Fanuc oi questions

We recently got a large 2007 leadwell lathe at work with a Fanuc oi control. My boss thought it was a conversational control but they finally got it fired up today and to me the control looks like it is g code only. So my question does the fanuc oi control have a conversational side or no. Sorry my Fanuc knowledge is very lacking we have mostly Mazaks.

Anybody know the fanuc oi control?

I have info for an 0iA which is a bit older than yours. CAPi was available as an option. If you do not have a softkey under the edit screen labeled CAP-i then your machine was not ordered with the option.

I looked at this control again. It is actually a fanuc oi-tc

Does it say "Loading Manual Guide i" during startup?

I have an 0i and an 18i from different MTB's, but both have MGi accessed by pressing the unlabelled button immediately to the right of Graph / immediately below Custom.

The 18i starts up in MGi, the 0i doesn't. I assume this is a parameter...

Press the Graphic/Custom button a few times and if it takes you into Manual Guide, then you have it.

gregormarwick said:

Does it say "Loading Manual Guide i" during startup?

I have an 0i and an 18i from different MTB's, but both have MGi accessed by pressing the unlabelled button immediately to the right of Graph / immediately below Custom.

The 18i starts up in MGi, the 0i doesn't. I assume this is a parameter...

Click to expand...

I pressed the unlabled button and it worked. The machine has the Manual Guide i. now I just need to learn how to use it. Do most guys use this or just use a cam program.

cuttergrinder said:

I pressed the unlabled button and it worked. The machine has the Manual Guide i. now I just need to learn how to use it. Do most guys use this or just use a cam program.

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Seems like plenty of people use it, but we use cam. I have a new hire that used it exclusively at his last place.

For learning, the basic Fanuc manual can be downloaded here, but it's the typical Fanuc Yellow Book format that's a challenge to read and stay sane.

I have a much more readable book by Fanuc Europe that's focused on turning, with some live tool milling covered as well. It's very picture heavy and well written. I found it somewhere on the internet years but can't find again. It's way too big to email but if you want it I'll put it up on google drive or something so you can download it.

Manual Guide i is pretty much useless on a milling machine, might be better on a lathe? A CAD/CAM system is much faster for me.

That said, lathes are pretty simple and if you've got things like G7X canned cycles the later controls with Manual Guide can at least help you learn how to use them so you can finger-CAM later.

Nothing like Mazaks, which I like LOL.

We have the machine running and we did take a cut by just using the jog button. I have been reading the books and I still am not sure how to set the work z offset. I changed the G54 value in Z on the offset page to zero. I also set G54ext Z value to zero. I then home the machine in both x and z and the absolute value on the display says Z 0.00 while it is in the home position. I then jog the carriage down until my tool is right at the end of my shaft and I want to set that as my work Z 0.00. My display is then saying somewhere around Z -120.0" Do have to type this number into the Z box on the offset page on the G54 or is there a button or combination of buttons to the Set the part zero. On our Mazak mill I just go to the offset page and highlight the box for the axis I want to zero and press the teach button and then enter.

gregormarwick said:

It's way too big to email but if you want it I'll put it up on google drive or something so you can download it.

Click to expand...

That would be great if its not too much trouble

cuttergrinder said:

We have the machine running and we did take a cut by just using the jog button. I have been reading the books and I still am not sure how to set the work z offset. I changed the G54 value in Z on the offset page to zero. I also set G54ext Z value to zero. I then home the machine in both x and z and the absolute value on the display says Z 0.00 while it is in the home position. I then jog the carriage down until my tool is right at the end of my shaft and I want to set that as my work Z 0.00. My display is then saying somewhere around Z -120.0" Do have to type this number into the Z box on the offset page on the G54 or is there a button or combination of buttons to the Set the part zero. On our Mazak mill I just go to the offset page and highlight the box for the axis I want to zero and press the teach button and then enter.

Click to expand...

Make sure all the G54 EXT are set to zero. These are the universal offsets that are applied to all others.

Hit the Offset/Settings button until you see Offsets (Settings comes up first). Then you will have a "Work" softkey. That will bring up your offsets (you seem to have found this). Then I never remember if you need to highlight the offset you want to change (like you do on the tool offsets page) or if you just start typing the axis letter and the position (for instance, Z0.004 if you're using a piece of paper to touch off) for the softkey to show up. "Input C." is one way to do it and there is a "Meas" or "Measure" button on another screen. I think the difference is work offsets versus tool offsets?

Hard for me to visualize without going out to the shop and firing up the mill to remember the order of operations.

Anyways, you will sometimes need to MDI a call for the WCS you're zeroing for it to show up. Also there are oddities with having tool offsets called versus not called IIRC, so you may need to have a tool offset active in order to touch off your WCS zero? Crap I haven't run a lathe in months now.

cuttergrinder said:

That would be great if its not too much trouble

Click to expand...

No trouble at all.

Manual Guide i - Turning Made Easy

Thanks everyone for the help. I have been reading the manuals we got with the machine but they seem to be written in greek. Lol Especially the manuals written by Leadwell. I think they were originally written in Chinese and then translated by google or something. Some of them make no sense at all.