple of levers but pretty much I can put the part in and rough bore quickly). Put the tool in the right place in X and feed it in the Z.

If the answer is no it cannot be done without having to set tool offsets, work offset (G54) and writing a short program (all be it 1 line in MDI) that is fine, I would just like to know for future. There is nobody else in the shop period never mind anybody who may know the answer. If there was I wouldn't be asking on here.

Originally Posted by cybergomer

No G91 on a lathe. Incremental is done with U & W for X & Z.

MDI --> G97 S800 M03; G01 W-1.0 F.012

I like that Cybergomer. I'll give it a whirl tomorrow when I get 5 mins. Simple really thats all I was looking for.


Thanks for your help.

I think you can use G91 on an Okuma, but I'm not sure. Seems like I have done that befroe. I don't really know any other lathe control.

Isn't there a 'jog lock' button...(I'm not sure if that's the correct name) in the middle of the jog buttons?
When it's in lock mode, you push the desired axis button once to start the movement, then again to stop.
I know there is on the mills, but I've never tried it on the TL.

use the IPS intuitave programming system or conversational.

you need to do the following.

set x offset for your tool. I usually dont even have to do this because I use a Dorian toolpost and the value is stored in the offset screen.

set z offset for your tool. this is as easy as touching the face of the part with the tool and pressing the set z button. you dont need to do anything with G54 just leave it zero.

press hand jog and navigate to the screen where it says ID cut, or something like that.

Fill in the blanks and press cycle start. the beauty of this is if you have to take more than one pass the machine will do it automatically.

Also very nice if you want to champher the bore with the same tool. navigate to the id champher screen and fill in the blanks again.

couldn't get any easier if you ask me.

It would take me a matter of moments to do it on a manual and really just want to know if I can get a TL2 to feed as I could quickly on a manual (ok a couple of levers but pretty much I can put the part in and rough bore quickly). Put the tool in the right place in X and feed it in the Z.

I have never seen a Haas without the Jog Lock button as mentioned in this post:

Originally Posted by Honeywell Joe

Isn't there a 'jog lock' button...(I'm not sure if that's the correct name) in the middle of the jog buttons?
When it's in lock mode, you push the desired axis button once to start the movement, then again to stop.
I know there is on the mills, but I've never tried it on the TL.

You can set the feedrate with the .0001, .001, .01 and the .1 buttins, as well as with the feedrate override buttons.