program a loop in corners on Heidenhain TN530

I have to run a mill with a Heidenhain 530 control and it's very, very common here to mill pockets that are open on one side(same thing with closed pockets I guess) . These controls are so limited with options(cycles) and have no open pocket cycles so a person has to use the std pocket cycle and cheat the pocket so it is wider so it "overshoots" the part edge(and wastes time cutting air) . So I'm just long handing it but when a person runs multiple passes( first pass is outside perimeter then spiraling inward, on closed pockets I usually go inside to out, it just ends with more air cutting on open pockets) with say 80-85% stepover the corners leave those wedges . In G-code(Fanuc style)mills I'm used to I would to just program a negative R value and the mill would do a quick loop in the corners and take care of those wedges .The 530 won't allow Radius values unless I have cutter comp on, but even then it'll just do the standard corner radius and will leave some nubs . Anyone know any tricks to these controls to take care of the corners without doing 5 million passes and only using 40-50% stepovers ?

What 'wedges'?

Why are you afraid of cutter comp, I mean, how do you expect it to do a corner radius if it doesn't know the tool diameter?

There is a pocket finishing cycle, so you could run it however you run it and then one full depth pass in pocket finishing where you are air cutting just the one wall. Difference in time between rapid and feed for one face.

Or just write the code, a rectangular pocket you need 4 locations. IF you did it in tool comp then you could call two tool radii and the same cycle for rough and finish

Cycles are fast to program, but rarely efficient, so if programing time is more important, run the cycle and stop worrying. If run time is more important because you are going to run these parts over and over, then the time to hand code the pocket is not important

[edit]
I wasn' t that clear

program a pocket cycle with no air cutting then program a pocket finishing cycle with one side longer to clean to the edge[I guess those leftover corner radii are the 'wedges'] very littel wasted time

or program a pocket cycle and then about 5 lines of code for a 3 sided finish mill, which you could label and call with either different tool radius or depth, or both, for rough and finish

I ran comp to do the outer edge then shut it off when clearing out the center , just how I normally did for ease of numbers in my head but that was on fanuc style which I had 5 ways of doing it with ease . Am just learning this control so didn't know they took away all radius options without the comp on . I'm going to do a bunch of these so mmr is #1 . One of the first things I've noticed with this control is how inefficient those cycles are(for what there is) and 5 times the mumbo-jumbo lines compared to g codes. Other operator doesn't know g-codes and not interested in it so not able to swap to that way of programming or using a cam software to do it in 1/40th the time.

The wedges I'm talking about are on all the corners where the mill makes a 90° corner move when doing near full cutter width stepovers going from outside to in .With a arc move on the corners it eliminates them though the first stepover does need to be smaller to introduce the corner radius initially(this case already had one though on first pass).

You will have to show me what you mean, I have never seen such a thing.

G code is dense because paper tape needed simple character based code for limited storage

I agree that the pocket cycles are limited, but I think if you have material left, you are doing something wrong, like telling it the wrong tool diameter

Complaining that it isn't a Fanuc won't get you anywhere

the 530 will do a ton of things Fanuc won't, or will charge you a grand for the honor.

And you can run it in G code if it makes you happy, you could even write a program in Gcode and call it from a conversational program if your operator doesn't want to see gcode

I think, never done it

Your not following what I'm saying, not doing it wrong or have cutter dia wrong, it's simple geometry,think round cutter in square hole. The nubs/wedges are on the floor, less stepovers would eliminate them but add passes. This mill can't take sidemilling,MTE4200 with rotary head(and the other guys don't like endmills so everything is done by facemilling instead. of full debth and sidemilling to remove material, not agreeing with that way but I just started here and that's how they have it for tooling. I don't think it'll convert into conversational format if I write in g-code,the program needs to be one or the other .

