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ACT-DMCIII OPERATION MANUAL - Desktop CNC Milling Machines

1. Desktop Machining ACT DMCIII OPERATION MANUAL 1 Desktop Machining Center DMC III System Description Advanced Control Tech GPK Group Inc is proud to introduce the next generation of its truly desktop CNC machine the DMC III system The system contains a standard Windows PC with ACTMach3 software and a DMC III milling machine Monitor keyboard and mouse are not included The user can select their own according to their preferences The system also includes a toolbox containing the following items for turnkey operation e 2 pairs of easy to use clamp sets e Few selected collets and milling bits e Tool change wrenches e Wrench and sockets for moving axes manually e 4handlebars for moving the machine e Printer port cable and power line cables The DMC II is a full function 3 axis CNC milling machine with support for an optional 4 rotational axis expansion It is a compact design with a built in CNC controller in a single piece of equipment The system will come in a wooden crate To unpack the system please remove the screws at the bottom of the crate The wooden box can then be separated from the pallet The machine is bolted on the pallet Remove the nuts and attach the 4 provided handlebars to the machine on both sides for moving the machine 1 1 CNC controller The CNC controller for DMC III is compacted in a single box located behind the gantry of the X axis The controller box includes the power supply and elect
2. Nn Wa ez O G41 G42 G VM G L N LA 4 eicldicic 4 G61 G64 G68 G69 G70 G71 Ke ss Ga G59 Gece ES omg Ee G85 G86 G 88 G89 G90 bsolute distance mode cremental distance mode ffset coordinates and set parameters ancel G92 etc Inverse time feed mode Feed per minute mode Feed per rev mode Initial level return after canned cycles R point level return after canned cycles Figure 10 4 Table of G codes Nie BEA Go the command prototypes not explicitly described as optional are required It is an error if a required item is omitted 10 15 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference U V and W are synonyms for A B and C Use of A with U B with V etc is erroneous like using A twice on a line In the detailed descriptions of codes U V and W are not explicitly mentioned each time but are implied by A B or C In the prototypes the values following letters are often given as explicit numbers Unless stated otherwise the explicit numbers can be real values For example G10 L2 could equally well be written G 2 5 L 1 1 Ifthe value of parameter 100 were 2 G10 L 100 would also mean the same Using real values which are not explicit numbers as just shown in the examples is rarely useful wow If L is written in a prototype the will often be referred to as the L number Similarly the in H may be called the H number and so on for any other letter If a
3. Introduction As you will have seen Mach3Mill uses a part program to control the tool movement in your machine tool You may have written part programs by hand spiral txt is such an example or generated them using a CAD CAM Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Manufacturing system Importing files which define graphics in DXF HPGL BMP or JPEG formats provides an intermediate level of programming It is easier than coding by hand but provides much less control of the machine than a program output by a CAD CAM package The Automatic Z control feature q v and repetitive execution decrementing the Inhibit Z value is a powerful tool for making a series of roughing cuts based on imported DXF and HPGL files DXF import Most CAD programs will allow you to output a file in DXF format even though they do not offer any CAM features A file will contain the description of the start and finish of lines and arcs in the drawing together with the layer that they are drawn on Mach3 will import such a file and allow you to assign a particular tool feed rate and depth of cut to each layer The DXF file must be in text format not binary and Mach3 will only import lines polylines circles and arcs not text During import you can a optimize the order of the lines to minimize non cutting moves b use the actual coordinates of the drawing or offset them so that the bottom leftmost point is 0 0 c optionally insert codes to control the arc
4. different set of x 1198 Statistics details Dot diffusion Image Size Pixels Max Radius fo drills a series of Y 143 dots in a regular Min Radius 0 grid in the work Note a depth of 1 is aZ of 1 Dots ban Typically these will 8 depth of 1 is 82 of 1 be formed by a V Ange of VBk 90 degrees Dots nY Black Depth 0 01 in defaut units finch o werd VZ pointed or bull nosed tool The depth of each dot is White Depth 10 5 in defauk units Inch ot mm s Check Stats Sc Stats determined by the shade of grey at the Bondy 5 point on the image The number of dots Output Size X 120 Ke required to cover the Output Size 06 666666 area is computed by the filter on the basis of the shape of the tool and the depth Cancel relief of engraving you select Figure 9 7 illustrates the data required Each dot consists of a move to its location a Z move to its depth and a Z move to above the work You must prepare your image with a suitable photo editor to have a reasonable number of pixels to control the computation load when diffusing the dots The statistics obtained by the Check Stats button will give you an idea of how sensible your choice of parameters has been Figure 9 7 Dot diffusion parameters Now having defined the rendering technique you set the Safe Z at which moves over the work will be done and choose if black or white is to be the deepest cut 8 4 5 Writing the G code file Finally click Convert t
5. gl x10 y5 x0 y0 All the 0 are zeros in this Next click Load Edit and go to the Program Run screen You will see the Figure 3 5 In the middle of teaching a rectangle lines you have typed are displayed in the G code window figure 3 6 If you click Cycle Start then Mach3 will execute your program The editor allows you to correct any mistakes and save the program in a file of your own choosing Figure 3 6 Taught program running 3 5 Wizards CAM without a dedicated CAM software Mach3 s use of add on screens allows the SEH automation of complex Heese soar ry babe onthe Viton REPOR one fax Mach ond repais wd be dene as tone akont tasks by prompting the user to provide the relevant information In this sense the add on screens are rather like the SO called Wizards in many Windows programs that guide you through the information required for a task The classic Windows Wizard will handle tasks line by importing a file to a database or spreadsheet In Mach3 examples of Wizards include Figure 3 Table of Wizards from Wizard menu Overview of ACTMach3 cutting a circular pocket drilling a grid of holes digitizing the surface of a model part It is easy to try one out In the Program Run screen click Load Wizards A table of the Wizards installed on your system will be displayed figure 3 7 As an example click on the line for Circular pocket which is in the standard Mach3 release and click Run
6. Program G82 X Y Z A B C R L P Preliminary motion as described above Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position Dwell for the P number of seconds UNENEE Retract the Z axis at traverse rate to clear Z 10 7 24 4 G83 Cycle The G83 cycle often called peck drilling is intended for deep drilling or milling with chip breaking See also G73 The retracts in this cycle clear the hole of chips and cut off any long stringers which are common when drilling in aluminum This cycle takes a Q number which represents a delta increment along the Z axis Program G83 X Y Z A B C R L Q gt Preliminary motion as described above 10 27 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference 4 Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate downward by delta or to the Z position whichever is less deep gt Rapid back out to the clear Z gt Rapid back down to the current hole bottom backed off a bit gt Repeat steps 1 2 and 3 until the Z position is reached at step 1 gt Retract the Z axis at traverse rate to clear Z It is an error if the Q number is negative or zero 10 7 24 5 G84 Cycle The G84 cycle is intended for right hand tapping with a tap tool Program G84 X Y Z A B C R L Preliminary motion as described above Start speed feed synchronization Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position Stop the spindle Start the spindle counterclockwise
7. each time it is changed If you do it this way you can still make use of more than one work offset see 2 and 3 pin fixtures illustrated below If you do not have a physical fixture it may be just as easy to redefine the Z of the work offsets offsets each time you change the tool How the offset values are stored The 254 work offsets are stored in one table in Mach3 The 255 tool offsets and diameters are stored in another table You can view these tables using the Work Offsets Table and Tool Offsets Table buttons on the offsets screen These tables have space for additional information which is not at present used by Mach3 7 5 Using Mach3Mill 7 5 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures Mach3 will generally try to remember the values for all work and tool offsets from one run of the program to another but will prompt you on closing down the program to check that you do want to save any altered values Checkboxes on the Config gt State dialog q v allow you to change this behavior so that Mach3 will either automatically save the values without bothering to ask you or will never save them automatically However the automatic saving options are configured you can use the Save button on the dialogs which display the tables to force a save to occur Drawing lots of copies Fixtures Now imagine we want to draw on many sheets of paper It will be difficult to tape each one in the same place on the table and so will be necessary to
8. goes towards plus infinity as the axis turns counterclockwise and decreases without limit goes towards minus infinity as the axis turns clockwise Wrapped linear axes are used regardless of whether or not there is a mechanical limit on rotation Clockwise or counterclockwise is from the point of view of the workpiece If the workpiece is fastened to a turntable which turns on a rotational axis a counterclockwise turn from the point of view of the workpiece is accomplished by turning the turntable in a direction that for most common machine configurations looks clockwise from the point of view of someone standing next to the machine 10 1 3 Scaling input It is possible to set up scaling factors for each axis These will be applied to the values of X Y Z A B C I J and R words whenever these are entered This allows the size of features machined to be altered and mirror images to be created by use of negative scale factors The scaling is the first thing done with the values and things like feed rate are always based on the scaled values The offsets stored in tool and fixture tables are not scaled before use Scaling may of course have been applied at the time the values were entered say using G10 10 1 4 Controlled Point The controlled point is the point whose position and rate of motion are controlled When the tool length offset is zero the default value this is a point on the spindle axis often called the gauge po
9. 5 1 Line Number A line number is the letter N followed by an integer with no sign between 0 and 99999 written with no more than five digits 000009 is not OK for example Line numbers may be repeated or used out of order although normal practice is to avoid such usage A line number is not required to be used and this omission is common but it must be in the proper place if it is used 10 5 2 Subroutine labels A subroutine label is the letter O followed by an integer with no sign between 0 and 99999 written with no more than five digits 000009 is not permitted for example Subroutine labels may be used in any order but must be unique in a program although violation of this rule may not be flagged as an error Nothing else except a comment should appear on the same line after a subroutine label 10 5 3 Word A word is a letter other than N or O followed by a real value Words may begin with any of the letters shown in figure 11 2 The table includes N and O for completeness even though as defined above line numbers are not words Several letters I J K L P R may have different meanings in different contexts A real value is some collection of characters that can be processed to come up with a number A real value may be an explicit number such as 341 or 0 8807 a parameter value an expression or a unary operation value Definitions of these follow immediately Processing characters to come up with a number is called
10. N40 G90 N50 T1 M Soft Feed Geh You need to clear this value to set the workpiece as ZERO origin Click character X and Y of DRO respectively Function to set DRO to ZERO Then click RegenToolpath You can click SoftLimits to prevent jogging over the limits H tachs CHC Controller Total Mem File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program AltA MDIAR2 ToolPath Ait4 Tool Offsets AtS G code M code EE Professional Desktop CNO X 0 0000 0 Y 0 0000 PIA 0 0000 S Z 0 0000 Lee 0 9000 E 6 0 m Minch Feed Rate ft A 4 0 0000 E mm Units Rev 0 00 S a Units Min 0 00 Ki Ref All Home GoTo Zero s Display Mode File CATest Test GCode 3D_Chips nc Tool 0 Table Display NO5 This program is copyright of Rab Gordon Gary Drew N10 It is released here under a GPL without warranty to do N15 The part is cut from a 100 X100 X50mm block with the N20 center top of the block Cutter is a 10mm ball nose N30 G21 N40 G90 N50 T1 M6 N60 M8 N7N S1ANN MA i i Regen Feed Load Edit Soft OFF Click DisplayMode to toggle between display limits and toolpath of the workpiece Use mouse left key to rotate the toolpath Use Shift mouse left key to zoom in and out toolpath Use mouse right key to PAN toolpath HH mach3 CHC Controller Total Mem File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Contro
11. Subroutine label number dwell time in canned cycles dwell time with G4 key used with G10 feed increment in G83 canned cycle W eg arc radius S eeng RR Synonymous withA sd PW Synonymous with Px axis of machine ZY axis of machine Figure 10 2 Word initial letters il ES T N 10 9 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference or G92 2 You can make straight moves in the absolute machine coordinate system by using G53 with either GO or G1 10 5 Format of a Line A permissible line of input code consists of the following in order with the restriction that there is a maximum currently 256 to the number of characters allowed on a line an optional block delete character which is a slash an optional line number any number of words parameter settings and comments an end of line marker carriage return or line feed or both Any input not explicitly allowed is illegal and will cause the Interpreter to signal an error or to ignore the line Spaces and tabs are allowed anywhere on a line of code and do not change the meaning of the line except inside comments This makes some strange looking input legal For example the line gOx 0 12 34y 7isequivalenttogO x 0 1234 y7 Blank lines are allowed in the input They will be ignored Input is case insensitive except in comments i e any letter outside a comment may be in upper or lower case without changing the meaning of a line 10
12. The Mach3 screen currently displayed will be replaced by the one shown in figure 3 8 This shows the screen with some default options Notice that you can choose the units to work in the position of the centre of the pocket how the tool is to enter the material and so on Not all the options might be relevant to your machine You may for example have to set the spindle speed manually In this case you can ignore the controls on the Wizard screen When you are satisfied with the pocket click the Post Code button This writes a G code part program and loads it into Mach3 This is just an automation of what you did in the example on Teaching The toolpath display shows the cuts that will be made You can revise your parameters to take smaller cuts and such then re post the code If you wish to you can save the settings so the next time you run the Wizard the initial Figure 3 8 Circular pocket with defaults data will be what is currently defined PIG x Center Pos Clear File Rewound Figure 3 9 Circular Pocket with values set and code posted 3 6 Overview of ACTMach3 When you click Exit you will be returned to the main Mach3 screens so you can run the Wizard generated part program This process will often be quicker than reading the description here Run Program AA DES ToolPath A4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 Genie Mcode EE Professional Deskop CNC X 0 0000 Toot ot De Y 0 0000
13. Units Rev 0 00 m Units Min 0 00 e Ref All Home GoTozeros Display Mode File CATest Test GCode 3D_Chips nc Tool 0 Table Display S NO5 This program is copyright of Rab Gordon Gary Drew N10 It is released here under a GPL without warranty to do N15 The part is cut from a 100 X100 X50mm block with the N20 center top of the block Cutter is a 10mm ball nose N30 G21 N40 G90 N50 T1 M6 N60 M8 NFN SARNA M E C a ee Regen Feed Load Soft OFF Notice that Toolpath is outside the machine limits Dashed line indicates machine boundaries Click RefAllHome to let machine locate Home positons Wait for X Y Z DRO automatically set ZERO Use arrow keys to move X and Y positions to workpiece ORIGIN position Notice X and Y DRO show its displacement form machine HOME FA Wach3 CRC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program Alt 1 MDIAIt2 ToolPath Alt4 Tool Offsets Alt5 Geode M code X 125 8740 To Di D Y 102 0120 DIA 0 0000 9 Z 0 0000 H 0 0000 F 6 00 Si E Minch Feed Rate f A d 0 0 0 0 0 E mm Units Rev 0 00 S m Units Min 0 00 9 Ref All Home GoTo Zero s Display Mode File CATest Test GCode 3D_Chips nc Tool 0 Table Display NO5 This program is copyright of Rab N10 It is released here under a GPL v N15 The part is cut from a 100 X100 N20 center top of the block Cutter is i N30 G21
14. X Y Z A B C R L P gt Preliminary motion as described above gt Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position gt Dwell for the P number of seconds gt Stop the spindle turning gt Retract the Z axis at traverse rate to clear Z Using Mach3Mill 10 28 G and M code reference gt Restart the spindle in the direction it was going The spindle must be turning before this cycle is used It is an error if gt the spindle is not turning before this cycle is executed 10 7 24 8 G87 Cycle The G87 cycle is intended for back boring Program G87 X Y Z A B C R Le I de K The situation as shown in Figure 10 6 is that you have a through hole and you want to counterbore the bottom of hole To do this you put an L shaped tool in the spindle with a cutting surface on the UPPER side of its base You stick it carefully through the hole when it is not spinning and is oriented so it fits through the hole then you move it so the stem of the L is on the axis of the hole start the spindle and feed the tool upward to make the counterbore Then you stop the tool get it out of the hole and restart it This cycle uses I and J numbers to indicate the position for inserting and removing the tool I and J will always be increments from the X position and the Y position regardless of the distance mode setting This cycle also uses a K number to specify the position along the Z axis of the controlled
15. X1 554700 3 471226 2 6 166606 G1 X1 588556 3 482516 2 6 166606 G1 X1 644996 3 482516 2 6 166666 Regen Feed Soft OFF Jog 6 6 2 Before you run a part program It is good practice for a part program to make no assumptions about the state of the machine when it starts You should therefore include G17 G18 G19 G20 G21 G40 G49 G61 G62 G90 G91 G93 G94 in your code Using Mach3Mill 6 16 Mach3 controls and running a part program You should ensure that the axes are in a known reference position probably by using the Ref All Home button You need to decide whether the program starts with an S word or if you need to set the spindle speed by hand or by entering a value in the S DRO You will need to ensure that a suitable feed rate is set before any GO1 G02 G03 commands are executed This may be done by an F word or entering data into the F DRO Next you may need to select a Tool and or Work Offset Finally unless the program has been proved to be valid you should attempt a dry run cutting air to see that nothing terrible happens 6 6 3 Running your program You should monitor the first run of any program with great care You may find that you need to override the feed rate or perhaps spindle speed to minimize chattering or to optimize production When you want to make changes you should either do this on the fly or use the Pause button make your changes and then click Cycle Start 7 Coordinate systems tool
