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Just ran my probe through the vise

Eric U

Hot Rolled
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Eastern AL
I regularly do in-process probing to set x offsets on parts. I usually put the part or parts in the vise or a fixture close to where they need to be, hit the "go" button and the probe touches off on the part to give me an accurate x offset for the rest of the program to run off of.

Today I had two parts in a fixture, one gets the x-axis set in G54 and the other in G55. This has worked for hundreds of parts flawlessly. This time I had a "non-standard" part in my G55 location, so I jogged the probe in place manually for the G55 setting. Instead of letting the program run from the start, I just ran it from where the G55 gets probed. Yup, you guessed it, program failed to pick up the z offset for the probe and proceeded to rapid my probe right into the fixture and vise. The machine z-axis alarmed out after completely shattering the probe, knocking my fixture out of the vise (ruining it), and destroying my parts. Expensive mistake today. Hopefully I didn't knock anything out of alignment on the VF-2, or brinnel the spindle bearings. Ouch! I may have uttered a few choice words.

I'll talk to my insurance guy tomorrow. When I got my insurance originally back in 2008 I had crash coverage. Hopefully I still do.

Learn from my mistake!

Eric U
 
Ouch, I am surprised the probe didnt stop the z axis as soon as the probe hit the fixture? The only time I used a probe was on a Centroid equipped machine and if you tried to jog or run the probe as soon as it hit something the machine would stop. The only time the machine wouldnt stop is if you hit with something other than the stylus.

I am sure you will be able to get this fixed soon, the Haas folks are pretty good with parts, at least in this area. Who do you deal with on your side of the border?

Charles
 
seeing as how he was touching X, i would guess there was nothing under the probe? man, that sucks! I have ran quite a few machines with a Renishaw. it was great! where it really shined was touching off a long tool list. but, for the money, i will stick with my taster. crashes suck man. i feel your pain. i hope you can get it back up and running quickly.
 
seeing as how he was touching X, i would guess there was nothing under the probe? man, that sucks! I have ran quite a few machines with a Renishaw. it was great! where it really shined was touching off a long tool list. but, for the money, i will stick with my taster. crashes suck man. i feel your pain. i hope you can get it back up and running quickly.

Well I might understand that except for the fact that the OP says he crashed in the z axis and the z axis alarmed out. But then I am sure that could still happen if it crashed in X too, so it doesnt really matter.

Charles
 
Many people think it is easy operating CNC machines, you have to know what is going on within the programme all the time, that can be a lot of information. I am sure it will not be badly damaged, just expensive.

You are lucky, over here I am not sure if we can even get insurance for crashes!
 
I regularly do in-process probing to set x offsets on parts. I usually put the part or parts in the vise or a fixture close to where they need to be, hit the "go" button and the probe touches off on the part to give me an accurate x offset for the rest of the program to run off of.

Today I had two parts in a fixture, one gets the x-axis set in G54 and the other in G55. This has worked for hundreds of parts flawlessly. This time I had a "non-standard" part in my G55 location, so I jogged the probe in place manually for the G55 setting. Instead of letting the program run from the start, I just ran it from where the G55 gets probed. Yup, you guessed it, program failed to pick up the z offset for the probe and proceeded to rapid my probe right into the fixture and vise. The machine z-axis alarmed out after completely shattering the probe, knocking my fixture out of the vise (ruining it), and destroying my parts. Expensive mistake today. Hopefully I didn't knock anything out of alignment on the VF-2, or brinnel the spindle bearings. Ouch! I may have uttered a few choice words.

I'll talk to my insurance guy tomorrow. When I got my insurance originally back in 2008 I had crash coverage. Hopefully I still do.

Learn from my mistake!

Eric U

Just in case you are not aware of this, Renishaw has an exchage program for damaged probes and tool setters. It's a fixed price for a replacement as long as you send back your damaged item as a core return. It can be in any condition, but the only requirement is that there has to be enough of the probe left to properly identify what it is. You should be able to go through your dealer and they can provide pricing also.