The 2 other machinists there like these controls, but funny thing is neither has used std g-code, I have since late 90's (ironically ran a TN150 for 5 years before that) so I have a good understanding of the differences. There are definitely some things that are much nicer/easier on these but way too many confinements, I like options.

I am not following what you are saying either?

Take a picture of these wedges.

Then write some g-code.

Does the machine have Macro B?? You could write your own open ended macro that does all the corner loops your heart desires.

The other guy finished the program and ran the current part so no way to take a pic, He did as I said dropped the stepover amount by another .125" and did an extra 2 passes(wasted time now every part). I don't know how to explain it any better, put a 1inch mill in a 1inch square and look where the cutter doesn't hit. These pockets are 12.5" x 10.25 and they want to use a 1" indexable and only taking .025" doc so 30 some z passes, to them this is normal, ridiculous.

Still not getting what you want to do. Can you post a sketch?

Yeah, 30 z passes is crazy.

jjxtrider said:

The other guy finished the program and ran the current part so no way to take a pic, He did as I said dropped the stepover amount by another .125" and did an extra 2 passes(wasted time now every part). I don't know how to explain it any better, put a 1inch mill in a 1inch square and look where the cutter doesn't hit. These pockets are 12.5" x 10.25 and they want to use a 1" indexable and only taking .025" doc so 30 some z passes, to them this is normal, ridiculous.

Click to expand...

If I put a 1 inch endmill into a 1 inch square, I will see 4 corners that have a 1/2" radius. I don't think the wedges you are talking about are the corner radii???


I don't have any reason to argue your process or the other peoples' processes. But y'all should get a CAM package and just post g-code out. Most CAM will post code out a bit more efficient than your canned cycles, and you can fine tune them until the simulation looks just as you expect.



Edit: Okay, I get what wedges you are talking about. you have an inserted endmill with a corner radius (lets assume .030"). I just did an 85% stepover on a 10x10 pocket, and I see what you mean.

So I'm sorry to say, you either need to hand code your part, or drop the stepover like you did. It is not wasted time if you NEED to do it. Sorry to say.

If I posted this code out in G-Code, I would just let it run, then feed the tool to where the little nubs are to wipe them out. I think that the idea of stopping at each corner during roughing and doing a little circular move is cute and might work for you but seems unnecessarily complicated when 2 G1 movements would be all you need)

jjxtrider said:

The other guy finished the program and ran the current part so no way to take a pic, He did as I said dropped the stepover amount by another .125" and did an extra 2 passes(wasted time now every part). I don't know how to explain it any better, put a 1inch mill in a 1inch square and look where the cutter doesn't hit. These pockets are 12.5" x 10.25 and they want to use a 1" indexable and only taking .025" doc so 30 some z passes, to them this is normal, ridiculous.

Click to expand...

None of this has anything to do with the control

If as noted it is the corner radius of the insert, this does not change with the control, you cannot do 100 percent stepover. That is programming not control


why the extra z passes? depth is mostly horsepower.[edit] I see you are horsepower limited.

With less stepover, you should be able to run faster

Those are the wedges I was talking about, I knew all along I could reduce stepovers to get rid of them OR just radiuos each corner so no loop would be needed then but that requires the first clean out pass to be a short stepover to introduce as big a rad since each pass the radius gets smaller. At the other place I did 140pcs 30"× 26" with a 7" milled off around the perimeter. 375 dp (hsm @ .030doc)and playing with various options doing those loops and reducing passes saved a lot of time, a lot of time. I was even able to adjust the loop and reentry into the cut with good high speed footpaths, aka no straight in hit which tended to be hard on inserts(316 stainless).

I wish I could get them to get a cam,I used them at last place 85%, here the guys only learned by hand and are absolutely fighting it. Heck I asked why they don't use endmill for slotting and pockets ect. then go full depth and hsm for some of this stuff.The main guy said he has to change endmills every part and they don't hold up, he ran them the same way, .03-.05 doc(a
z depth) and 1000 passes.