16. all axes motion turn coolant on and off and will check that a part program or Machine Operator 6 is not trying to move any axis beyond its limits Because the commands of a G code program can request complicated coordinated movements of the machine axes the Machine Controller has to be able to perform a lot of calculations in real time e g cutting a helix requires a lot of trigonometric calculation Historically this made it an expensive piece of equipment 2 2 How DMC III fits in The DMC III system provides completed functions of 3 4 and 5 in Fig 2 1 DMC III system contains a PC and a milling machine The CNC software package and the Windows system are installed in the PC The CNC software developed by ACT is based on modification of the Mach3 program ACT licensed Mach3 program and simplified it into one user friendly system The PC and CNC controller built into the milling machine provide the combined functions of 3 and 4 as shown in Fig 2 1 The PC will perform part of function 3 with graphic display The CNC controller performs the rest part of function 3 and the completed function 4 3 CNC Software Overview The CNC software is modified by ACT using the Mach3 software platform We simplified the display and made it easy to use The display screens look like most of the expensive large CNC machines The following screen will be displayed when user opens the ACTMill software installed in the PC 3 1 Display Sc
17. are associated with fixtures are persistent over time Other parameters will be undefined when Mach3 is loaded The parameters are preserved when the interpreter is reset The parameters with meanings defined by Mach3 are given in figure 10 1 Using Mach3Mill 10 8 G and M code reference 10 4 3 Coordinate Systems The machining system has an absolute coordinate system and 254 work offset fixture systems You can set the offsets of tools by G10 L1 P X Z The P word defines the tool offset number to be set You can set the offsets of the fixture systems using G10 L2 P X Y Z A B C The P word defines the fixture to be set The X Y Z etc words are the coordinates for the origin of for the axes in terms of the absolute coordinate system You can select one of the first seven work offsets by using G54 G55 G56 G57 G58 G59 Any of the 255 work offsets can be selected by G59 P e g G59 P23 would select fixture 23 The absolute coordinate system can be selected by G59 PO You can offset the current coordinate system using G92 or G92 3 This offset will then applied on top of work offset coordinate systems This offset may be cancelled with G92 1 E Banis of machine SSS 1D tool rains compeasaionmunber CH I X axis offset for arcs JI Et J Y axis offset for arcs C po K Z axis offset for arcs Ga E L number of repetitions in canned cycles subroutines key used with G10 miscellaneous function see Table 7 0 SOS
18. are omitted G52 and G92 use common internal mechanisms in Mach3 and may not be used together When G92 is executed the origin of the currently active coordinate system moves To do this origin offsets are calculated so that the coordinates of the current point with respect to the moved origin are as specified on the line containing the G92 In addition parameters 5211 to 5216 are set to the X Y Z A B and C axis offsets The offset for an axis is the amount the origin must be moved so that the coordinate of the controlled point on the axis has the specified value Here is an example Suppose the current point is at X 4 in the currently specified coordinate system and the current X axis offset is zero then G92 X7 sets the X axis offset to 3 sets parameter 5211 to 3 and causes the X coordinate of the current point to be 7 The axis offsets are always used when motion is specified in absolute distance mode using any of the fixture coordinate systems Thus all fixture coordinate systems are affected by G92 Being in incremental distance mode has no effect on the action of G92 Non zero offsets may be already be in effect when the G92 is called They are in effect discarded before the new value is applied Mathematically the new value of each offset is A B where A is what the offset would be if the old offset were zero and B is the old offset For example after the previous example the X value of the current point is 7 If G92 X9 i
19. beam on a plasma laser cutter and d make the plane of the drawing be interpreted as Z X for turning operations The DXF import is in the file menu The dialog in figure 8 1 is displayed DXF knport 1 Load Fite Erties 2 Layer Control Max Maxi y Factors fo jo NW Optmise Mex Mit V Ar Dn o 10 M NoZs oa S s I Plasma THE Eres 10 C THC Type IS NoTHC Cormmction Tol fr At Cormplebon retum to E Rese 0 0 Rapid Plane S Machine Coord 0 0 F Late Mode C Stay Pua a Genata G Code Alter Loading File steps 2 3 4 may be repested as desired Figure 8 1 DXF import dialog 8 1 Using Mach3Mill DXF HPGL and image file import 8 2 1 File loading This shows the four stages of importing the file Step 1 is to load the DXF file Clicking the Load File button displays an open file dialog for this Figure 8 2 shows a file with two rectangles and a circle DXF import C Documents and Settings ohn Prentice My Documents Mach2D ocsDevelopenent S creenS hots 1 A Laye Control m Factors L Dpimerg As Drawn Le Le M NoZecS s TC Plasma THC Emam P C THC Tre factos NoTHC Iu At Completion zeen to mi Relive 00 E C Machine Coord 0 0 F Lathe Mode C Stay Put 4 Generate G Code Ges Alter Loading File steps 2 3 4 may be repeated at deed Figure 8 2 a drawing of eight lines and one circle 8 2 2 Defining action for layers The next stage is to define how the lines on
20. coordinate system specified by the P number are reset to the coordinate values given in terms of the absolute coordinate system Only those coordinates for which an axis word is included on the line will be reset It is an error if the P number does not evaluate to an integer in the range 0 to 255 If origin offsets made by G92 or G92 3 were in effect before G10 is used they will continue to be in effect afterwards The coordinate system whose origin is set by a G10 command may be active or inactive at the time the G10 is executed The values set will not be persistent unless the tool or fixture tables are saved using the buttons on Tables screen Example G10 L2 Pl x3 5 y17 2 sets the origin of the first coordinate system the one selected by G54 to a point where X is 3 5 and Y is 17 2 in absolute coordinates The Z coordinate of the origin and the coordinates for any rotational axes are whatever those coordinates of the origin were before the line was executed 10 7 6 Clockwise counterclockwise circular pocket G12 and G13 These circular pocket commands are a sort of canned cycle which can be used to produce a circular hole larger than the tool in use or with a suitable tool like a woodruff key cutter to cut internal grooves for O rings etc Program G12 I foraclockwise move and G13 I for a counterclockwise move The tool is moved in the X direction by the value if the I word and a circle cut in the dir
21. current feed rate towards the home switch es as defined by the Configuration When the absolute machine coordinate reaches the value given by an axis word then the feed rate is set to that defined by Configure gt Config Referencing Provided the current absolute position is approximately correct then this will give a soft stop onto the reference switch es 10 7 12 Straight Probe G31 10 7 12 1 The Straight Probe Command Program G31 X Y Z A B C to perform a straight probe operation The rotational axis words are allowed but it is better to omit them If rotational axis words are used the numbers must be the same as the current position numbers so that the rotational axes do not move The linear axis words are optional except that at least one of them must be used The tool in the spindle must be a probe It is an error if the current point is less than 0 254 millimetre or 0 01 inch from the programmed point G31 is used in inverse time feed rate mode gt any rotational axis is commanded to move gt no X Y or Z axis word is used Using Mach3Mill 10 20 G and M code reference In response to this command the machine moves the controlled point which should be at the end of the probe tip in a straight line at the current feed rate toward the programmed point If the probe trips the probe is retracted slightly from the trip point at the end of command execution If the probe does not trip even after
22. each layer of the drawing are to be treated Click the Layer Control button to display the dialog shown in figure 8 3 Turn on the layer or layers which have lines on them that you want to cut choose the tool to use the depth of cut the feedrate to use the plunge rate the spindle speed only used if you have a step direction or PWM spindle controller and the order in which you want the layers cutting Notice that the Depth of cut value is the Z value to be used in the cut so if the aim Layer Control D 2 3 4 9 0 0 H 0 0 Figure 8 3 Options for each layer Using Mach3Mill 8 2 DXF HPGL and image file import surface of the work is Z 0 will be a negative value The order may be important for issues like cutting holes out of a piece before it is cut from the surrounding material 8 2 3 Conversion options Next you choose the options for the conversion process see step 3 on figure 8 2 DXF Information Gives general details of your file which are useful for diagnostic purposes Optimise If Optimise is not checked then the entities lines etc will be cut in the order in which they appear in the DXF file If it is checked then they will be re ordered to minimise the amount of rapid traverse movement required Note that the cuts are always optimized to minimize the number of tool changes required As Drawn If As Drawn is not checked then the zero coordinates of the G code will be the bottom left corner of t
23. evaluating An explicit number evaluates to itself 10 5 3 1 Number The following rules are used for explicit numbers In these rules a digit is a single character between 0 and 9 A number consists of 1 an optional plus or minus sign followed by 2 zero to many digits followed possibly by 3 one decimal point followed by 4 zero to many digits provided that there is at least one digit somewhere in the number Using Mach3Mill 10 10 G and M code reference There are two kinds of numbers integers and decimals An integer does not have a decimal point in it a decimal does Numbers may have any number of digits subject to the limitation on line length Only about seventeen significant figures will be retained however enough for all known applications A non zero number with no sign as the first character is assumed to be positive Notice that initial before the decimal point and the first non zero digit and trailing after the decimal point and the last non zero digit zeros are allowed but not required A number written with initial or trailing zeros will have the same value when it is read as if the extra zeros were not there Numbers used for specific purposes by Mach3 are often restricted to some finite set of values or some to some range of values In many uses decimal numbers must be close to integers this includes the values of indexes for parameters and carousel slot numbers for example
24. gt N100 1005 lt nominal hole diameter gt 2 0 1004 N110 GO X 1001 Y 1002 move above nominal hole center N120 GO Z 1003 move into hole to be cautious substitute Gl for GO here N130 G31 X 1001 1005 probe X side of hole N140 1011 2000 save results N150 GO X 1001 Y 1002 back to center of hole 160 G31 X 1001 1005 probe X side of hole 170 1021 1011 2000 2 0 find pretty good X value of hole center N180 GO X 1021 Y 1002 back to center of hole 190 G31 Y 1002 1005 probe Y side of hole N200 1012 2001 save results N210 GO X 1021 Y 1002 back to center of hole 220 G31 Y 1002 1005 probe Y side of hole 230 1022 1012 2001 2 0 find very good Y value of hole center 240 1014 1012 2001 2 1004 find hole diameter in Y direction N250 GO X 1021 Y 1022 back to center of hole 260 G31 X 1021 1005 probe X side of hole N270 1031 2000 save results N280 GO X 1021 Y 1022 back to center of hole 290 G31 X 1021 1005 probe X side of hole 300 1041 1031 2000 2 0 find very good X value of hole center 310 1024 1031 2000 2 1004 find hole diameter in X direction N320 1034 1014 1024 2 0 find average hole diameter N330 1035 1024 1014 find difference in hole diameters N340 GO X 1041 Y 1022 back to center of hole N350 M2 that s all folks Fig
25. labeled Z offset Diameter and T Ignore the DRO Touch Correction and Table Figure 7 5 Disaster at 0 0 0 7 4 7 4 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures its associated button marked On Off for now By default you will have Tool 0 selected but its offsets will be switched OFF Information about the tool diameter is also used for Cutter Compensation q v 7 3 1 Pre settable tools We will assume your machine has a tool holder system which lets you put a tool in at exactly the same position each time This might be a mill with lots of chucks or something like an Autolock chuck figures 7 10 and 7 11 where the centre hole of the tool is registered against a pin If your tool position is different each time then you will have to set up the offsets each time you change it This will be described later In our drawing machine suppose the pens register in a blind hole that is 1 Figure 7 6 Endmill in a presettable holder deep in the pen holder The red pen is 4 2 long and the blue one 3 7 long 1 Suppose the machine has just been referenced homed and a work offset defined for the corner of the paper with Z 0 0 being the table using the bottom face of the empty pen holder You would jog the Z axis up say to 5 and fit the blue pen Enter 1 which will be the blue pen in the Tool number DRO but do not click Offset On Off to ON yet Jog the Z down to touch the paper The Z axis DRO would read 2 7 as the pe
26. point top of the counterbore The K number is a Z value in the current coordinate system in absolute distance mode and an increment from the Z position in incremental distance mode 4 Preliminary motion as described above Move at traverse rate parallel to the XY plane to the point indicated by I and J Stop the spindle in a specific orientation Move the Z axis only at traverse rate downward to the Z position Move at traverse rate parallel to the XY plane to the X Y location Start the spindle in the direction it was going before Move the Z axis only at the given feed rate upward to the position indicated by K Move the Z axis only at the given feed rate back down to the Z position UNENEE E EEN Stop the spindle in the same orientation as before tool 4 L 10 Figure 10 6 G87 back boring sequence 10 29 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference Move at traverse rate parallel to the X Y plane to the point indicated by I and J Move the Z axis only at traverse rate to the clear Z Move at traverse rate parallel to the X Y plane to the specified X Y location tides Restart the spindle in the direction it was going before When programming this cycle the I and J numbers must be chosen so that when the tool is stopped in an oriented position it will fit through the hole Because different cutters are made differently it may take some analysis and or experimentation to determine appropriate values
27. scale factor is applied to any axis then it will be applied to the value of the corresponding X Y Z A U B V C W word and to the relevant I J K or R words when they are used 10 7 1 Rapid Linear Motion GO a For rapid linear motion program GO X Y Z A B C where all the axis words are optional except that at least one must be used The GO is optional if the current motion mode is GO This will produce co ordinated linear motion to the destination point at the current traverse rate or slower if the machine will not go that fast It is expected that cutting will not take place when a GO command is executing b If G16 has been executed to set a Polar Origin then for rapid linear motion to a point described by a radius and angle GO X Y can be used X is the radius of the line from the G16 polar origin and Y is the angle in degrees measured with increasing values counterclockwise from the 3 o clock direction i e the conventional four quadrant conventions Coordinates of the current point at the time of executing the G16 are the polar origin It is an error if all axis words are omitted If cutter radius compensation is active the motion will differ from the above see Cutter Compensation If G53 is programmed on the same line the motion will also differ see Absolute Coordinates 10 7 2 Linear Motion at Feed Rate G1 a For linear motion at feed rate for cutting or not program G1 X Y Z A B C w
28. set the work offsets each time Much better would be to have a plate with pins sticking out of it and to use pre punched paper to register on the pins You will probably recognise this as an example of a typical fixture which has long been used in machine shops Figure 7 7 shows the machine so equipped It would be common for the fixture to have dowels or something similar so that it always mounts in the same place on the table Figure 7 7 Machine with two pin fixture We could now move Current Coordinate system by setting the work offsets 1 to the corner of the paper on the actual fixture Running the example program would draw the square exactly as before This will of course take care of the difference in Z coordinates caused by the thickness of the fixture We can put new pieces of paper on the pins and get the square in exactly the right place on each with no further setting up Figure 7 8 Three pin fixture We might also have another fixture for three hole paper Figure 7 8 and might want to swap between the two and three pin fixtures for different jobs so work offset 2 could be defined for the corner of the paper on the three pin fixture You can of course define any point on the fixture as the origin of its offset coordinate system For the drawing machine we would want to make the bottom left corner of the paper be X 0 amp Y 0 and the top surface of the fixture be Z 0 EZTIT LEE e EE L
29. sort of label which indicates the start of the subroutine The O line may not have a line number N word on it It and the following code will normally be written with other subroutines and follow either an M2 M30 or M99 so it is not reached directly by the flow of the program b To call a subroutine which is in a separate file code M98 filename L for example M98 Gest Cap For both formats The L word or optionally the Q word gives the number of times that the subroutine is to be called before continuing with the line following the M98 If the L Q word is omitted then its value defaults to 1 By using parameters values or incremental moves a repeated subroutine can make several roughing cuts around a complex path or cut several identical objects from one piece of material Subroutine calls may be nested That is to say a subroutine may contain a M98 call to another subroutine As no conditional branching is permitted it is not meaningful for subroutines to call themselves recursively 10 8 8 Return from subroutine To return from a subroutine program M99 Execution will continue after the M98 which called the subroutine If M99 is written in the main program i e not in a subroutine then the program will start execution from the first line again See also M47 to achieve the same effect 10 9 Macro M codes 10 9 1 Macro overview If any M code is used which is not in the above list of built in codes then Mach3 will at
30. system unless explicitly described as being in the absolute coordinate system Where axis words are optional any omitted axes will have their current value Any items in Using Mach3Mill 10 14 G and M code reference Summary of G codes Rapid positioning Linear interpolation Clockwise circular helical interpolation Counterclockwise circular Helical interpolation Dwell G10 Coordinate system origin setting G12 Clockwise circular pocket G13 Counterclockwise circular pocket G15 G16 Polar Coordinate moves in GO and G1 G17 XY Plane select G18 XZ plane select YZ plane select Inch Millimetre unit Return home G28 1 Reference axes Return home Straight probe Cancel cutter radius compensation Start cutter radius compensation left right Apply tool length offset plus Cancel tool length offset Reset all scale factors to 1 0 Set axis data input scale factors Temporary coordinate system offsets Move in absolute machine coordinate system Use fixture offset 1 Jse fixture offset 2 se fixture offset 3 se fixture offset 4 se fixture offset 5 se fixture offset 6 use general fixture number xact stop Constant Velocity mode otate program coordinate system ch Millimetre unit anned cycle peck drilling ancel motion mode including canned cycles Canned cycle drilling Canned cycle drilling with dwell Canned cycle peck drilling Canned cycle right hand rigid tapping Canned cycle boring Q Q CA G20 G21 Q CH 0 Q oO