Good luck!
 
the worst part of the whole crash situation besides the $$$$ is that 2 week lingering nervous twitch afterwards! man i hate that. also, thats good info there haastec. all the haas people i have dealt with, and i have never heard that? hmmm?
 
i had a part in vise backwards and the probe hit part unexpectedly and machine stopped at contact but at 1/2 rapid (400 ipm), i asked next shift machinist that it's calibration be checked and it was off a 0.001"
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i now probe at slowest rapid (40 ipm) and when done i increase rapid speed. the chances of probe surviving increase with slower rapids. i also learned how to check probe calibration it often goes out of calibration 0.001 - 0.003" over time. also if manually positioning and accidentally manually touch probe to part and if probe did not break i immediately check probe calibration to make sure it is not bent.
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normally only probe stylus gets damaged. normally probe itself survives unless the main probe body actually hit something. i also leave tool unclamp key out when probe in the spindle. i dropped a tool holder once on a tool length setter once and that needed recalibration after a heavy tool holder bounced off it.
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yes the other machinist laugh that i take key out of tool clamp switch but i figure thats why they have it there so why not use it.
 
This is a classic case of your typical (probably Fanuc) control not protecting the probe. Most of the control manufacturers don't spend any time building software into their control to do things like probing in such a way and at a limited speed that you can't damage the probe. Fanuc's only had about 40 years to solve the problem, last I heard is they are going to do it right after they re-write their manuals in understandable English. That's so you can figure out how to use the function on you own by reading the directions.

Jake

PS; Sorry about the crash!
 
This is a classic case of your typical (probably Fanuc) control not protecting the probe. Most of the control manufacturers don't spend any time building software into their control to do things like probing in such a way and at a limited speed that you can't damage the probe. Fanuc's only had about 40 years to solve the problem, last I heard is they are going to do it right after they re-write their manuals in understandable English. That's so you can figure out how to use the function on you own by reading the directions.

Jake

PS; Sorry about the crash!

It only protects the probe if you tell it to protect the probe. He wasn't in protected positioning mode, so it augered right in. There was a wonderful video on youtube a few years ago, of a DMG with some non-Renishaw probe (maybe Heidi?) ramming the probe body into the tombstone so hard it tipped the whole tombstone back. I had linked to it in a post a few years ago, but the uploader has since taken it down.
 
thats good info there haastec. all the haas people i have dealt with, and i have never heard that? hmmm?

Any HFO should be able to help with this or you can deal directly with Renishaw; I have ordered replacement probes using both methods without issue. Because most HFO's will have an active account with Renishaw there can be some benefits to using your HFO with regards to replacement times but with my experiences, the cost has been the same.

Check with your dealer for more information and exact details.
 
Eric U. Your HFO, or any Renishaw dealer or RDI, will replace your probe under the Renishaw RBE program. Take your stylus (if you still have one) off allong with your CT40 shank. You’re going to order part number A-4071-0001-RBE. Cost will be $1015.00 This is for a Renishaw OMP-40 probe, which is what you have if its WIPS-Renishaw. If you want to spend an extra $75.00 and provide them the serial number off the side of your probe, you can have it overnighted to you as Advanced Replacement. So you'd be $1090.00 plus new stylus (if needed), plus shipping. The new probe is brand new hardware...not rebuilt. Its a great deal.

BTW...If you don't already know, your Haas is running full-on Renishaw Inspection Plus in the background of the WIPS and VQC interfaces. Super easy stuff to learn and opens up a whole world of process control capability...and you already have it, doesn't cost you a dime. Protected Positioning works perfectly, but only if an opstruction touched the stylus itself AND you must be in a G31 mode with the probe on. A good way to make sure this always happens is to use O9832 and O9833 to turn the probe on/off when your using Inspection Plus..don’t just rely on the M-codes...and never move the probe from positon to postion with G1 or G0, use G65P9810. There are software checks that make sure you’ve got skip and an active tool offset on. If you don't have a Renishaw Inpsepction Plus User Guide, send me a private message and I'll email it to you.
 
There used to be a post on practical machinist where a guy pancakes his spindle probe into a part on a horizontal machining center. I have hunted and hunted for this video but cannot find it does anybody else have a link?
 
Looks like the insurance will cover it. Haas service is also going to come by and see if there is any machine damage. I'll have to check on the probe exchange.

Eric U
image.jpg
 
Aw shoot, you can still reuse the batteries, and the holder.... Protected positioning is a wonderful thing. Starting mid program without a height offset active isn't. It sucks to realize that your finger can't hit the feed hold button a split second after you realize there's about to be a bang. Better luck with your next probe.
 








 
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