Renishaw probes just aren't worth the money...

Also, Friday is the most overrated day of the week.

OK OK I jest, but I had to get your attention with my ridiculous title.

I had a sad day today, one of my fucking Renishaw part probes got a wee bit busted up.

I'm setting up my 5-axis with a spherical part. So I setup my probing macro, I need to use every mm of length that my stylus has to offer, so I measure exactly how far I need to drop down to get the feature. Mistake 1 - not using the longest stylus. Anyway I take my positions for drop down depth and instead of subtracting, I added. Mistake 2. Should be good to go let's run it!

Probe drops down, oh shit, that's too far...oh fuck it's going to hit! I better press feed hold. Super smart guy! So I smash feed hold. Mistake 3. Oh shit it isn't stopping fuck fuck what do I do?? I stand there like an idiot while I hear this horrifying crunching sound and finally got my shit together and hit Estop. But not before the probe kindly separated itself from its tool holder and crashed to the floor of my machine. Shiiiiit.

Well in the end I think it is the best case of a bad scenario. The probe body contacted on the metal radius at the bottom of the body so the whole system is still in tact theoretically, no broken glass. It still responds to touch triggers but now I can't really use it because the mounting hardware is completely trashed.And the adjustment set screws are now permanently residents of the probe body. And the probe body got a bit mashed. And the mounting screw got bent to hell. I think she is fine, just a little roughed up.

I contacted Renishaw to see what they say, hoping that I don't have to send it out to them for inspection.

Lessons: Always keep your finger on STOP CYCLE or E STOP when running a sketchy probing cycle. And always assume you're an idiot and did the math wrong, because you probably did


Anyways have a great weekend!

.

I hate expensive lessons...

And your shop is too clean! Are you trying to shame the rest of us??

Feed hold does not work in a probe cycle?
Do feed overrides work when probing so that one can very slowly run it for testing?

well that blows.
I know a guy on this forum that has a disk fix for that.

CarbideBob said:

Feed hold does not work in a probe cycle?
Do feed overrides work when probing so that one can very slowly run it for testing?

Click to expand...

yes it does but the feed hold button on the handle jog wheel (which i hit) sometimes doesn't trigger right away and its finicky...the hardkey button on the control panel locks into place when you press that one which I should have done

mkd said:

well that blows.
I know a guy on this forum that has a disk fix for that.

Click to expand...

disk fix??

Nice thing is that I never get caught in any such oops over the years.
I just always do it right. Double and triple check my work. I'm sure it is correct and it never fails.
(Can you tell that I am a lying sack of shit).

Is there a award for smashing more holders, tooling. workheads and probes? I think I qualify.
Shit happens and for sure it sucks paying the bill but yours.
Do it to customer's expensive machine and try to crawl out of that hole. They paid you to be perfect and sitting at the right hand of God.
Bob

I did that ONCE! very expensive education... Renishaw is probably the best though as far as repairs and replacements.

Renishaw has an exchange program where they'll overnight you a new one, and you send that one back for "core credit" or the like. Probably best to call them on the phone.

And I think I have one with a minor case ding like that that still works fine, but it might have been written off in a later /s moment of excellence /s...

I found Renishaw's exchange program to be very generous. I once sent in an MP10 probe that had been crushed and bent. I fully expected them to tell me that it would not qualify for the "core credit" and that I'd have to buy a new unit. To my surprise, they accepted it and sent out an exchange probe at the exchange price.

I 3D print a disk that presses onto the base of the stylus and extends just wider than the probe body. If I make a mistake the disk contacts before the body and triggers the probe.

Here, I just put it on Thingiverse. First time uploading there, so let me know if it works:

Renishaw Probe Protection Disk Rev 1.0 by MHajicek - Thingiverse

Yeah the Ren probe cycles on my Brothers don’t respond to feed hold or even cranking the feed/rapid knobs down. I hate it.

mhajicek - I can download and see both the .stl and the .sldprt files from thinkverse - so that works. But the 'front page picture' is blank - some somebody who hadn't been sent there by you might be befuddled about what the part actually is.

I have no idea how you would fix this.

On okuma, both feed hold and override work. Even inside the protected feed moves I'm pretty sure.

Nerdlinger said:

Yeah the Ren probe cycles on my Brothers don’t respond to feed hold or even cranking the feed/rapid knobs down. I hate it.

Click to expand...