31. table and fixtures This chapter explains how Mach3 works out where exactly you mean when you ask the tool to move to a given position It describes the idea of a coordinate system defines the Machine Coordinate System and shows how you can specify the lengths of each Tool the position of a workpiece in a Fixture and if you need to to add your own variable Offsets You may find it heavy going on the first read We suggest that you try out the techniques using your own machine tool It is not easy to do this just desk running Mach3 as you need to see where an actual tool is and you will need to understand simple G code commands like G00 and G01 Mach3 can be used without a detailed understanding of this chapter but you will find that using its concepts makes setting up jobs on your machine is very much quicker and more reliable 7 1 Machine coordinate system en holder Figure 7 1 Basic Drawing Machine You have seen that most Mach screens have DROs labeled X Axis Y Axis etc If you are going to make parts accurately and minimize the chance of your tool crashing into anything you need to understand exactly what these values mean at all times when you are setting up a job or running a part program This is easiest to explain looking at a machine We have chosen an imaginary machine that makes it easier to visualize how the coordinate system works Figure 7 1 shows what it is like It is a machine for producing drawing
32. the generated code You should type the full name including the extension which you wish to use or select an existing file to overwrite Conventionally this extension will be TAP After writing the file click OK to return to Mach3 Your G Code file will have been loaded Notes The import filter is run by suspending Mach3 and running the filter program If you switch to the Mach3Mill screen for example by accidentally clicking on it then it will appear to have locked up You can easily continue by using the Windows task bar to return to the filter and completing the import process This is similar to the way the Editor for part programs is run If your TAP file already exists and is open in Mach3 then the import filter will not be able to write to it Suppose you have tested an import and want to change the translations by importing again then you need to make sure that you close the TAP file in Mach3Mill before repeating the import It is generally easiest to work in metric units throughout when importing HPGL files If you use the Laser Table option with a laser or plasma cutter then you need to check if the sequence of M3 M5 and the moves in the Z direction is compatible with initiating and finishing a cut correctly For milling you will have to make your own manual allowances for the diameter of the cutter The HPGL lines will be the path of the centreline of the cutter This allowance is not straightforward t
33. the font used in the original drawing although the lines of an outline font may be satisfactory with a small v point or bullnose cutter A plasma or laser cutter will have a narrow enough cut to follow the outline of the letters and cut them out although you have to be sure that the centre of letters like o or a is cut before the outline HPGL import HPGL files contain lines drawn with one or more pens Mach3Mill makes the same cuts for all pens HPGL files can be created by most CAD software and often have the filename extension HPL or PLT Pe HPGLConvert Ge x Translations PenUp 5 Inches mene s Pen ZDecp FeedRate Order Active af fe fr ei e p So e p ab StsOR fo 5 fee Wb bk st R Wo sh o Phurige Feodiate 100 TEETER ES BEEBE UE EI G wah C Mitts Soale Factor Nomaly 1016 l Flood 7 Spindle fioe AsOrawn I Later Mode Firun fp My Documents Mach3MaDocsDevelopmert ScreenS hs MINE Create G Code oK Figure 8 4 HPGL import filter 8 3 1 About HPGL An HPGL file represents objects to a lower precision than DXF and uses straight line segments to represent all curves even if they are circles The import process for HPGL is similar to DXF in that a TAP file is produced which contains the G code produced from the HPGL 8 3 2 Choosing file to import The import filter is accessed from File gt Import HPGL BMP JPG and the HPGL button on the dialog Figure 8 4 shows the import
34. tip in at least the X X Y and Y directions These quantities can be stored in parameters either by being included in the parameter file or by being set in a Mach program Using the probe with rotational axes not set to zero is also feasible Doing so is more complex than when rotational axes are at zero and we do not deal with it here 10 7 12 3 Example Code As a usable example the code for finding the center and diameter of a circular hole is shown in figure 11 5 For this code to yield accurate results the probe shank must be well aligned with the Z axis the cross section of the probe tip at its widest point must be very circular and the probe tip radius i e the radius of the circular cross section must be known precisely If the probe tip radius is known only approximately but the other conditions hold the location of the hole center will still be accurate but the hole diameter will not 10 21 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference N010 probe to find center and diameter of circular hole NO20 This program will not run as given here You have to NO30 insert numbers in place of description of number gt NO40 Delete lines NO20 NO30 and NO40 when you do that NO50 GO Z lt Z value of retracted position gt F lt feed rate gt NO60 1001 lt nominal X value of hole center gt NO70 1002 lt nominal Y value of hole center gt NO80 1003 lt some Z value inside the hole gt NO90 1004 lt probe tip radius
35. tool offset Notice that this is different to the action when you type a tool slot number into the T DRO In this case an implied G43 is performed so the length offset for the tool will be applied assuming that the slot number and the tooltable entry number are the same It is OK but not normally useful if T words appear on two or more lines with no tool change It is OK to program TO no tool will be selected This is useful if you want the spindle to be empty after a tool change It is an error if anegative T number is used or a T number larger than 255 is used Error Handling This section describes error handling in Mach3 If a command does not work as expected or does not do anything check that you have typed it correctly Common mistakes are GO instead of GO i e letter O instead of zero and too 10 35 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference many decimal points in numbers Mach3 does not check for axis overtravel unless software limits are in use or excessively high feeds or speeds Nor does it does not detect situations where a legal command does something unfortunate such as machining a fixture Order Home or change coordinate system data GIO or set offsets G92 G94 Perform motion GO to G3 G12 G13 G80 to G89 as modified by G53 Stop or repeat M0 M1 M2 M30 M47 M99 Table 10 9 Order of execution on a line Order a ES a Ji UI 2 3 a 5 JE Ip 47 a 0 2 Lt 10 12 Order of Execut
36. will again be analyzed with the toolpath and extremes You can regenerate the toolpath at any time using the Regenerate button 6 6 Manual preparation and running a part program 6 6 1 Inputting a hand written program If you want to write a program from scratch then you can either do so by running the editor outside Mach3 and saving the file or you can use the Edit button with no part program loaded In this case you will have to Save As the completed file and exit the editor In both cases you will have to use File gt Load G code or Load G code to load your new program into Mach3 Warning Errors in lines of code are generally ignored You should not rely on being given a detailed syntax check Run Program Alt 4 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt 4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 X 0 0000 Toot ls Y 0 NNNN DIA 40 0000 Z e TTT WNE A OLS O a TE Tue aded G6 X6 6866666 9 666666 26 266666 GO X1 179956 Y4 664266 26 266606 G1 81 179956 4 664266 2 6 166666 G1 X1 179950 4 664266 2 6 166666 G1 X1 179956 3 986216 2 6 166606 G1 X1 175146 3 986216 2 6 166666 G1 X1 175140 4 664266 2 6 166666 GO X1 175140 Y4 664266 26 266606 GO X1 137686 3 324446 260 266606 G1 X1 137686 3 324446 2 6 166666 G1 81 137686 3 324446 2 6 166606 G1 X1 187876 3 347626 2 6 166666 G1 X1 255590 3 369666 2 6 166666 G1 X1 346246 3 397826 2 6 166606 G1 X1 419250 3 4266056 2 6 166606 G1 X1 498260 3 454286 2 6 166666 G1
37. you have finished these click Done Mach3 will load the last G code file which you have generated Notice the comments identifying its name and date of creation Notes The generated G code has feedrates depending on the layers imported Unless your spindle responds to the S word you will have to manually set up the spindle speed and change speeds during tool changes DXF input is good for simple shapes as it only requires a basic CAD program to generate the input file and it works to the full accuracy of your original drawing DXF is good for defining parts for laser or plasma cutting where the tool diameter is very small For milling you will have to make your own manual allowances for the diameter of the cutter The DXF lines will be the path of the centreline of the cutter This is not straightforward when you are cutting complex shapes The program generated from a DXF file does not have multiple passes to rough out a part or clear the centre of a pocket To achieve these automatically you will need to use a CAM program 8 3 Using Mach3Mill 8 3 DXF HPGL and image file import If your DXF file contains text then this can be in two forms depending on the program which generated it The letters may be a series of lines These will be imported into Mach3 The letters may be DXF Text objects In this case they will be ignored Neither of these situations will give you G code which will engrave letters in
38. 0 0 0000 Unit Winch mm Tool 0 Za N lt Xx N5 File Name Drawing5 on Thursday March 05 20 N10 Default Mill Post N15 G911 N20 M5 M9 N25 M6 T1 TOOL Change T1 N30 G43 H1 N35 GO Z0 0000 N40 M3 53000 History Path C Mach3 GCode ltest tap Feed Hold i Elapsed Time 00 01 Mill Toolpath screen Mach CNC Controller Run Program Alt 4 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt 4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 G code M code Gage Block Height J 100 0000 Tee J 0 0000 Ke Ce 4 0 0000 Fixture 1 G54 Fixture 2 G55 Fixture 3 G56 Fixture 4 G57 Fixture 5 G58 Fixture 6 G59 g ctive save Offset Tables Here to Make Th em Per nen Save Work Offsets Save Tool Offsets Status No Shuttle Detected of type selected Profile iviachaMill BR soc oniorctri aity E History Mill Offsets screen Using ACT Mill 11 2 ACT screenshot pullout Mach CNC Controller Run Program Alt 4 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt4 Tool Offsets Alt5 Geode M code pe e ooo IL Linear interpolation AGED enera Ge f 63 Counterclockwise circular helical interpolation jo GE IG system origin setting Ga0_ Cancelcannedcyclemode i O ee teenaan o ae G13 Counterclockwise circular pocket 682 Canned cycle drilling with dwell Je Canned cycle peck driling c84 Bee E Fearne eyele boring no deall feed aut auauai 618 XZ plane select o OB Janne cycle boring
39. 11 shows this process just before clicking Set Tool Offset If you have an accurate cylindrical gage and a reasonable sized flat surface on the top of the workpiece then using it can be even better than jogging down to a feeler or slip gage Jog down so that the roller will not pass under the tool Now very slowly jog up until you can just roll it under the tool Then you can click the Touch button There is an obvious safety advantage in that jogging a bit too high does no harm you just have to start again Jogging down to a feeler or gage risks damage to the cutting edges of the tool Figure 7 11 Entering Z offset data 7 6 2 Edge finding It is very difficult to accurately set a mill to an edge in X or Y due to the flutes of the tool A special edge finder tool helps here Figure 7 12 shows the minus X edge of a part being found The Touch Correction can be used here as well You will need the radius of the probe tip and the thickness of any feeler or slip gage G52 amp G92 offsets There are two further ways of offsetting the Controlled Point using G codes G52 and G92 When you issue a G52 you tell Mach3 that for any value of the controlled point Figure 7 12 Edge finder in use on a mill e g X 0 Y 0 you want the actual machine position offset by adding the 7 7 Using Mach3Mill Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures given values of X Y and or Z When you use G92 you tell Mach3 what you want are
40. 11 z9 In the center format the radius of the arc is not specified but it may be found easily as the distance from the center of the circle to either the current point or the end point of the arc 10 7 4 Dwell G4 For a dwell program G4 P This will keep the axes unmoving for the period of time in seconds or milliseconds specified by the P number The time unit to be used is set up on the Config gt Logic dialog For example with units set to Seconds G4 P0 5 will dwell for half a second It is an error if the P number is negative 10 7 5 Set Coordinate System Data Tool and work offset tables G10 See details of tool and work offsets for further information on coordinate systems To set the offset values of a tool program G10 L1 P X Z A where the P number must evaluate to an integer in the range 0 to 255 the tool number Offsets of the tool specified by the P number are reset to the given The A number will reset the tool tip radius Only those values for which an axis word is included on the line will be reset The Tool diameter cannot be set in this way Using Mach3Mill 10 18 G and M code reference To set the coordinate values for the origin of a fixture coordinate system program G10 L2 P X Y Z A B C where the P number must evaluate to an integer in the range 1 to 255 the fixture number Values 1 to 6 corresponding to G54 to G59 and all axis words are optional The coordinates of the origin of the
41. DIA 0 0000 D Z 0 0000 ed 720000 F__6 00 Oe A 0 0000 FE uem JB ew Il GoTo Zero s ___ Display Mode File No File Loaded a mmm mmm 1 1 Regen Load Edit Soft OFF Limits jax eam mm oe we oe fe Figure 3 10 The result of Circular Pocket ready to run Running a G code program Now it is time to input and edit a Part Program You will normally be able to edit programs without leaving Mach3 but as we have not yet configured it to know which editor to use it is easiest to set up the program outside of Mach3 Use Windows Notepad to enter the following lines into a text file and save it in a convenient folder My Documents perhaps as spiral tap You must choose All Files in the Save As Type drop down or Notepad will append TXT to your filename and Mach3 will not be able to find it g20 100 g00 x1 yO z0 g0 xl yO z 0 2 i 1 20 g03 xl y0 z 0 4 i 1 jO g03 xl yO z 0 6 i 1 JO g03 xl yO 2z 0 8 i 1l JO g03 xl y0 2z 1 0 i 1 j0 g03 xl yO z 1 2 i 1 40 m00 If start from home position y will exceed limit Again all 0 are zeros in this Don t forget to press the Enter key after m00 Use the File gt Load G code menu to load this program You will notice that it is displayed in the G code window On the Program Run screen you can try the effect of the Start Cycle Pause Stop and Rewind buttons and their shortcuts As you run the program you may notice that the highlighted line moves in a peculiar way in th
42. ER Figure 7 9 A double fixture It is common for one physical fixture to be able to be used for more than one job Figure 7 9 shows the two and three hole fixtures combined You would of course have two entries in the work offset corresponding to the offsets to be used for each In figure 7 8 the Current Coordinate system is shown set for using the two hole paper option Using Mach3Mill 7 6 7 6 7 7 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures Practicalities of Touching 7 6 1 End mills On a manual machine tool it is quite easy to feel on the handles when a tool is touching the work but for accurate work it is better to have a feeler perhaps a piece of paper or plastic from a candy bar or slip gage so you can tell when it is being pinched This is illustrated on a mill in figure 7 10 On the Offset screen you can enter the thickness of this feeler or slip gage into the DRO beside the Set Tool Offset button When you use Set Tool Offset to set an offset DRO for a tool then the thickness of the gage will be allowed for Figure 7 10 Using a slip gage when touching Z offset on a mill For example suppose you had the axis DRO Z 3 518 with the 0 1002 slip lightly held Choose Tool 3 by typing 3 in the Tool DRO Enter 0 1002 in the DRO in Gage Block Height and click Set Tool Offset After the touch the axis DRO reads Z 0 1002 i e the Controlled Point is 0 1002 and tool 3 has Z offset 0 1002 Figure 7
43. GO X0 0 YO 0 22 0 move pen out of the way and lift it Copying the code is not very elegant but as it is possible to have a G code subroutine See M98 and M99 the common code can be written once and called as many times as you need twice in this example The subroutine version is shown below The pen up down commands have been tidied up and the subroutine actually draws at 0 0 with a G52 being used for setting the corner of both squares G20 F10 G90 set up imperial units a slow feed rate etc G52 X0 8 YO 3 start of first square M98 P1234 call subroutine for square in first position G52 X3 Y2 3 start of second square M98 P1234 call subroutine for square in second position G52 X0 YO IMPORTANT get rid of G52 offsets M30 rewind at end of program Using Mach3Mill 7 8 7 8 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures 01234 Start of subroutine 1234 GO XO YO rapid to bottom left of square G1 Z0 0 pen down Y1 we can leave out the Gl as we have just done one X1 YO going clockwise round shape XO GO Z2 0 lift pen M99 return from subroutine Notice that each G52 applies a new set of offsets which take no account of any previously issued G52 7 7 2 Using G92 The simplest example with G92 is at a given point to set X amp Y to zero but you can set any values The easiest way to cancel G92 offsets is to enter G92 1 on the MDI line 7 7 3 Take care with G52 and G92 You can specify offsets
44. M codes and G codes multiplied by ten A decimal number which is supposed be close to an integer is considered close enough if it is within 0 0001 of an integer 10 5 3 2 Parameter Value A parameter value is the hash character followed by a real value The real value must evaluate to an integer between 1 and 10320 The integer is a parameter number and the value of the parameter value is whatever number is stored in the numbered parameter The character takes precedence over other operations so that for example 1 2 means the number found by adding 2 to the value of parameter 1 not the value found in parameter 3 Of course 1 2 does mean the value found in parameter 3 The character may be repeated for example 2 means the value of the parameter whose index is the integer value of parameter 2 10 5 3 3 Expressions and Binary Operations An expression is a set of characters starting with a left bracket and ending with a balancing right bracket In between the brackets are numbers parameter values mathematical operations and other expressions An expression may be evaluated to produce a number The expressions on a line are evaluated when the line is read before anything on the line is executed An example of an expression is 1 tacos 0 3 4 0 2 Binary operations appear only inside expressions Nine binary operations are defined There are four basic mathematical operations addition subtraction multipl
