darron
Plastic
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2020
- Location
- Houston, TX
I don't really have much experience on lathes besides a benchtop CNC sherline thing 15 years ago. All my (relatively low) experience is from my Hardinge VMC with a Siemens control, vs. this Feeler HT-30SY lathe with an oddly-implemented Fanuc 18i-TB control. So, I could definitely use some help from the experts on here.
My current task, while I slog through trying to substantially modify a Fusion 360 post for this slightly odd machine, is to get the tooling offsets dialed in. So, what are some good techniques to find an accurate Y axis offsets for turret tools on a Y axis lathe?
I've got a coaxial indicator and I've dialed in the bore and axial live toolholders... I found several resources online demonstrating that. However that's about as far as I've got with any confidence. Now, I'm trying to find the offsets for the rest of the tools.
I've tried the scribe-a-line-on-a-face method... I'm not really sure how close that's really getting me. It also certainly wouldn't help rotate a boring bar into the correct orientation aligned on the XZ plane.
I've also tried stepping Y up and down and facing off a part until I get as smooth a face as possible... however I'm not even sure if that's actually a valid method.
I'm currently trying the "ruler" method, where you move Y around until a ruler held between the insert and the round stock is perpendicular... but measuring perpendicular accurately may be a problem. Maybe put round stock on my mill to cut a flat reasonably parallel to the stock centerline, and in the lathe use a good square on that face to find when the ruler is perpendicular?
Actually, even the positions I've indicated the bores for won't be right for boring bars or other tools not axially aligned with those bores. It'd be better if I had two sets of offsets for those cases... I suppose one could use the geometry and wear offsets that way, but that's probably a misuse and not a good practice. I could certainly try to maintain higher tool offset numbers for the true axial offsets, and copy them down as starting points when setting up a new tool.
It's a 12 position turret. I've currently defined offsets 1-12 as main spindle tool offsets, and 21-32 as the subspindle tooling offsets. Tool offsets for turret positions that are only for one spindle or another are copied into both sets.
So, how would you do it? What other good practices should I be considering/aware of?
My current task, while I slog through trying to substantially modify a Fusion 360 post for this slightly odd machine, is to get the tooling offsets dialed in. So, what are some good techniques to find an accurate Y axis offsets for turret tools on a Y axis lathe?
I've got a coaxial indicator and I've dialed in the bore and axial live toolholders... I found several resources online demonstrating that. However that's about as far as I've got with any confidence. Now, I'm trying to find the offsets for the rest of the tools.
I've tried the scribe-a-line-on-a-face method... I'm not really sure how close that's really getting me. It also certainly wouldn't help rotate a boring bar into the correct orientation aligned on the XZ plane.
I've also tried stepping Y up and down and facing off a part until I get as smooth a face as possible... however I'm not even sure if that's actually a valid method.
I'm currently trying the "ruler" method, where you move Y around until a ruler held between the insert and the round stock is perpendicular... but measuring perpendicular accurately may be a problem. Maybe put round stock on my mill to cut a flat reasonably parallel to the stock centerline, and in the lathe use a good square on that face to find when the ruler is perpendicular?
Actually, even the positions I've indicated the bores for won't be right for boring bars or other tools not axially aligned with those bores. It'd be better if I had two sets of offsets for those cases... I suppose one could use the geometry and wear offsets that way, but that's probably a misuse and not a good practice. I could certainly try to maintain higher tool offset numbers for the true axial offsets, and copy them down as starting points when setting up a new tool.
It's a 12 position turret. I've currently defined offsets 1-12 as main spindle tool offsets, and 21-32 as the subspindle tooling offsets. Tool offsets for turret positions that are only for one spindle or another are copied into both sets.
So, how would you do it? What other good practices should I be considering/aware of?