They must have put a line in the macro that locks the overrides. Can you override ordinary programs? On older software machines, if you lock the feed override (not a bad thing when probing, calibration is based on a specific feedrate) it would also lock the rapid override. Newer software allows locking one or the other. You could change the line of code. I believe it is #3004=1 if memory serves. Check programming manual, macro chapter, and make the line #3004=0.

BROTHERFRANK said:

They must have put a line in the macro that locks the overrides. Can you override ordinary programs? On older software machines, if you lock the feed override (not a bad thing when probing, calibration is based on a specific feedrate) it would also lock the rapid override. Newer software allows locking one or the other. You could change the line of code. I believe it is #3004=1 if memory serves. Check programming manual, macro chapter, and make the line #3004=0.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately we don't know what command was the machine executing when this accident happened, as we don't know too if this command was "Renishaw genuine", or customers own. We also don't know if measuring macros used were Inspection Plus, but I assume that at least this last assumption is correct.
Using #3004 is tricky and can be dangerous. In entire Inspection Plus it is used once only, in macro O9726. This macro controls the MEASURE MOVE, which is executed at very low feedrate. The #3004=2 command appears just before G31 move command, and is cancelled with #3004=0 command just after the move. #3004=2 disables just feedrate override (important to get skip signal delay equal to one set during probe calibration), while FEED HOLD is still enabled. But if somebody "played" with the #3004 variable and set it to 7, both feedrate override and FEED HOLD have been disabled.
I would say that, as good practice, #3004=0 statement should be included in set of initial statements of any program.

PROBE said:

Unfortunately we don't know what command was the machine executing when this accident happened, as we don't know too if this command was "Renishaw genuine", or customers own. We also don't know if measuring macros used were Inspection Plus, but I assume that at least this last assumption is correct.
Using #3004 is tricky and can be dangerous. In entire Inspection Plus it is used once only, in macro O9726. This macro controls the MEASURE MOVE, which is executed at very low feedrate. The #3004=2 command appears just before G31 move command, and is cancelled with #3004=0 command just after the move. #3004=2 disables just feedrate override (important to get skip signal delay equal to one set during probe calibration), while FEED HOLD is still enabled. But if somebody "played" with the #3004 variable and set it to 7, both feedrate override and FEED HOLD have been disabled.
I would say that, as good practice, #3004=0 statement should be included in set of initial statements of any program.

Click to expand...

The machine is a Hurco VM series so the packaged setup macros that it runs are through its Winmax controller, so I don't know specifically what the macros actually say underneath that layer in proper Gcode. I am working with Hurco on automating probing and getting some proper Gcode Macros to also do in process inspection.

I talked with Renishaw, they're going to send out a mounting collar kit and a replacement probe stylus for only $150, so all in all not such a bad crash. Live and learn!

mhajicek said:

I 3D print a disk that presses onto the base of the stylus and extends just wider than the probe body. If I make a mistake the disk contacts before the body and triggers the probe.

Here, I just put it on Thingiverse. First time uploading there, so let me know if it works:

Renishaw Probe Protection Disk Rev 1.0 by MHajicek - Thingiverse

Click to expand...

Just now noticed that. BRILLIANT !!.
Just make sure that all movements are in PROTECTED MODE.

PROBE said:

Unfortunately we don't know what command was the machine executing when this accident happened, as we don't know too if this command was "Renishaw genuine", or customers own. We also don't know if measuring macros used were Inspection Plus, but I assume that at least this last assumption is correct.
Using #3004 is tricky and can be dangerous. In entire Inspection Plus it is used once only, in macro O9726. This macro controls the MEASURE MOVE, which is executed at very low feedrate. The #3004=2 command appears just before G31 move command, and is cancelled with #3004=0 command just after the move. #3004=2 disables just feedrate override (important to get skip signal delay equal to one set during probe calibration), while FEED HOLD is still enabled. But if somebody "played" with the #3004 variable and set it to 7, both feedrate override and FEED HOLD have been disabled.
I would say that, as good practice, #3004=0 statement should be included in set of initial statements of any program.

Click to expand...

If Inspection Plus is set to use the two-touch method then feedrate override is disabled for both 1st and 2nd touch by default. And the 1st touch is alot faster than the 2nd.
We modified O9726 to only disable the feedrate override for the final touch. Much better, now we can control the feedrate with the override dial when clearances to the body are tight and still get an accurate result.

As soon as you said sticky feed hold on the pendant I knew it was a Hurco - my old one had the same issue, as did all of the ones at the old shop. Glad Renishaw is taking care of you, turns my stomach to see this stuff happen.