45. Os BB Coolant onoff Slow Jog Rate 900A Caution It is not always sensible to put your own data into a DRO For example the display of your actual spindle speed is computed by Mach3 Any value you enter will be overwritten You can put values into the axis DROs but you should not do it until you have read Chapter 7 in detail This is not a way of moving the tool Figure 3 4 Jog controls Jogging use Tab key to show and hide You can move the tool relative to any this place on the table manually by using various types of Jogging DMC III moves the tool along the X and Z axes and the machine table moves along Y axis We will use the words move the tool here for simplicity The jogging controls are of a special fly out screen This is shown and hidden by using the Tab key on the keyboard Figure 3 4 gives a view of the fly out Pressing Tab key again will make the fly out disappear You can use the keyboard for jogging The arrow keys are set by default to give you jogging on the X and Y axes and Pg Up Pg Dn jogs the Z axis You can re configure these keys see Chapter 5 to suit your own preferences You can use the jogging keys on any screen with the Jog ON OFF button on it In figure 3 4 you will see that the Step LED is shown lit The Jog Mode button toggles between Continuous and Step modes In Continuous mode the chosen axis will jog for as long as you hold the key down The speed of jogging is set by the Slow Jog Per
46. Retract the Z axis at the current feed rate to clear Z If speed feed synch was not on before the cycle started stop it Stop the spindle NEE TEE ENEE E Start the spindle clockwise The spindle must be turning clockwise before this cycle is used It is an error if the spindle is not turning clockwise before this cycle is executed With this cycle the programmer must be sure to program the speed and feed in the correct proportion to match the pitch of threads being made The relationship is that the spindle speed equals the feed rate times the pitch in threads per length unit For example if the pitch is 2 threads per millimetre the active length units are millimetres and the feed rate has been set with the command F150 then the speed should be set with the command S300 since 150 x 2 300 If the feed and speed override switches are enabled and not set at 100 the one set at the lower setting will take effect The speed and feed rates will still be synchronized 10 7 246 G85 Cycle The G85 cycle is intended for boring or reaming but could be used for drilling or milling Program G85 X Y Z A B C R L gt Preliminary motion as described above gt Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position gt Retract the Z axis at the current feed rate to clear Z 10 7 24 7 G86 Cycle The G86 cycle is intended for boring This cycle uses a P number for the number of seconds to dwell Program G86
47. age that different brand PCs may have We do not recommended installation of additional programs or accessing the Internet as they may affect Windows behavior However for the users convenience Computer Aided Design CAD programs CAM and word processors may be installed It should be noted that modern PCs are very powerful and affordable The Mach3 CNC software platform is developed from open source code in order to keep the license fee minimal Mach3 can be a powerful CNC software with the proper organization and utilization of all its features ACT exploits these advantages to build a strongly effective CNC controller at an affordable price Its performance is comparable to major CNC controllers for larger machines 1 2 DMC IIl Mechanical System The machine frame and the T slot table are built with cast iron for rigidity and lasting life Precision ball screws and linear guide rails are used for all 3 axes The machine is gantry designed along the X axis The tool can move in both the X and Z axes while the T slot table moves along the Y axis in order to maximize the size of the working area The travel distances for X Y and Z axes are 12 8 and 6 A clamping system developed by ACT works with the T slot table to allow users to secure their work piece s without using a vise All parts in the Z axis are built from precision aluminum alloy 6061 making it strong and light weight The machine is calibrated to ensure the alignment a
48. alculations to compensate for the diameter radius of the cutter In industrial applications this is aimed at allowing for a cutter which through regrinding is not exactly the diameter of the tool assumed when the part program was written The compensation can be enabled by the machine operator rather than requiring the production of another part program Of the face of it the problem should be easy to solve All you need to do is to offset the controlled point by an appropriate X and Y to allow for the tool radius Simple trigonometry gives the distances depending on the angle the direction of cut makes to the axes In practice it is not quite so easy There are several issues but the main one is that the machine has to set a Z position before it starts cutting and at that time it does not know the direction in which the tool is going to be moving This problem is solved by providing preentry moves which take place in waste material of the part These ensure that the compensation calculations can be done before the actual part outline is being cut Choice of a path which runs smoothly into the part s outline also optimises the surface finish An exit move is sometimes used to maintain the finish at the end of a cut 9 1 Using Mach3Mill 9 2 G and M code Reference Two Kinds of Contour Mach3 handles compensation for two types of contour The contour given in the part program code is the edge of material that is not to be machined a
49. alue is negative the interpreter compensates on the other side of the contour from the one programmed and uses the absolute value of the given diameter If the actual tool is the correct size the value in the table should be zero Tool Path Contour example Suppose the diameter of the cutter currently in the spindle is 0 97 and the diameter assumed in generating the tool path was 1 0 Then the value in the tool table for the Using Mach3Mill 9 2 G and M code reference diameter for this tool should be 0 03 Here is an NC program which cuts material away from the outside of the triangle in the figure N0010 N0020 N0030 N0040 N0050 N0060 N0070 N0080 N0090 N0100 N0110 G1 X1 Y4 5 make alignment move G41 G1 Y3 5 turn compensation on and make first entry G3 G2 G1 G2 G1 G2 G1 G2 G40 move X2 Y2 5 Il make second entry move X2 5 Y2 J 0 5 cut along arc at top of tool path Y 1 cut along right side of tool path X2 Y 1 5 I 0 5 cut along arc at bottom right of tool path cut along bottom side of tool path 3 Y 0 6 J0 5 cut along arc at bottom left of tool path X1 7 Y2 4 cut along hypotenuse of tool path X2 Y2 5 10 3 J 0 4 cut along arc at top of tool path turn compensation off X 2 X 2 This will result in the tool making an alignment move and two entry moves and then following a path slightly inside the path shown on the left in figure 10 1 going clockwise around the tr
50. ance is needed to avoid collisions between the workpiece and the tool When using G98 a safe level should be selected but not so high as to waste time with excessive tool movement G99 will cause the tool to return only to the retract plane at the end of each cycle or between the holes and is the preferred method for hole making when there are no obstructions or clearance problems especially when numerous holes are to be drilled If you need the extra clearance return to initial plane G98 to be safe Otherwise use return to retract plane G99 for fast tool retraction and making numerous holes when there are no obstructions Sample program N10 G20 G40 G49 G54 G80 G90 G98 N20 TOI N30 M03 S2000 N40 MO8 N50 G00 X2 0 Y0 0 N60 G01 Z 2 0 F20 0 N70 G99 G82 X2 0 Y0 682 Z 4 3 R 3 8 P2 0 F3 0 N80 Y0 832 N90 X3 0 Y0 84 N100 Y0 69 N110 G80 N120 M05 N130 M09 N140 G00 X1 181 Y1 5 N150 G00 Z 1 0 N160 M30 Drill 4 holes retract to Z 3 8 between holes and depth 0 5 pause 2 sec before tool retraction 6 3 Using Wizards Mach3 Wizards are SCENE an extension to the Teach facility which allows you to define some machining EE LE H BH operations using one or more special screens The Wizard will then generate G code to make the required cuts Examples of Wizards include machining a circular pocket drilling an array of holes and engraving text Figure 6 21 Choosing a Wizard The Load Wiz
51. ards button displays a table of Wizards installed on your system You choose the one required and click Run The Wizard screen or sometimes one of several screens will be displayed Chapter 3 includes an example for milling a pocket Figure 6 22 is the Wizard for engraving text Figure 6 22 The Write Wizard screen Wizards have been contributed by several authors and depending on their purpose there are slight differences in the control buttons Each Wizard will however have a means of posting the G code to Mach3 marked Write in figure 6 22 and a means of returning to the main Mach3 screens Most Wizards allow you to save your settings so that running the Wizard again gives the same initial values for the DROs etc Using Mach3Mill 6 4 Mach3 controls and running a part program Figure 6 23 shows a section of the Toolpath screen after the Write button is pressed on figure 6 22 Ro GT G40G2t GIOGH G54 G43 dc Figure 6 23 After running the Write wizard The Last Wizard buttons runs the wizard you most recently used without the trouble of selecting it from the list The Conversational button runs a set of wizards designed by Newfangled Solutions These are supplied with Mach3 but require a separate license for them to be used to generate code Loading a G code toad program Ifyouhavean een ih co aoa genee E existing part program 0 0000 Tool o s OEATa hich written by x 0 0000 d which was DIA 0 ha
52. at step 1 gt Retract the Z axis at traverse rate to clear Z It is an error if the Q number is negative or zero 10 7 23 Cancel Modal Motion G80 Program G80 to ensure no axis motion will occur It is an error if Axis words are programmed when G80 is active unless a modal group 0 G code is programmed which uses axis words 10 7 24 Canned Cycles G81 to G89 The canned cycles G81 through G89 have been implemented as described in this section Two examples are given with the description of G81 below All canned cycles are performed with respect to the currently selected plane Any of the three planes XY YZ ZX may be selected Throughout this section most of the descriptions assume the X Y plane has been selected The behavior is always analogous if the YZ or XZ plane is selected Rotational axis words are allowed in canned cycles but it is better to omit them If rotational axis words are used the numbers must be the same as the current position numbers so that the rotational axes do not move All canned cycles use X Y R and Z numbers in the NC code These numbers are used to determine X Y R and Z positions The R usually meaning retract position is along the axis perpendicular to the currently selected plane Z axis for XY plane X axis for YZplane Y axis for XZ plane Some canned cycles use additional arguments For canned cycles we will call a number sticky if when the same cycle is used on sev
53. at that speed when it has been programmed to start turning It is OK to program an S word whether the spindle is turning or not If the speed override switch is enabled and not set at 100 the speed will be different from what is programmed It is OK to program SO the spindle will not turn if that is done It is an error if the S number is negative If a G84 tapping canned cycle is active and the feed and speed override switches are enabled the one set at the lower setting will take effect The speed and feed rates will still be synchronized In this case the speed may differ from what is programmed even if the speed override switch is set at 100 10 10 3 Select Tool T To select a tool program T where the T number is the slot number in the tool changer of course a rack for manual changing for the tool Even if you have an automatic toolchanger the tool is not changed automatically by the T word To do this use M06 The T word just allows the changer to get the tool ready M06 depending on the settings in Config gt Logic will operate the toolchanger or stop execution of the part program so you can change the tool by hand The detailed execution of these changes is set in the M6Start and M6End macros If you require anything special you will have to customize these The T word itself does not actually apply any offsets Use G43 or G44 q v to do this The H word in G43 G44 specifies which tool table entry to use to get the
54. ate If physical limits on axis speed make the desired rate unobtainable all axes are slowed to maintain the desired path 10 1 6 Feed Rate The rate at which the controlled point or the axes move is nominally a steady rate which may be set by the user In the Interpreter the interpretation of the feed rate is as follows unless inverse time feed rate G93 mode is being used gt For motion involving one or more of the linear axes X Y Z and optionally A B C without simultaneous rotational axis motion the feed rate means length units per minute along the programmed linear XYZ ABC path gt For motion involving one or more of the linear axes X Y Z and optionally A B C with simultaneous rotational axis motion the feed rate means length units per minute along the programmed linear XYZ ABC path combined with the angular velocity of the rotary axes multiplied by the appropriate axis Correction Diameter multiplied by pi n 3 14152 i e the declared circumference of the part gt For motion of one rotational axis with X Y and Z axes not moving the feed rate means degrees per minute rotation of the rotational axis gt For motion of two or three rotational axes with X Y and Z axes not moving the rate is applied as follows Let dA dB and dC be the angles in degrees through which the A B and C axes respectively must move Let D sqrt dA dB dC Conceptually D is a measure of total angular motion usin
55. can be configured either to control the jog override speed or the control the feed rate override see Chapter 5 Such a joystick is a cheap way of providing very flexible manual control of your machine tool In addition you can use multiple joysticks strictly Axes on Human Interface Devices by installing manufacturer s profiler software or even better the KeyGrabber utility supplied with Mach Now would be a good time to try all the jogging options on your system Don t forget that there are keyboard shortcuts for the buttons so why not identify them and try them You should soon find a way of working that feels comfortable Manual Data Input MDI and teaching MDI Use the mouse or keyboard shortcut to display the MDI Manual Data Input screen This has a single line for data entry You can click on it to select it or use press Enter which will automatically select it rir Untsmin 0 00 l Unts Rev 0 00 AN You can type any valid line that could appear in a part program and it will be executed when you press Enter You can discard the line by pressing Esc The Backspace key can be used for correcting mistakes in Figure 3 4 MDI data being typed typing If you know some G code commands then you could try them out If you are not familiar with the G code you can try the following G00 X1 6 Y2 3 Which will move the tool to coordinates X 1 6 units and Y 2 3 units it is G zero not G letter O You will see the axi
56. ccuracy of the 3 axes are within 0 001 for the entire working area The spindle motor is a high torque variable speed 1 500 rpm to 12 000 rpm brushless motor The standard ER16 collet is used which allows the user to secure tool bits up to 10 mm in diameter Finally to eliminate motor vibrations a timing belt is used to connect the motor driver and the spindle 1 3 CNC software To make operation easier for our users we modified the original Mach3 software to be used strictly with the DMC III hardware This modified version of the software is called ACTMach3 Chapters 1 to 6 of this manual describe the DMC III machine and the operation of ACTMach3 Chapter 7 and beyond are general descriptions of G codes from the Mach3 manual You are advised to join one or both of the online discussion for Mach3 Links to join are at www machsupport com ACT has spent a great deal of effort to simplify the Mach3 program and make it easy to use By reading the first 6 chapters of this manual the user shall be very familiar with the system Since all of the interfaces are graphic displays the user can spend time to play with the CNC software while DMC III is powered off 1 4 System Set up and Installation The DMC III system setup is simple and easy Step 1 Set up the PC by connecting the power to the PC rear panel and plug in the necessary connections for the mouse keyboard and monitor Step 2 Connect one end of the 25 pin connector to the PC
57. centage DRO You can enter any value from 0 1 to 100 to get whatever speed you want The Up and Down screen buttons beside this DRO will alter its value in 5 steps If you depress the Shift key then the jogging will occur at 100 speed whatever the override setting This allows you to quickly jog to near your destination and the position accurately In Step mode each press of a jog key will move the axis by the distance indicated in the Step DRO You can set this to whatever value you like Movement will be at the current Feed rate You can cycle through a list of predefined Step sizes with the Cycle Jog Step button 3 4 3 4 1 Overview of ACTMach3 Rotary encoders can be interfaced via the parallel port input pins to Mach3 as Manual Pulse Generators MPGs It is used to perform jogging by turning its knob when in MPG mode The buttons marked Alt A Alt B and Alt C cycle through the available axes for each of the three MPGs and the LEDs define which axis is currently selected for jogging The other option for jogging is a joystick connected to the PC games port or USB Mach3 will work with any Windows compatible analog joystick so you could even control your X axis by a Ferrari steering wheel The appropriate Windows driver will be needed for the joystick device The stick is enabled by the Joystick button and for safety must be in the central position when it is enabled If you have a joystick with throttle control then this
58. ch of the axes in the Current Work Offset part of the screen On the first Touch you will see that the existing coordinate of the Touched axis is put into the Part Offset DRO and the axis DRO reads zero Subsequent Touches on other axes copy the Current Coordinate to the offset and zero that axis DRO If you wonder what has happened then the following may help The work offset values are always added to the numbers in the axis DROs i e the current coordinates of the controlled point to give the absolute machine coordinates of the controlled point Mach3 will display the absolute coordinates of the controlled point if you click the Machine Coords button The LED flashes to warn you that the coordinates shown are absolute ones There is another way of setting the offsets which can be used if you know the position of where you want the new origin to be The corner of the paper is by eye about 2 6 right and 1 4 above the Home Reference point at the corner of the table Let s suppose that these figures are accurate enough to be used 1 Type 2 6 and 1 4 into the X and Y Offset DROs The Axis DROs will change by having the offsets subtracted from them Remember you have not moved the actual position of the Controlled point so its coordinates must change when you move the origin 7 3 Using Mach3Mill 7 3 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures 2 If you want to you could check all is well by using the MDI line to GOO X0 YO ZO The pe
59. cs that are nearly full circles or are semicircles or nearly semicircles because a small change in the location of the end point will produce a much larger change in the location of the center of the circle and hence the middle of the arc The magnification effect is large enough that rounding error in a number can produce out of tolerance cuts Nearly full circles are outrageously bad semicircles and nearly so are only very bad Other size arcs in the range tiny to 165 degrees or 195 to 345 degrees are OK Here is an example of a radius format command to mill an arc G17 G2 x 10 y 15 r 20 2 D That means to make a clockwise as viewed from the positive Z axis circular or helical arc whose axis is parallel to the Z axis ending where X 10 Y 15 and Z 5 with a radius of 20 If the starting value of Z is 5 this is an arc of a circle parallel to the XY plane otherwise it is a helical arc 10 7 3 2 Center Format Arc In the center format the coordinates of the end point of the arc in the selected plane are specified along with the offsets of the center of the arc from the current location In this format it is OK if the end point of the arc is the same as the current point It is an error if when the arc is projected on the selected plane the distance from the current point to the center differs from the distance from the end point to the center by more than 0 0002 inch if inches are being used or 0 002 millimetre if millimet
