What's new
What's new

Lathe DRO with tool #

Karl_T

Cast Iron
Joined
Jun 13, 2008
Location
Dassel,MN,USA
have not bought a new DRO in a great many years.

Got a job coming where I'll use several tools, back and forth, on my 15" LeBlond servo shift.

Is there a quality lathe DRO that lets you set up several tools and switch back and forth?
 
Far as I can see all the decent modern DRO systems have multiple zero setting memories which will probably do what you want. My old Sino system, a lower end workshop grade device but perfectly serviceable for all that, claims 100 zero memory slots. Doubt if I've used more than 10 on any job.

Be as well to check the mechanics of setting and the zero identifier display before buying. Mine has a proper dedicated number window and uses a single button to select the zero location. If you want to change things it lets you simply select the appropriate axis and directly enter the appropriate number. Which suits me. I generally leave the beast in absolute co-ordinates, move to where the zero should be and fill in the noughts. Entering offsets and using relative co-ordinates always seems to have too much error potential for my tastes.

Clive
 
OK, been researching this. I found Acu-rite does it. clip is of instruction on page 134 of their user manual.
 

Attachments

  • Capture.JPG
    Capture.JPG
    57.9 KB · Views: 124
My Acu-rite DRO203, Fagor 30i, semi-antique Sony Model ??, and antique Acu-rite Master MP all have tool memories. The DRO Pros units I installed at the local high school robot shop have tool memories.
 
Ok, great. I this is a standard thing then.

If $ don't scare me away, I will go with Acu-rite. I put an Acu-rite on my 10EE 25 years ago. It broke after only ten years. I sent it in and they repaired it - no charge. Made a loyal customer out of me. I've since put them on three manual mills.
 
I put an Acu-rite on my 10EE 25 years ago. It broke after only ten years. I sent it in and they repaired it - no charge. Made a loyal customer out of me. I've since put them on three manual mills.

I have had a few similar experiences, for example with Busch & Müller bicycle lights. It has exactly the same effect on me - I will keep going back.
 
Yep, we have Acu-rite 220s displays on a couple lathes and they do have tool offsets. With the exception of some old Heidenhain stuff at home, all our DRO's have been Acu-rite and the only ones to give us issues were 40 years old or better.
 
I have a rebranded Ditron D80. Check aliexpress for pricing.

The manual sais it has tool library in lathe mode. Never tried it because it is installed on the mill
d0d049f3892b1dc1e6612c7c0e61e276.jpg


Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
 
I had a Newall Topaz that had about 30 tool memories, you just set the X and Z for each tool. I have an older Acurite Turnvision that is programmable, you first zeroed it for the part location, then you set the tool length and dia of each tool, took longer but that way you could adjust the entire part for length without resetting every tool. It is also programmable, you can enter several steps for each tool, like several roughing passes and a finish pass, so you press a step # button and always work to zero for each pass, either direct input or teach mode. I really like that DRO but the program facility is a PITA, you can tell it was created by electronics techs not machinists. A new version of that would be nice to use.
 
I would not recommend any low cost imports such as Sino, Ditron, Eason, DROpros, Grizzly etc to a professional customer, especially if you plan on using a tool library feature. While they all advertise it, most of them are full of bugs and don't work properly, while the remaining ones are not user friendly at all and manual quality is just speechless. Our machinist did not find Fagor 40i very intuitive to use either. So from all the models we've tested so far, tool offsets feature worked fine on Acu-rite 200S and DRO203 ACU-RITE, as well as on ZS instruments USA made DR403 and DR300 readouts Home Page - Digital Readouts, DRO kits & Replacement Glass Scales
 








 
Back
Top