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Fadal tool programming

garyhlucas

Stainless
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Location
New Jersey
We just bought a VMC15 with a 21 tool changer. I want to use a standard tool load of common tools with some pockets left for specials. I’d like to be able use the remaining pockets for various tools by using the tool# with different tool length offsets. I intend to have our cam program select from its tool table with a tool# and length offset (TLO) for that tool. So I might load 5 different tools in pocket 16 with 5 different TLO numbers for that tool. There ARE more TLO# available than pockets? Sound workable?

I intend to have lots of toolholders so very little swapping tools in holders. I use a bit of bright red nail polish on the tool to holder joint so I can tell if the tool moved or got changed and needs to have the length verified.
 
You should be fine as long as nothing changes in the offset page, tool stick out, or holder. Your cam software should be able to change TLO and keep the same Tool number.
 
If this is your first step into CNC milling, I suggest you learn the machine and how it acts. Figure out if it can handle a 5" face mill or only a 2" face mill.
Find out what tooling works best for the type work you do.

After you have become much more familiar with the work and the machine, then it makes sense to the standardize your tooling. You would hate to establish tool 2 as a brand X indexable only to find out brand Y is cheaper and runs better on this machine.
 
Not quite my first experience. I programmed a pair of Fadals at a job shop for about a year doing mostly castings from 50 year old drawings. Ran a Bandit controlled knee mill for a couple years, just watch the blinking lights, no screen! Programmed and ran a Servo 5000 bed mill. Built my own 4 axis mill running Mach 3. Working with a FIRST robotics team to build a CNC router I designed. I program the 5 spindle CNC drilling machine and I am building a 16 spindle version now.

I am just trying to figure a reasonable way to get beyond 21 pre-set pre-programed in Cam tools if possible. This is going to be used to support our automation projects. I am building an automatic loading/unloading system for the 16 spindle drill. Also building a similar system on a grooving lathe to make that process automated. We are building a level winding take up system for an encapsulating extruder.

We want shortest time between 3D model and part on a machine we are building.
 
Have you figured this out yet? I have a Fadal with 21 tools, and I am new to CNC. I tried to load a #22 tool today and can't figure it out. I let me set tool #22 but let me manually load it. Great, now I have tool #22 offset, but it is assigned to "tool 22", not 1-21 and then an offset to #22.

In CAM, I can call tool #1 with offset #22, but how does the machine do this without me having to manually load the tool?

Do I just need to load the tools I want in the pockets I want and just make sure the program reads appropriately??
 
Actually I think you answered my question. If your program requests tool# 22 the machine presents you an empty spindle and you are the tool changer. You put tool 22 in the spindle and your program runs usin the values stored for tool 22 in the tool table. This will work great for us, no production work. I’ll just mark the toolholders so you grab the right tool.

I intend to leave a couple empty pockets so a couple special tools can be changed automatically. Doing that will require the program calling the correct tool pocket and using the tool table settings for the special tool.
 
So I did a test today, set the offset for tool #22 and just manually loaded into tool slot #1. In my post, I made sure the tool call was T1 and offset was H22. Worked perfect. Hope that helps...
 
I see no problems with what you are wanting to do. My only reservation would be the extra time it will take if your tools are not next to each other.
 
So I did a test today, set the offset for tool #22 and just manually loaded into tool slot #1. In my post, I made sure the tool call was T1 and offset was H22. Worked perfect. Hope that helps...

Yeah, that's how it works. You can use T7 with H3 also, but that just gets stupid.

In Format 2 you HAVE to call the height offset, in Format 1(which sucks) you don't have to call a
tool height offset, so I'm not sure how it would work with an H that is different than the T.
 
Yeah, that's how it works. You can use T7 with H3 also, but that just gets stupid.

In Format 2 you HAVE to call the height offset, in Format 1(which sucks) you don't have to call a
tool height offset, so I'm not sure how it would work with an H that is different than the T.
Works for me in Format 1. T# is the ATC bucket and H# is length/diameter offset.

Another thing I haven't tried but have been pondering is using various H#'s with the same tool to tweak cutter comp differently while using the same tool. I ran across this desire recently when wanting to comp 1 feature on a part without comping all the affected features. In reality the correct answer is to update the model but I was being lazy.
 
Hope you dont plan on doing any quantities with the machine. Filling the carousel with common tools sounds like a great idea until you realize Fadals take like 40 seconds to get to the other side of tool changer.

Its really worth the extra time to set tools in order. Changes your machine from unbelievably slow to just kinda slow.
 








 
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