60. cution is stopped at the end on the commands on that line until the Cycle Start button is pushed Tool File Mach3 maintains a tool file for each of the 254 tools which can be used Each data line of the file contains the data for one tool This allows the definition of the tool length Z axis tool diameter for milling and tool tip radius for turning The language of part programs 10 4 1 Overview The language is based on lines of code Each line also called a block may include commands to the machining system to do several different things Lines of code may be collected in a file to make a program A typical line of code consists of an optional line number at the beginning followed by one or more words A word consists of a letter followed by a number or something that evaluates to a number A word may either give a command or provide an argument to a command For example G1 X3 is a valid line of code with two words G1 is a command meaning move in a straight line at the programmed feed rate and X3 provides an argument value the value of X should be 3 at the end of the move Most commands start with either G or M for General and Miscellaneous The words for these commands are called G codes and M codes The language has two commands M2 or M30 either of which ends a program A program may end before the end of a file Lines of a file that occur after the end of a program are not to be executed in the normal
61. d group the comments contains more than one comment and is reordered only the last comment will be used If each group is kept in order or reordered without changing the meaning of the line then the three groups may be interleaved in any way without changing the meaning of the line For example the line g40 gl 3 15 so there 4 7 0 has five items and means exactly the same thing in any of the 120 possible orders suchas 4 7 0 g1 3 15 g40 so there for the five items 10 5 8 Commands and Machine Modes Mach3 has many commands which cause a machining system to change from one mode to another and the mode stays active until some other command changes it implicitly or explicitly Such commands are called modal For example if coolant is turned on it stays on until it is explicitly turned off The G codes for motion are also modal If a G1 straight move command is given on one line for example it will be executed again on the next line if one or more axis words is available on the line unless an explicit command is given on that next line using the axis words or cancelling motion Non modal codes have effect only on the lines on which they occur For example G4 dwell is non modal Modal Groups Modal commands are arranged in sets called modal groups and only one member of a modal group may be in force at any given time In general a modal group contains commands for which it is logically impossible for two membe
62. dialog itself First choose the Scale corresponding to that at which the HPGL file was produced This is usually 40 HPGL units per millimetre 1016 units per inch You can change this to suit different HPGL formats or to scale your g code file For example choosing 20 rather than 40 would double the size of the objects defined Now enter the name of the file containing the HPGL data or Browse for it The default extension for browsing is PLT so it is convenient to create your files named like this Using Mach3Mill 8 4 DXF HPGL and image file import 8 3 3 Import parameters The Pen Up control is the Z values in the current unit in which Mach3 is working to be used when making moves Pen Up will typically need to position the tool just above the work Different depths of cut and feed rates can be programmed for each of the pens used to produce the drawing You can also define the order in which you want cuts to be made This allows cutting the inside of an object before you cut it from the stock If Check only for laser table is checked then the G code will include an M3 Spindle Start Clockwise before the move to the Pen Down Z level and an M5 Spindle Stop before the move to the Pen Up level to control the laser 8 3 4 Writing the G code file Finally having defined the import translations click Import File to actually import the data to Mach3Mill You will be prompted for the name to use for the file which will store
63. e The point of the pen like the end of a cutting tool is where things happen and is called the Controlled Point The Axis DROs in Mach3 always display the coordinates of the Controlled Point relative to some coordinate system The reason you are having to read this chapter is that it is not always convenient to have the zeros of the measuring coordinate system at a fixed place of the machine like the corner of the table in our example A simple example will show why this is so The following part program looks at first sight suitable for drawing the 1 square in Figure 7 1 N10 G20 F10 G90 set up imperial units a slow feed rate etc N20 GO 22 0 lift pen N30 GO X0 8 YO 3 rapid to bottom left of square N40 G1 Z0 0 pen down N50 Y1 3 we can leave out the Gl as we have just done one N60 X1 8 N70 YO 3 going clockwise round shape N80 X0 8 N90 GO X0 0 YO 0 22 0 move pen out of the way and lift it N100 M30 end program Even if you cannot yet follow all the code it is easy to see what is happening For example on line N30 the machine is told to move the Controlled Point to X 0 8 Y 0 3 By line N60 the Controlled Point will be at X 1 8 Y 1 3 and so the DROs will read X Axis 1 8000 Y Axis 1 3000 Z Axis 0 0000 The problem of course is that the square has not been drawn on the paper like in figure 7 1 but on the table near the corner The part program writer has measured from the corner of the paper but the mach
64. e controlled point should move at a certain number of inches per minute millimetres per minute or degrees per minute depending upon what length units are being used and which axis Or axes are moving 10 31 Using Mach3Mill 10 8 G and M code Reference In units per rev feed rate mode an F word on the line is interpreted to mean the controlled point should move at a certain number of inches per spindle revolution millimetres per spindle revolution or degrees per spindle revolution depending upon what length units are being used and which axis or axes are moving When the inverse time feed rate mode is active an F word must appear on every line which has a G1 G2 or G3 motion and an F word on a line that does not have G1 G2 or G3 is ignored Being in inverse time feed rate mode does not affect GO rapid traverse motions It is an error if inverse time feed rate mode is active and a line with G1 G2 or G3 explicitly or implicitly does not have an F word 10 7 29 Set Canned Cycle Return Level G98 and G99 When the spindle retracts during canned cycles there is a choice of how far it retracts 1 retract perpendicular to the selected plane to the position indicated by the R word or 2 retract perpendicular to the selected plane to the position that axis was in just before the canned cycle started unless that position is lower than the position indicated by the R word in which case use the R word position To use op
65. e G code window Mach3 reads ahead and plans its moves to avoid slowing down the toolpath This look ahead is reflected in the display and when you pause You can go to any line of code scrolling the display so the line is highlighted You can then use Run from here 37 3 7 1 Overview of ACTMach3 Note You should always run your programs from a hard drive not a floppy drive or USB key Mach3 needs high speed access to the file which it maps into memory The program file must not be read only Toolpath display Viewing the toolpath The Program Run screen has a blank square on it when Mach3 is first loaded When the Spiral program is loaded you will see it change to a circle inside a square You are looking straight down onto the toolpath for the programmed part i e in Mach3Mill you are looking perpendicular to the X Y plane Figure 3 11 Toolpath from Spiral txt The display is like a wire model of the path the tool will follow placed inside a clear sphere By dragging the mouse over the window you can rotate the sphere to see the model from different angles The set of axes in the top left hand corner show you what directions X Y and Z are So if you drag the mouse from the center in an upwards direction the sphere will turn showing you the Z axis and you will be able to see that the circle is actually a spiral cut downwards in the negative Z direction Each of the G3 lines in the spiral program above draws a circle
66. e spindle is stopped like M5 The current motion mode is set to G1 like G1 Coolant is turned off like M9 No more lines of code in the file will be executed after the M2 or M30 command is executed Pressing cycle start will resume the program M2 or start the program back at the beginning of the file M30 UNE ENEE E EE 10 8 2 Spindle Control M3 M4 M5 To start the spindle turning clockwise at the currently programmed speed program M3 To start the spindle turning counterclockwise at the currently programmed speed program M4 For a PWM or Step Dir spindle the speed is programmed by the S word For an on off spindle control it will be set by the gearing pulleys on the machine To stop the spindle from turning program M5 It is OK to use M3 or M4 if the spindle speed is set to zero If this is done or if the speed override switch is enabled and set to zero the spindle will not start turning If later the spindle speed is set above zero or the override switch is turned up the spindle will start turning It is permitted to use M3 or M4 when the spindle is already turning or to use M5 when the spindle is already stopped but see the discussion on safety interlocks in configuration for the implications of a sequence which would reverse an already running spindle 10 8 3 Tool change M6 Provided tool change requests are not to be ignored as defined in Configure gt Logic Mach3 will call a macro q v M6Start when
67. ection specified with the original X and Y coordinates as the centre The tool is returned to the centre Its effect is undefined if the current plane is not XY 10 7 7 Exit and Enter Polar mode G15 and G16 It is possible for GO and G1 moves in the X Y plane only to specify coordinates as a radius and angle relative to a temporary center point Program G1 6 to enter this mode The current coordinates of the controlled point are the temporary center Program G15 to revert to normal Cartesian coordinates GO X10 Y10 normal GO move to 10 10 G16 start of polar mode G10X10Y45 this will move to X 17 xxx Y 17 xxx which is a spot on a circle of radius 10 at 45 degrees from the initial coordinates of 10 10 This can be very useful for example for drilling a circle of holes The code below moves to a circle of holes every 10 degrees on a circle of radius 50 mm centre X 10 Y 5 5 and peck drills to Z 0 6 G21 metric GO X10Y5 5 G16 G1 X50 YO polar move to a radius of 50 angle Odeg G83 2 0 6 peck drill G1 Y10 ten degrees from original center G83 Z 0 6 G1 Y20 20 degrees etc G1 Y30 10 19 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference G1 Y40 Dm ee sere 4 G15 back to normal cartesian Notes 1 You must not make X or Y moves other than by using GO or G1 when G16 is active 2 This G16 is different to a Fanuc implementation in that it uses the current point as the polar center The Fan
68. edraw the toolpath and make sure it is within the machine boundary Then you can click start to run the program Before running the program make sure the entire table is free of obstacles Note If you move the tool outside of the machine boundary by accident you will hear the click sound from the motor please reverse the motion such that the tool is within the boundary You need to reference all home to recalibrate the position before doing any precision machining DMC III Controller Connector Panel Open style Female connector M code M08 M09 Indicator MACH3 Ready Indicator Parallel Printer Port Optional 4Th Axis expansion Port 1 5 System specification DMC III Specifications Travel Distance X Y Z 12 x 8 x 6 Table Size W x D 22 x 20 T slot width 16 or 11mm Number of T slots Machine Dimension W x D x H x 30 x 31 1 Gantry clearance from table 6 25 2 Motion support HIWIN 20mm linear guide rail with double blocks and final machining in pairs for each axis Preload 20mm ball screw with zero backlash Micro step motor with ACT optimal digital controller 3 2 microns 0 0001 machining area Slew rate X Y Z 60 m 60 m 60 m Spindle Standard ER11 with 4 diameter or ER16 with 3 8 diameter max tool bit Spindle driver motor Brushless DC motor with 1 3 HP Spindle speed Variable 1 500 to 12 000 rpm directly controlled by Pulley with timing belt to is
69. equals 15 will occur and the value of parameter 3 will be 6 10 5 5 Comments and Messages A line that starts with the percent character is treated as a comment and not interpreted in any way Printable characters and white space inside parentheses is a comment A left parenthesis always starts a comment The comment ends at the first right parenthesis found thereafter Once a left parenthesis is placed on a line a matching right parenthesis must appear before the end of the line Comments may not be nested it is an error if a left parenthesis is found after the start of a comment and before the end of the comment Here is an example of a line containing a comment G80 M5 stop motion An alternative form of comment is to use the two characters The remainder of the line is treated as a comment Comments do not cause the machining system to do anything A comment contains a message if MSG appears after the left parenthesis and before any other printing characters Variants of MSG which include white space and lower case characters are allowed Note that the comma is required The rest of the characters before the right parenthesis are considered to be a message to the operator Messages are displayed on screen in the Error intelligent label 10 5 6 Item Repeats A line may have any number of G words but two G words from the same modal group may not appear on the same line A line may have zero to four M words Two M wo
70. eral lines of code in a row the number must be used the first time but is optional on the rest of the lines Sticky numbers keep their value on the rest of the lines if they are not explicitly programmed to be different The R number is always sticky In incremental distance mode when the XY plane is selected X Y and R numbers are treated as increments to the current position and Z as an increment from the Z axis position before the move involving Z takes place when the YZ or XZ plane is selected treatment of the axis words is analogous In absolute distance mode the X Y R and Z numbers are absolute positions in the current coordinate system The L number is optional and represents the number of repeats L 0 is not allowed If the repeat feature is used it is normally used in incremental distance mode so that the same 10 25 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference sequence of motions is repeated in several equally spaced places along a straight line In absolute distance mode L gt 1 means do the same cycle in the same place several times Omitting the L word is equivalent to specifying L 1 The L number is not sticky When L gt 1 in incremental mode with the XY plane selected the X and Y positions are determined by adding the given X and Y numbers either to the current X and Y positions on the first go around or to the X and Y positions at the end of the previous go around on the repetitions The R and Z positions do not c
71. ero or one tool is assigned to each slot in the tool table 10 1 14 Tool Change Mach3 allows you to implement a procedure for implementing automatic tool changes using macros or to change the tools by hand when required 10 1 15 Pallet Shuttle Mach3 allows you to implement a procedure for implementing pallet shuttle using macros 10 1 16 Path Control Modes The machining system may be put into any one of two path control modes 1 exact stop mode 2 constant velocity mode In exact stop mode the machine stops briefly at the end of each programmed move In constant velocity mode sharp corners of the path may be rounded slightly so that the feed rate may be kept up These modes are to allow the user to control the compromise involved in turning corners because a real machine has a finite acceleration due to the inertia of its mechanism Exact stop does what it says The machine will come to rest at each change of direction and the tool will therefore precisely follow the commanded path Constant velocity will overlap acceleration in the new direction with deceleration in the current one in order to keep the commanded feedrate This implies a rounding of any corner but faster and smoother cutting This is particularly important in routing and plasma cutting Using Mach3Mill 10 6 10 2 10 3 10 4 G and M code reference The lower the acceleration of the machine axes the greater will be the radius of the rounded corner In P
72. f the tool is a thick felt pen then the hole will be significantly smaller than 1 square See figure 7 13 The same problem obviously occurs with an endmill slot drill You may want to cut a pocket or be leaving an island These need D different compensation This sounds easy to do but in Figure 7 13 Using a large diameter tool felt pen practice there are many devils in the details concerned with the beginning and end of the cutting It is usual for a Wizard or your CAD CAM software to deal with these issues Mach3 however allows a part program to compensate for the diameter of the chosen tool with the actual cutting moves being specified as say the 1 7 9 Using Mach3Mill Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures square This feature is important if the author of the part program does not know the exact diameter of the cutter that will be used e g it may be smaller than nominal due to repeated sharpening The tool table lets you define the diameter of the tool or is some applications the difference from the nominal tool diameter of the actual tool being used perhaps after multiple sharpening See Cutter Compensation chapter for full details Using Mach3Mill 7 10 8 8 1 8 2 DXF HPGL and image file import DXF HPGL and image file import This chapter covers importing files and their conversion to part programs by Mach3 It assumes a limited understanding of simple G codes and their function
73. flow so will generally be parts of subroutines 10 7 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference Parameter Meaning Parameter Meaning number number G28 home X G28 home Y G28 home Z G28 home A G28 home B G28 home C G30 home X G30 home Y G30 home Z G30 home A G30 home B G30 home C G92 offset X G92 offset Y G92 offset Z G92 offset A G92 offset B G92 offset C Current Work offset number Work offset 1 X Work offset 1 Y Work offset 1 Z Work offset 1 A Work offset 1 B Work offset 1 C Work offset 2 X Work offset 2 Y Work offset 2 Z Work offset 2 A Work offset 2 B Work offset 2 C Work offset 3 X Work offset 3 Y Work offset 3 Z Work offset 3 A Work offset 3 B Work offset 3 C Work offset 4 X Work offset 4 Y Work offset 4 Z Work offset 4 A Work offset 4 B Work offset 4 C Work offset 5 X Work offset 5 Y Work offset 5 Z Work offset 5 A Work offset 5 B Work offset 5 C Work offset 6 X Work offset 6 Y Work offset 6 Z Work offset 6 A Work offset 6 B Work offset 6 C And so on every 20 values until Work offset 254 X Work offset 254 Y Work offset 254 Z Work offset 254 A Work offset 254 B Work offset 254 C Work offset 255 X Work offset 255 Y Work offset 255 Z Work offset 255 A Work offset 255 B Work offset 255 C Figure 10 1 System defined parameters 10 4 2 Parameters A Mach3 machining system maintains an array of 10 320 numerical parameters Many of them have specific uses The parameter which
74. for I and J 10 7 24 9 G88 Cycle The G88 cycle is intended for boring This cycle uses a P word where P specifies the number of seconds to dwell Program G88 X Y Z A B C R L P gt Preliminary motion as described above Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position Dwell for the P number of seconds Stop the spindle turning Stop the program so the operator can retract the spindle manually tli Restart the spindle in the direction it was going 10 7 24 10 G89 Cycle The G89 cycle is intended for boring This cycle uses a P number where P specifies the number of seconds to dwell program G89 X Y Z A B C R L P gt Preliminary motion as described above gt Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position gt Dwell for the P number of seconds gt Retract the Z axis at the current feed rate to clear Z 10 7 25 Set Distance Mode G90 and G91 Interpretation of Mach3 code can be in one of two distance modes absolute or incremental To go into absolute distance mode program G90 In absolute distance mode axis numbers X Y Z A B C usually represent positions in terms of the currently active coordinate system Any exceptions to that rule are described explicitly in this section describing G codes To go into incremental distance mode program G91 In incremental distance mode axis numbers X Y Z A B C usually represent increments from the current
75. g the usual Euclidean metric Let T be the amount of time required to move through D degrees at the current feed rate in degrees per minute The rotational axes should be moved in co ordinated linear motion so that the elapsed time from the start to the end of the motion is T plus any time required for acceleration or deceleration 10 1 7 Arc Motion Any pair of the linear axes XY YZ XZ can be controlled to move in a circular arc in the plane of that pair of axes While this is occurring the third linear axis and the rotational axes can be controlled to move simultaneously at effectively a constant rate As in co ordinated linear motion the motions can be co ordinated so that acceleration and deceleration do not affect the path If the rotational axes do not move but the third linear axis does move the trajectory of the controlled point is a helix The feed rate during arc motion is as described in Feed Rate above In the case of helical motion the rate is applied along the helix Beware as other interpretations are used on other systems 10 1 8 Coolant Flood coolant and mist coolant may each be turned on independently They are turned off together 10 5 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference 10 1 9 Dwell A machining system may be commanded to dwell i e keep all axes unmoving for a specific amount of time The most common use of dwell is to break and clear chips or for a spindle to get up to speed The units in which y
76. gram G59 P where the P word gives the required offset number Thus G59 P5 is identical in effect to G58 It is an error if one of these G codes is used while cutter radius compensation is on See relevant chapter for an overview of coordinate systems 10 7 19 Set Path Control Mode G61 and G64 Program G61 to put the machining system into exact stop mode or G64 for constant velocity mode It is OK to program for the mode that is already active These modes are described in detail above 10 7 20 Rotate coordinate system G68 and G69 Program G68 A B I R to rotate the program coordinate system A is the X coordinate and B the Y coordinate of the center of rotation in the current coordinate system i e including all work and tool offsets and G52 G92 offsets R is the rotation angle in degrees positive is CCW viewed from the positive Z direction I is optional and the value is not used If I is present it causes the given R value to be added to any existing rotation set by G68 e g G68 A12 B25 R45 causes the coordinate system to be rotated by 45 degrees about the point Z 12 Y 25 Subsequently G68 A12 B35 I1 R40 leaves the coordinate system rotated by 85 degrees about X 12 Y 25 Program G69 to cancel rotation Notes e This code only allows rotation when the current plane is X Y e The I word can be used even if the center point is different from that used before a
77. hange during the repeats The height of the retract move at the end of each repeat called clear Z in the descriptions below is determined by the setting of the retract mode either to the original Z position if that is above the R position and the retract mode is G98 or otherwise to the R position It is an error if X Y and Z words are all missing during a canned cycle a P number is required and a negative P number is used an L number is used that does not evaluate to a positive integer rotational axis motion is used during a canned cycle inverse time feed rate is active during a canned cycle cutter radius compensation is active during a canned cycle When the XY plane is active the Z number is sticky and it is an error if the Z number is missing and the same canned cycle was not already active the R number is less than the Z number When the XZ plane is active the Y number is sticky and it is an error if the Y number is missing and the same canned cycle was not already active the R number is less than the Y number When the YZ plane is active the X number is sticky and it is an error if the X number is missing and the same canned cycle was not already active the R number is less than the X number 10 7 24 1 Preliminary and In Between Motion At the very beginning of the execution of any of the canned cycles with the X Y plane selected if the current Z position
78. he drawing If it is checked then the coordinates of the drawing will be the coordinates of the G code produced Plasma Mode If Plasma Mode is checked then M3 and M5 commands will be produced to turn the arc laser on and off between cuts If it is not checked then the spindle will be started at the beginning of the part program stopped for tool changes and finally stopped at the end of the program Connection Tol Two lines on the same layer will be considered to join if the distance between their ends is less than the value of this control This means that they will be cut without a move to the Rapid Plane being inserted between them If the original drawing was drawn with some sort of snap enabled then this feature is probably not required Rapid plane This control defines the Z value to be adopted during rapid moves between entities in the drawing Lathe mode If Lathe Mode is checked then the horizontal plus X direction of the drawing will be coded as Z in the G code and the vertical plus Y will be coded as minus X so that a part outline drawn with the horizontal axis of the drawing as its centerline is displayed and cut correctly in Mach3Turn 8 2 4 Generation of G code Finally click Generate G code to perform step 4 It is conventional to save the generated G code file with a TAP extension but this is not required and Mach3 will not insert the extension automatically You can repeat steps 2 to 4 or indeed 1 to 4 and when
79. here all the axis words are optional except that at least one must be used The G1 is optional if the current motion mode is G1 This will produce co ordinated linear motion to the destination point at the current feed rate or slower if the machine will not go that fast b If G16 has been executed to set a polar origin then linear motion at feed rate to a point described by a radius and angle GO X Y can be used X is the radius of the line from the G16 polar origin and Y is the angle in degrees measured with increasing values counterclockwise from the 3 o clock direction i e the conventional four quadrant conventions Coordinates of the current point at the time of executing the G16 are the polar origin It is an error if all axis words are omitted If cutter radius compensation is active the motion will differ from the above see Cutter Compensation If G53 is programmed on the same line the motion will also differ see Absolute Coordinates Using Mach3Mill 10 16 G and M code reference 10 7 3 Arc at Feed Rate G2 and G3 A circular or helical arc is specified using either G2 clockwise arc or G3 counterclockwise arc The axis of the circle or helix must be parallel to the X Y or Z axis of the machine coordinate system The axis or equivalently the plane perpendicular to the axis is selected with G17 Z axis XY plane G18 Y axis XZ plane or G19 X axis YZ plane If the arc is circular it lies in a p
80. iangle This path is to the right of the programmed path even though G41 was programmed because the diameter value is negative 9 2 3 Programming Entry Moves In general an alignment move and an entry moves are needed to begin compensation correctly The tool should be at least a diameter away from the finished cut before the entry move is made 9 3 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference 10 Mach 3 G and M code language reference 10 1 This section defines the language G codes etc that are understood and interpreted by Mach3 Certain functionality which was defined for machines in the NIST NMC Next Generation Controller architecture but is not presently implemented my Mach3 is given in grey type in this chapter If this functionality is important for your application then please let ArtSoft Corporation know your needs and they will be included in our development planning cycle Some definitions 10 1 1 Linear Axes The X Y and Z axes form a standard right handed coordinate system of orthogonal linear axes Positions of the three linear motion mechanisms are expressed using coordinates on these axes 10 1 2 Rotational Axes The rotational axes are measured in degrees as wrapped linear axes in which the direction of positive rotation is counterclockwise when viewed from the positive end of the corresponding X Y or Z axis By wrapped linear axis we mean one on which the angular position increases without limit
81. ication and division There are three logical operations non exclusive or OR exclusive or XOR and logical and AND The eighth operation is the modulus operation MOD The ninth operation is the power operation of raising the number on the left of the operation to the power on the right The binary operations are divided into three groups The first group is power The second group is multiplication division and modulus The third group is addition subtraction logical non exclusive or logical exclusive or and logical and If operations are strung together for example in the expression 2 0 3 1 5 5 5 11 0 operations in the first group are to be performed before operations in the second group and operations in the second group before operations in the third group If an expression contains more than one operation from the same group such as the first and in the example the operation on the left is performed first Thus the example is equivalent to 2 0 3 1 5 5 5 11 0 which simplifies to 1 0 0 5 whichis 0 5 The logical operations and modulus are to be performed on any real numbers not just on integers The number zero is equivalent to logical false and any non zero number is equivalent to logical true 10 11 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference 10 5 3 4 Unary Operation Value A unary operation value is either ATAN followed by one expression divided by another expression for exa
82. ine is measuring from its machine zero position 7 2 Work offsets Mach3 like all machine controllers allows you to move the origin of the coordinate system or in other words where it measures from i e where on the machine is to considered to be zero for moves of X Y Zetc This is called offsetting the coordinate system Using Mach3Mill 7 2 Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures hd D L DOE EI d D OTT EE EEN Figure 7 3 Coordinate system origin offset to corner of paper Figure 7 3 shows what would happen if we could offset the Current Coordinate system to the corner of the paper Remember the G code always moves the Controlled Point to the numbers given in the Current Coordinate system As there will usually be some way of fixing sheets of paper one by one in the position shown this offset is called a Work offset and the 0 0 0 point is the origin of this coordinate system This offsetting is so useful that there are several ways of doing it using Mach3 but they are all organized using the Offsets screen see Appendix 1 for a screenshot 7 2 1 Setting Work origin to a given point The most obvious way consists of two steps 1 Display the Offsets screen Move the Controlled Point pen to where you want the new origin to be This can be done by jogging or if you can calculate how far it is from the current position you can use GOs with manual data input 2 Click the Touch button next to ea
83. int that is some fixed distance beyond the end of the spindle usually near the end of a tool holder that fits into the spindle The location of the controlled point can be moved out along the spindle axis by specifying some positive amount for the tool length offset This amount is normally the length of the cutting tool in use so that the controlled point is at the end of the cutting tool Using Mach3Mill 10 4 G and M code reference 10 1 5 Co ordinated Linear Motion To drive a tool along a specified path a machining system must often co ordinate the motion of several axes We use the term co ordinated linear motion to describe the situation in which nominally each axis moves at constant speed and all axes move from their starting positions to their end positions at the same time If only the X Y and Z axes or any one or two of them move this produces motion in a straight line hence the word linear in the term In actual motions it is often not possible to maintain constant speed because acceleration or deceleration is required at the beginning and or end of the motion It is feasible however to control the axes so that at all times each axis has completed the same fraction of its required motion as the other axes This moves the tool along the same path and we also call this kind of motion co ordinated linear motion Co ordinated linear motion can be performed either at the prevailing feed rate or at rapid traverse r
84. ion The order of execution of items on a line is critical to safe and effective machine operation Items are executed in the order shown in figure 10 9 if they occur on the same line Using Mach3Mill 10 36 ACT screenshot pullout 11 Appendix 1 DMC III screenshot t Mach3 CNC Controller Run Program Alt 4 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt 4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 G code M code MET Professional Deskiop CNC 0 0000 Tool als Th Spindle speed 9 0 0000 DIA 0 0000 E 0 0000 H 0 0000 F 6 00 amp 9 3 H inch Feed Rate mm IN 0 0 0 0 0 P mm Units Rev 0 00 E P Units Min 0 00 Ref All Home GoTo Zero s Display Mode File No File Loaded Tool 0 Za N lt Xx Ee eee Regen Feed Agi Soft OFF Bleid Mill Program Run screen Mach3 CNC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program Alt 1 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt 4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 G code M code Zero Scale m 0 0000 af Scale SR __ 0 0000 Zero sate mmm Correct ouno nmo az r gt au 100 isn 6 96 overran 0 Elapsed Time 00 01 History O Status Profile MachaMii ll Mill MDI screen 11 1 Using ACT Mill ACT screenshot pullout amp Mach3 CNC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help fun Frown ANG MDIAK2 uu ToolPath AA Ted Ores ARS gege __ code a AAT Profesional Deka CWO 0 0000 0 0000 0 000
85. is below the R position the Z axis is traversed to the R position This happens only once regardless of the value of L In addition at the beginning of the first cycle and each repeat the following one or two moves are made gt a Straight traverse parallel to the XY plane to the given XY position gt a straight traverse of the Z axis only to the R position if it is not already at the R position If the XZ or YZ plane is active the preliminary and in between motions are analogous 10 7 24 2 G81 Cycle The G81 cycle is intended for drilling Program G81 X Y Z A B C R L gt Preliminary motion as described above gt Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate to the Z position gt Retract the Z axis at traverse rate to clear Z Example 1 Suppose the current position is 1 2 3 and the XY plane has been selected and the following line of NC code is interpreted G90 G81 G98 X4 Y5 Z1 5 R2 8 Using Mach3Mill 10 26 G and M code reference This calls for absolute distance mode G90 old Z retract mode G98 and calls for the G81 drilling cycle to be performed once The X number and X position are 4 The Y number and Y position are 5 The Z number and Z position are 1 5 The R number and clear Z are 2 8 The following moves take place gt a traverse parallel to the XY plane to 4 5 3 gt a traverse parallel to the Z axis to 4 5 2 8 gt a feed parallel to the Z axis to 4 5 1 5 gt a traverse paral
86. ke sure your program toolpath display is within the machine boundary before running the program see Display mode Dry run your program before running the actual parts 2 DMC IIl CNC machining systems 2 1 Parts of a machining system This chapter will introduce you to terminology used in the rest of this manual and allow you to understand the purpose of the different components in a numerically controlled milling system The main parts of a system for a numerically controlled mill are shown in figure 1 1 2 Part Program link to controller 1 User s CADICAM 4 Axis amp spindle drives Figure 2 1 Typical NC machining system The designer of a part generally uses a Computer Aided Design Computer Aided Manufacturing CAD CAM program or programs on a computer 1 The output of this program a part program is often called G code and is transferred by a network or a USB memory stick 2 to the Machine Controller 3 The machine Controller is responsible for interpreting the part program to control the tool which will cut the work piece to a designed part The axes of the Machine 5 are moved by screws racks or belts which are powered by servo motors or stepper motors The signals from the Machine Controller are amplified by the Drives 4 so that they are powerful enough and suitably timed to operate the motors The Machine Controller 3 can control starting and stopping of the spindle motor and the motor speed
87. l Help Run Program Alt 4 MDIAIt2 ToolPathAlt4 Tool Offsets Alt5 Gende M code X 0 0000 0 Y 0 0000 D A 0 0000 s Z 0 0000 H 0 0000 F 6 00 m Binch Feed Rate ft A 0 0000 E mm Units Rev 0 00 a Units Min 0 00 9 Ref All Home _ ai GoTo Zero s Display Mode File C Test Test GCode 3D_Chips nc NO5 This program is copyright of Rab Gordon Gary Drew N10 It is released here under a GPL without warranty to do N15 The part is cut from a 100 X100 X50mm block with the N20 center top of the block Cutter is a 10mm ball nose N30 G21 N40 G90 N50 T1 M N60 M8 NFN SIRNA MA Dn RR Regen Feed Load Edit Soft OFF 4 1 Home switches ACT professional desktop CNCs use optical HOME switches whenever the user clicks RefAllHome the tool bit will slowly move along each axis and stop at a precise Machine Zero position When jogging over the machine limits to prevent damage to the machine the control system will automatically STOP the indicator will turn to Red status and the CNC software will be disabled When this happens you need to turn off the machine use the wrench tool that came with the machine and wrench the axis away from the limit sensors For prevent such circumstance When ever you regenerate your toolpath or after Ref All Home toggle Soft Limits ON Red Status ON Mlole Follow OFF Line ACT MACH3 will automatically sto
88. l in the spindle although this is not required It is OK for the D number to be zero a radius value of zero will be used G41 and G42 can be qualified by a P word This will override the value of the diameter of the tool if any given in the current tool table entry It is an error if the D number is not an integer is negative or is larger than the number of carousel slots Using Mach3Mill 10 22 G and M code reference the XY plane is not active cutter radius compensation is commanded to turn on when it is already on The behavior of the machining system when cutter radius compensation is ON is described in the chapter of Cutter Compensation Notice the importance of programming valid entry and exit moves 10 7 14 Tool Length Offsets G43 G44 and G49 To use a tool length offset program G43 H where the H number is the desired index in the tool table It is expected that all entries in this table will be positive The H number should be but does not have to be the same as the slot number of the tool currently in the spindle It is OK for the H number to be zero an offset value of zero will be used Omitting H has the same effect as a zero value G44 is provided for compatibility and is used if entries in the table give negative offsets It is an error if the H number is not an integer is negative or is larger than the number of carousel slots To use no tool length offset program G4 9 It i
89. lane parallel to the selected plane If a line of code makes an arc and includes rotational axis motion the rotational axes turn at a constant rate so that the rotational motion starts and finishes when the XYZ motion starts and finishes Lines of this sort are hardly ever programmed If cutter radius compensation is active the motion will differ from the above see Cutter Compensation Two formats are allowed for specifying an arc We will call these the center format and the radius format In both formats the G2 or G3 is optional if it is the current motion mode 10 7 3 1 Radius Format Arc In the radius format the coordinates of the end point of the arc in the selected plane are specified along with the radius of the arc Program G2 X Y Z A B C R or use G3 instead of G2 R is the radius The axis words are all optional except that at least one of the two words for the axes in the selected plane must be used The R number is the radius A positive radius indicates that the arc turns through 180 degrees or less while a negative radius indicates a turn of 180 degrees to 359 999 degrees If the arc is helical the value of the end point of the arc on the coordinate axis parallel to the axis of the helix is also specified It is an error if both of the axis words for the axes of the selected plane are omitted the end point of the arc is the same as the current point It is not good practice to program radius format ar
90. lasma mode set on Configure Logic dialog the system attempts to optimize corner motion for plasma cutting by a proprietary algorithm It is also possible to define a limiting angle so that changes in direction of more than this angle will always be treated as Exact Stop even though Constant Velocity is selected This allows gentle corners to be smoother but avoids excessive rounding of sharp corners even on machines with low acceleration on one or more axes This feature is enabled in the Configure Logic dialog and the limiting angle is set by a DRO This setting will probably need to be chosen experimentally depending on the characteristics of the machine tool and perhaps the toolpath of an individual job Interpreter Interaction with controls 10 2 1 Feed and Speed Override controls Mach3 commands which enable M48 or disable M49 the feed and speed override switches It is useful to be able to override these switches for some machining operations The idea is that optimal settings have been included in the program and the operator should not change them 10 2 2 Block Delete control If the block delete control is ON lines of code which start with a slash the block delete character are not executed If the switch is off such lines are executed 10 2 3 Optional Program Stop control The optional program stop control see Configure gt Logic works as follows If this control is ON and an input line contains an M1 code program exe
91. lel to the Z axis to 4 5 3 Example 2 Suppose the current position is 1 2 3 and the XY plane has been selected and the following line of NC code is interpreted G91 G81 G98 X4 Y5 Z 0 6 R1 8 L3 This calls for incremental distance mode G91 old Z retract mode and calls for the G81 drilling cycle to be repeated three times The X number is 4 the Y number is 5 the Z number is 0 6 and the R number is 1 8 The initial X position is 5 1 4 the initial Y position is 7 2 5 the clear Z position is 4 8 1 8 3 and the Z position is 4 2 4 8 0 6 Old Z is 3 0 The first move is a traverse along the Z axis to 1 2 4 8 since old Z lt clear Z The first repeat consists of 3 moves gt a traverse parallel to the XY plane to 5 7 4 8 gt a feed parallel to the Z axis to 5 7 4 2 gt a traverse parallel to the Z axis to 5 7 4 8 The second repeat consists of 3 moves The X position is reset to 9 5 4 and the Y position to 12 7 5 gt a traverse parallel to the XY plane to 9 12 4 8 gt a feed parallel to the Z axis to 9 12 4 2 gt a traverse parallel to the Z axis to 9 12 4 8 The third repeat consists of 3 moves The X position is reset to 13 9 4 and the Y position to 17 12 5 gt a traverse parallel to the XY plane to 13 17 4 8 gt a feed parallel to the Z axis to 13 17 4 2 gt a traverse parallel to the Z axis to 13 17 4 8 10 7 24 3 G82 Cycle The G82 cycle is intended for drilling
92. lthough in this case the results need careful planning It could be useful when simulating engine turning 10 7 21 Length Units G70 and G71 Program G70 to use inches for length units Program G71 to use millimetres It is usually a good idea to program either G70 or G71 near the beginning of a program before any motion occurs and not to use either one anywhere else in the program It is the Using Mach3Mill 10 24 G and M code reference responsibility of the user to be sure all numbers are appropriate for use with the current length units See also G20 G21 which are synonymous and preferred 10 7 22 Canned Cycle High Speed Peck Drill G73 The G73 cycle is intended for deep drilling or milling with chip breaking See also G83 The retracts in this cycle break the chip but do not totally retract the drill from the hole It is suitable for tools with long flutes which will clear the broken chips from the hole This cycle takes a Q number which represents a delta increment along the Z axis Program G73 X Y Z A B Ce R Le Q gt Preliminary motion as described in G81 to 89 canned cycles gt Move the Z axis only at the current feed rate downward by delta or to the Z position whichever is less deep gt Rapid back out by the distance defined in the G73 Pullback DRO on the Settings screen gt Rapid back down to the current hole bottom backed off a bit gt Repeat steps 1 2 and 3 until the Z position is reached
93. m the current location or coordinates depending on IJ mode X and Z directions respectively of the center of the circle I and K are optional except that at least one of the two must be used It is an error if X and Z are both omitted Iland K are both omitted When the YZ plane is selected program G2 X Y Z A B C J K oruse G3 instead of G2 The axis words are all optional except that at least one of Y and Z must be used J and K are the offsets from the current location or coordinates depending on IJ mode Y and Z directions respectively of the center of the circle J and K are optional except that at least one of the two must be used It is an error if Y and Z are both omitted J and K are both omitted Here is an example of a center format command to mill an arc in Incremental IJ mode G17 G2 x10 yl6 i3 j4 z9 That means to make a clockwise as viewed from the positive z axis circular or helical arc whose axis is parallel to the Z axis ending where X 10 Y 16 and Z 9 with its center offset in the X direction by 3 units from the current X location and offset in the Y direction by 4 units from the current Y location If the current location has X 7 Y 7 at the outset the center will be at X 10 Y 11 If the starting value of Z is 9 this is a circular arc otherwise it is a helical arc The radius of this arc would be 5 The above arc in Absolute IJ mode would be G17 G2 x10 yl6 il0 3
94. mple ATAN 2 1 3 or any other unary operation name followed by an expression for example SIN 90 The unary operations are ABS absolute value ACOS arc cosine ASIN arc sine ATAN arc tangent COS cosine EXP e raised to the given power FIX round down FUP round up LN natural logarithm ROUND round to the nearest whole number SIN sine SQRT square root and TAN tangent Arguments to unary operations which take angle measures COS SIN and TAN are in degrees Values returned by unary operations which return angle measures ACOS ASIN and ATAN are also in degrees The FIX operation rounds towards the left less positive or more negative on a number line so that FIX 2 8 2 and FIX 2 8 3 for example The FUP operation rounds towards the right more positive or less negative on a number line FUP 2 8 3 and FUP 2 8 2 for example 10 5 4 Parameter Setting A parameter setting is the following four items one after the other a pound character areal value which evaluates to an integer between 1 and 10320 an equal sign and areal value For example 3 15 is a parameter setting meaning set parameter 3 to 15 A parameter setting does not take effect until after all parameter values on the same line have been found For example if parameter 3 has been previously set to 15 and the line 3 6 Gl x 3 is interpreted a straight move to a point where x
95. n effect There are default settings for these modal groups When the machining system is turned on or otherwise re initialized the default values are automatically in effect Group 1 the first group on the table is a group of G codes for motion One of these is always in effect That one is called the current motion mode It is an error to put a G code from group 1 and a G code from group 0 on the same line if both of them use axis words If an axis word using G code from group 1 is implicitly in effect on a line by having been activated on an earlier line and a group 0 G code that uses axis words appears on the line the activity of the group 1 G code is suspended for that line The axis word using G codes from group 0 are G10 G28 G30 and G92 Mach3 displays the current mode at the top of each screen 10 7 G Codes G codes of the Mach3 input language are shown in figure 10 4 and are the described in detail The descriptions contain command prototypes setin courier type In the command prototypes the tilde stand for a real value As described earlier a real value may be 1 an explicit number 4 4 for example 2 an expression 2 2 4 for example 3 a parameter value 88 for example or 4 a unary function value acos 0 for example In most cases if axis words any or all of X Y Z A B C U V W are given they specify a destination point Axis numbers relate to the currently active coordinate
96. n sticks 2 7 out of the holder Then you click the Touch button by the Z offset This would load the 2 7 into the Z offset of Tool 1 Clicking the Offset On Off toggle would light the LED and apply the tool offset and so the Z axis DRO will read 0 0 You could draw the square by running the example part program as before 2 Next to use the red pen you would jog the Z axis up say to Z 5 0 again to take out the blue pen and put in the red Physically swapping the pens obviously does not alter the axis DROs Now you would switch Off the tool offset LED select Tool 2 jog and Touch at the corner of the paper This would set up tool 2 s Z offset to 3 2 Switching On the offset for Tool 2 again will display Z 0 0 on the axis DRO so the part program would draw the red square over the blue one 3 Now that tools 1 and 2 are set up you can change them as often as you wish and get the correct Current Coordinate system by selecting the appropriate tool number and switching its offsets on This tool selection and switching on and off of the offsets can be done in the part program T word M6 G43 and G49 and there are DROs on the standard Program Run screen 7 3 2 Non pre settable tools Some tool holders do not have a way of refitting a given tool in exactly the same place each time For example the collet of a router is usually bored too deep to bottom the tool In this case it may still be worth setting up the tool offset say with tool 1
97. n would be touching the table at the corner of the paper We have described using work offset number 1 You can use any numbers from 1 to 255 Only one is in use at any time and this can be chosen by the DRO on the Offsets screen or by using G codes G54 to G59 P253 in your part program The final way of setting a work offset is by typing a new value into an axis DRO The current work offset will be updated so the controlled point is referred to by the value now in the axis DRO Notice that the machine does not move it is merely that the origin of coordinate system has been changed The Zero X Zero Y etc buttons are equivalent to typing 0 into the corresponding axis DRO You are advised not to use this final method until you are confident using work offsets that have been set up using the Offsets screen So to recap the example by offsetting the Current Coordinate system by a work offset we can draw the square at the right place on the paper wherever we have taped it down to the table 7 2 2 Home in a practical machine As mentioned above although it looks tidy at first sight it is often not a good idea to have the Home Z position at the surface of the table Mach3 has a button to Reference all the axes or you can Reference them individually For an actual machine which has home switches installed this will move each linear axes or chosen axis until its switch is operated then move slightly off it The absolute machine coordinate s
98. nd M code reference Cutter compensation Cutter compensation is a feature of Mach3 which you many never have to use Most CAD CAM programs can be told the nominal diameter of your mill and will output part programs which cut the part outline or pocket which you have drawn by themselves allowing for the tool diameter Because the CAD CAM software has a better overall view of the shapes being cut it may be able to do a better job than Mach3 can when avoiding gouges at sharp internal corners Having compensation in Mach3 allows you to a use a tool different in diameter from that programmed e g because it has be reground or b to use a part program that describes the desired outline rather than the path of the center of the tool perhaps one written by hand However as compensation is not trivial it is described in this chapter should you need to use it This feature is under development and may change significantly in the final release of Mach3 Introduction to compensation As we have seen Mach3 controls the movement of the Controlled Point In practice no tool except perhaps a V engraver is a point so cuts will be made at a different place to the Controlled Point depending on the radius of the cutter It is generally easiest to allow your CAD CAM Figure 9 1 Two possible toolpaths to cut triangle software to take account of this when cutting out pockets or the outline of shapes Mach3 does however support c
99. nd or a CAD CAM Y 0 0000 H 0 0000 F 600 es s package then you Z 0 0000 leme oaet om load it into Mach A 0 0000 ie som a using the Load G DN A Code button You bed choose the file from A a standard Windows A file open dialog A Alternatively you can ee E Ss choose from a list of ert an Z recently used files which is displayed n BBEEEREEEEE by the Recent Files Figure 6 24 Loading G Code screen button When the file is chosen Mach3 will load and analyze the code This will generate a toolpath for it which will be displayed and will establish the program extremes The loaded program code will be displayed in the G code list window You can scroll through this moving the highlighted current line using the scroll bar 6 15 Using Mach3Mill Mach3 controls and running a part program 6 5 Editing a part program Provided you have a G code program loaded in the ACTMach3 you can edit the code by clicking the Edit G Code button Your nominated editor will open in a new window with the code loaded into it When you have finished editing you should save the file and exit the editor This is probably most easily done by using the close box and replying Yes to the Do you want to save the changes dialog While editing Mach3 is suspended If you click in its window it will appear to be locked up You can easily recover by returning to the editor and closing it After editing the revised code it
100. o actually import the data into Mach3Mill You will be prompted for the name to use for the file which will store the generated code You should type the full name including the extension which you wish to use or select an existing file to overwrite Conventionally this extension will be TAP Notes The import filter is run by suspending Mach3 and running the filter program If you switch to the Mach3Mill screen for example by accidentally clicking on it then it will appear to have locked up You can easily continue by using the 8 7 Using Mach3Mill Using Mach3Mill DXF HPGL and image file import Windows task bar to return to the filter and completing the import process This is similar to the way the Editor for part programs is run If your TAP file already exists and is open in Mach3 then the import filter will not be able to write to it Suppose you have tested an import and want to change the translations by importing again then you need to make sure that you close the TAP file in Mach3Mill before repeating the import You will need to define the feedrate to be used using MDI or by editing the part program before it is run Dot Diffusion places big demands on the performance of your Z axis You must set the Safe Z as low as possible to minimise the distance travelled and have the Z axis motor tuning very carefully set Lost steps part of the way through an engraving will ruin the job 8 8 9 9 1 G a
101. o calculate when you are cutting complex shapes The program generated from a HPGL file does not have multiple passes to rough out a part or clear the centre of a pocket To achieve these automatically you will need to use a CAM program 8 5 Using Mach3Mill 8 4 DXF HPGL and image file import Bitmap import BMP amp JPEG This option allows you to import a photograph and generate a G code program which will render different shades of grey a different depths of cut The result is a photo realistic engraving 8 4 1 Choosing file to import The import filter is accessed from File gt Import HPGL BMP JPG and the JPG BMP button on the dialog The first step is to define the file containing the image using the Load Image File button When the file is loaded a dialog prompts you for the area on the workpiece into which the image is to be fitted You can use inch or metric units as you Load Photograph File BMP JPG Figure 8 5 Size of photographic import wish depending on the G20 21 mode in which you will run the generated part program Figure 8 5 shows this dialog The Maintain Perspective checkbox automatically computes the Y size if a given X size is specified and vice versa so as to preserve the aspect ratio of the original photograph If the image is in color it will be converted to monochrome as it is imported 8 4 2 Next you select the method of rendering the image This is defining the path of
102. olate any motor vibration to the spindle Ready can be controlled by CNC program Ready to expand with communication port Total weight 260 Ib 400 lb for the complete system shipping weight 1 It is a single piece machine all power and control units except PC are built in 2 It is only a little more than z travel distance Since we provide the special designed work piece s holding devices for blocks and thin plate all work piece s can be secured directly on the T slot table user does not need a vise to hold the work piece 3 This micro step controller was developed by ACT We guarantee no step missing in normal operation We have tested the machine at full speed rapid rate in all axes continuously for many hours at a time the motors did not get hot at all nor was there any loss of position There are 5 micro processors in each controller one for each of the 3 axis one for the spindle motor and one for the coordination of all motions The electronic system is thoroughly tested for temperature variations and vibrations for reliability and long life 1 6 Windows XP System Optimization Guide The PC we provided has been installed with the Windows XP operating system The system has been optimized for the best performance of the DMC machine during this installation The user does not have to change the Windows setup However in case the system setup has been changed the user should make sure that the system does not access the In
103. om hitting clamps etc 4 Basic Machining Operations After properly following the setup steps in section 1 2 Start the program and enter the main screen Before pressing the Reset button located at the lower left of the screen the Ready indicator shows Red status Not Ready Unit indicator shows in mm unit Default setting H inch ES mm Les Emergency Mode Ac After pressing the Reset button the Ready indicator shows Green status Ready Minch ES mm H Mach CNC Controller Run Program Ak MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt 4 Tool Offsets Alt 5 G code Mcode S T Professional Desktop OH S 0 Re SRO 0 z 0000 m Tool 0 speed RPM t 0 0000 DIA 0 0000 D Feed Rate mm IN 0 0000 ae a a Units Min 0 00 l Ref All Home GoTo Zero s Display Mode File No File Loaded Tool 0 DN lt Xx 0 0000 SE 0 0000 F 6 00 dl 9 LS es _ Regen Feed Load Edit Soft OFF Limits Line E E GES mm Ei Mam Screen Click Load G code button to load a G code file Make sure Ready indicator is Green After loading program A tach3 CHC Controller Total Mem Avail Mem File Config Function Cfe s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program Alt 4 MDIAK2 ToolPath Alt4 Tool Offsets Alts Geode M code X 0 0000 Tool 0 Se _0 Jo SRO Y 0 0000 DIA 0 0000 2 00000 Jana 0 000 F__6 00 E Minch Feed Rate mm IN A 0 0 0 0 O E mm
104. on as many axes as you like by including a value for their axis letter If an axis name is not given then its offset remains unaltered Mach3 uses the same internal mechanisms for G52 and G92 offsets it just does different calculations with your X Y and Z words If you use G52 and G92 together you and even Mach3 will become so confused that disaster will inevitably occur If you really want to prove you have understood how they work set up some offsets and move the controlled point to a set of coordinates say X 2 3 and Y 4 5 Predict the absolute machine coordinates you should have and check them by making Mach3 display machine coordinates with the Mach button Do not forget to clear the offsets when you have used them Warning Almost everything that can be done with G92 offsets can be done better using work offsets or perhaps G52 offsets Because G92 relies on where the controlled point is as well as the axis words at the time G92 is issued changes to programs can easily introduce serious bugs leading to crashes Many operators find it hard to keep track of three sets of offsets Work Tool and G52 G92 and if you get confused you will soon break either your tool or worse your machine Tool diameter Suppose the blue square drawn using our machine is the outline for a hole in the lid of a child s shape sorter box into which a blue cube will fit Remember G codes move the Controlled Point The example part program drew a 1 square I
105. oordinate of the current point to be 3 The axis offsets are always used when motion is specified in absolute distance mode using any of the fixture coordinate systems Thus all fixture coordinate systems are affected by G52 10 7 17 Move in Absolute Coordinates G53 For linear motion to a point expressed in absolute coordinates program G1 G53 X Y Z A B C or similarly with GO instead of G1 where all the axis words are optional 10 23 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference except that at least one must be used The GO or G1 is optional if it is in the current motion mode G53 is not modal and must be programmed on each line on which it is intended to be active This will produce co ordinated linear motion to the programmed point If G1 is active the speed of motion is the current feed rate or slower if the machine will not go that fast If GO is active the speed of motion is the current traverse rate or slower if the machine will not go that fast It is an error if G53 is used without GO or G1 being active G53 is used while cutter radius compensation is on See relevant chapter for an overview of coordinate systems 10 7 18 Select Work Offset Coordinate System G54 to G59 amp G59 P To select work offset 1 program G54 and similarly for the first six offsets The systemnumber G code pairs are 1 G54 2 G55 3 G56 4 G57 5 G58 6 G59 To access any of the 254 work offsets 1 254 pro
106. ou specify Dwell are either seconds or Milliseconds depending on the setting on Configure gt Logic 10 1 10 Units Units used for distances along the X Y and Z axes may be measured in millimetres or inches Units for all other quantities involved in machine control cannot be changed Different quantities use different specific units Spindle speed is measured in revolutions per minute The positions of rotational axes are measured in degrees Feed rates are expressed in current length units per minute or in degrees per minute as described above Warning We advise you to check very carefully the system s response to changing units while tool and fixture offsets are loaded into the tables while these offsets are active and or while a part program is excecuting 10 1 11 Current Position The controlled point is always at some location called the current position and Mach always knows where that is The numbers representing the current position are adjusted in the absence of any axis motion if any of several events take place gt Length units are changed but see Warning above gt Tool length offset is changed gt Coordinate system offsets are changed 10 1 12 Selected Plane There is always a selected plane which must be the XY plane the YZ plane or the XZplane of the machining system The Z axis is of course perpendicular to the X Y plane the X axis to the YZ plane and the Y axis to the XZ plane 10 1 13 Tool Table Z
107. overshooting the programmed point slightly an error is signalled After successful probing parameters 2000 to 2005 will be set to the coordinates of the location of the controlled point at the time the probe tripped and a triplet giving X Y and Z at the trip will be written to the triplet file if it has been opened by the M40 macro OpenDigFile function q v 10 7 12 2 Using the Straight Probe Command Using the straight probe command if the probe shank is kept nominally parallel to the Z axis De any rotational axes are at zero and the tool length offset for the probe is used so that the controlled point is at the end of the tip of the probe without additional knowledge about the probe the parallelism of a face of a part to the X Y plane may for example be found ifthe probe tip radius is known approximately the parallelism of a face of a part to the YZ or XZ plane may for example be found ifthe shank of the probe is known to be well aligned with the Z axis and the probe tip radius is known approximately the center of a circular hole may for example be found if the shank of the probe is known to be well aligned with the Z axis and the probe tip radius is known precisely more uses may be made of the straight probe command such as finding the diameter of a circular hole If the straightness of the probe shank cannot be adjusted to high accuracy it is desirable to know the effective radii of the probe
108. p the axis movement when jogging near the machine limits Ref All Home GoToZero s Display Mode File G Test Test GCode roadrunner tap Tool 0 F60 000000 GO X0 000000 Y0 000000 Z0 200000 G43H5 M03 375 GO X0 000000 Y0 000000 Z0 200000 GO X1 179950 Y4 004260 Z0 200000 G1 X1 179950 Y4 004260 Z 0 100000 e LJ mmm Ragen Feed Load Edit soft OFF Screen image of G code program Roadrunner tap Sample file locate at C Mach3 GCode roadrunner tap 5 Hole making Learning objectives Learning canned cycles or Fixed cycles for hole making Identify the G code used to program the canned cycle Understanding initial and retract planes The machine should behave as follows when the canned cycle is called Rapidly move to X amp Y start location and then Z Perform the hole making operation Cancel the canned cycle Return to a predetermined location and stop the cycle G code for canned cycles G80 Cancel the canned cycle G81 Standard drilling cycle G82 Drill with timed dwell Peck drilling cycle G90 Absolute dimensioning mode G91 Incremental dimensioning mode NewS Q oo RI When using hole making cycles it is important to understand initial and retract plane These two planes are used to control vertical tool movement within the drill cycle and between the multiple holes 1 G98 Return tool to initial plane 2 G99 Return tool to retract plane G98 is used when extra clear
109. parallel port and the other end to the DMC III controller box located at the back of the machine Step 3 Make sure the DMC III power switch is in the OFF position O OFF I ON and connect the power cord to the DMC III Machine Step 4 Turn on the PC When Windows is ready start the ACT MACH3 mill program Caution Always turn on the PC before turn on the machine and turn off the machine before turn off the PC Since the Window booting process can send voltages to cause the spindle turning Step 5 Turn on the DMC III power switch Music will play indicating that the machine is on Step 6 Once the system is powered on click the red RESET button The button and the light on the machine will turn green showing that the system is ready to operate The first thing the user must do is to click Ref All Home button The machine will slowly move to find the origins Step 7 click Load G code A test program called roadrunner can be loaded You will see that the toolpaths are located outside of the machine boundary the white dash line is the machine boundary If you do not see the white dash line please click Display Mode Step 8 Now we need to move the toolpaths into the machine boundary Use arrow keys to move the X and Y axes to the lower left corner and page down to move the Z axis Then click the X Y and Z letter to set the new zero position Step 9 Click regenerate toolpath It will r
110. rds from the same modal group may not appear on the same line For all other legal letters a line may have only one word beginning with that letter Using Mach3Mill 10 12 10 6 G and M code reference If a parameter setting of the same parameter is repeated on a line 3 15 3 6 for example only the last setting will take effect It is silly but not illegal to set the same parameter twice on the same line If more than one comment appears on a line only the last one will be used each of the other comments will be read and its format will be checked but it will be ignored thereafter It is expected that putting more than one comment on a line will be very rare 10 5 7 Item order The three types of item whose order may vary on a line as given at the beginning of this section are word parameter setting and comment Imagine that these three types of item are divided into three groups by type The first group the words may be reordered in any way without changing the meaning of the line If the second group the parameter settings is reordered there will be no change in the meaning of the line unless the same parameter is set more than once In this case only the last setting of the parameter will take effect For example after the line 3 15 3 6 has been interpreted the value of parameter 3 will be 6 If the order is reversed to 3 6 3 15 and the line is interpreted the value of parameter 3 will be 15 If the thir
111. reens FA wach3 CHC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Run Program ARA MDI Alt2 Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help ToolPath Alt4 Tool Offsets Alt5 Genie Mcode X 0 0000 i ae Y 0 0000 D A 0 0000 d 00000 00000 F_ 6 008 Feed Rate o a O 0 0 0 0 E mm Units Rev 0 00 A e a Units Min 0 00 9 Ref All Home d GoTo Zero s Display Mode Pie C Mach3 GCode Test4 tap Tool 0 Table Display N5 File Name Drawing1 on Wednesday March 04 2009 N10 Default Mill Post N15 691 1 N20 M5 M9 N25 M6 T1 TOOL Change 5mm N30 G43 H1 N35 GO Z1 0000 N40 M3 3500 N44 XN NNNNA Yon ANNAN Eee ee eee S Regen Feed Load Edit Soft OFF Blele As you can see most of the CNC operation functions are in this screen and you are ready to try out all of these functions The black window in the screen will display the actual tool moving The Display mode will display the boundary of the machine It will be much easier for the user to play with the software and see how the tool moves in the screen with the machine powered off 3 2 1 Types of object on screens You will see that the Program Run screen is made up of the following Buttons e g Reset Stop Alt S etc DROs or Digital Readouts Anything with a number displayed will be a DRO The main ones are of course the current positions of the X Y Z A B amp C axes LEDs in various sizes and shape
112. res are being used The center is specified using the I and J words There are two ways of interpreting them The usual way is that I and J are the center relative to the current point at the start of the arc This is sometimes called Incremental IJ mode The second way is that I and J specify the center as actual coordinates in the current system This is rather misleadingly called Absolute IJ mode The IJ mode is set using the Configure gt State menu when Mach3 is set 10 17 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference up The choice of modes are to provide compatibility with commercial controllers You will probably find Incremental to be best In Absolute it will of course usually be necessary to use both I and J words unless by chance the arc s centre is at the origin When the XY plane is selected program G2 X Y Z A B C I J oruse G3 instead of G2 The axis words are all optional except that at least one of X and Y must be used I and J are the offsets from the current location or coordinates depending on IJ mode X and Y directions respectively of the center of the circle I and J are optional except that at least one of the two must be used It is an error if X and Y are both omitted Land J are both omitted When the XZ plane is selected program G2 X Y Z A B C I K oruse G3 instead of G2 The axis words are all optional except that at least one of X and Z must be used I and K are the offsets fro
113. ronic boards for the 3 axis motion control and brushless motor control for the spindle driver A 120V regular household power line is plugged into the controller box A parallel port is located in the controller box to be connected to the PC The controller box also provides power supply and PC control to the optional coolant system In addition there is a communication port in the controller for 4 axis expansion The controller box is developed by ACT using the latest and most powerful chips There are 5 CPU chips for each controller one for each axis 3 axes one for the brushless motor and one for coordination of all motions Necessary protection such as current overflow and optic isolation are built into the system for long lasting life It also matches the performance of more expensive large CNC machines with its ability to carry out very sophisticated computation to realize real time 3D precision contour motions Since the DMC III is a high performance high precision CNC machine it requires real time synchronization between the PC and the CNC controller It is recommended that a PC is dedicated for the use of this CNC machine To ensure top quality performance we provide an installed ready to operate PC with this system Because background programs that normally run on Windows may affect CNC performance we turned them off during installation Using the predetermined settings on this provided PC eliminates variation in printer port volt
114. rs to be in effect at the same time like measure in inches vs measure in millimetres A machining system may be in many modes at the same time with one mode from each modal group being in effect The modal groups are shown in figure 10 3 10 13 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference The modal Groups for G codes are e group 1 G00 G01 G02 G03 G38 2 G80 G81 G82 G84 G85 G86 G87 G88 G89 motion e group 2 G17 G18 G19 plane selection e group 3 G90 G91 distance mode e group 5 G93 G94 feed rate mode e group 6 G20 G21 units e group 7 G40 G41 G42 cutter radius compensation e group 8 G43 G49 tool length offset e group 10 G98 G99 return mode in canned cycles e group 12 G54 G55 G56 G57 G58 G59 G59 xxx coordinate system selection e group 13 G61 G61 1 G64 path control mode The modal groups for M codes are group 4 MO M1 M2 M30 stopping gt group 6 M6 tool change group 7 M3 M4 M5 spindle turning group 8 M7 M8 M9 coolant special case M7 and M8 may be active at the same time group 9 M48 M49 enable disable feed and speed override controls In addition to the above modal groups there is a group for non modal G codes group 0 G4 G10 G28 G30 G53 G92 G92 1 G92 2 G92 3 Figure 10 3 Modal groups For several modal groups when a machining system is ready to accept commands one member of the group must be i
115. s G code display window with its own scroll bars Toolpath display blank square on your screen There is one important type of control that is not on the Program Run screen MDI Manual Data Input line Buttons and the MDI line are your inputs DROs can be displays or can be used as inputs The background color changes when you are inputting The G code window and Toolpath displays are informational You can however manipulate both of them e g scrolling the G code window zooming rotating and panning the Toolpath display The ACTMach3 is simplified into 4 screen buttons as shown in the Fig 3 3 They are Run Program Alt 1 MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt4 and Tool Offsets Alt 5 amp Mach3 CNC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program AIA MDI Alt 2 ToolPath Alt Tool Offsets Alt 5 Geode Mcode EE Professional Desktop CNC Tool 0 e X 0 0000 Toot S Os Figure 3 3 The screen selection buttons 3 2 2 Using buttons and shortcuts On the standard screens most buttons have a keyboard hotkey It is shown after the name on the button itself or in a label near it Pressing the named key when the screen is displayed is the same as clicking the button with the mouse You might like to try using the mouse and keyboard shortcuts to turn on and off the spindle to turn on Flood coolant and to switch to the MDI screen Notice that letters are sometimes combined
116. s DROs move to the new coordinates Try several different commands or GOO to different places If you use the up or down arrow keys during the MDI line the screen will scrolls backward and forward through the history of commands you have entered This makes it easier to repeat a command without having to re type it When you select the MDI line you will notice a fly out box providing you a preview of the remembered text A MDI line or a block of G code can have several commands on it and they will be executed in the sensible order as defined in Chapter 10 It is not necessarily from left to right For example setting a feed rate by G code such as F2 5 will take effect before any feed speed movements even if the F2 5 appears in the middle or even at the end of the line block If you are in doubt about the order to be executed in each line try to type several separate MDI command lines 3 4 2 Teaching Mach3 can remember a sequence of lines that you enter using MDI and write them to a file This can then be run again and again as a G code program Overview of ACTMach3 On the MDI screen click the Start Teach button The LED next to it will light up to remind you that you are teaching Type in a series of MDI lines Mach3 will execute them as you press return after each line and store them in a conventionally named Teach file When you have finished click Stop Teach You can type your own code or try g21 100 gl x10 y0
117. s OK to program using the same offset already in use It is also OK to program using no tool length offset if none is currently being used 10 7 15 Scale factors G50 and G51 To define a scale factor which will be applied to an X Y Z A B C I amp J word before it is used program G51 X Y Z A B C where the X Y Z etc words are the scale factors for the given axes These values are of course never themselves scaled It is not permitted to use unequal scale factors to produce elliptical arcs with G2 or G3 To reset the scale factors of all axes to 1 0 program G50 10 7 16 Temporary Coordinate system offset G52 To offset the current point by a given positive or negative distance without motion program G52 X Y Z A B C where the axis words contain the offsets you want to provide All axis words are optional except that at least one must be used If an axis word is not used for a given axis the coordinate on that axis of the current point is not changed It is an error if all axis words are omitted G52 and G92 use common internal mechanisms in Mach3 and may not be used together When G52 is executed the origin of the currently active coordinate system moves by the values given The effect of G52 is cancelled by programming G52 X0 YO etc Here is an example Suppose the current point is at X 4 in the currently specified coordinate system then G52 X7 sets the X axis offset to 7 and so causes the X c
118. s then programmed the new X axis offset is 5 which is calculated by 7 9 3 Put another way the G92 X9 produces the same offset whatever G92 offset was already in place To reset axis offsets to zero program G92 1 or G92 2 G92 1 sets parameters 5211 to 5216 to zero whereas G92 2 leaves their current values alone To set the axis offset values to the values given in parameters 5211 to 5216 program G92 3 You can set axis offsets in one program and use the same offsets in another program Program G92 in the first program This will set parameters 5211 to 5216 Do not use G92 1 in the remainder of the first program The parameter values will be saved when the first program exits and restored when the second one starts up Use G92 3 near the beginning of the second program That will restore the offsets saved in the first program 10 7 28 Set Feed Rate Mode G93 G94 and G95 Three feed rate modes are recognized inverse time units per minute and units per revolution of spindle Program G93 to start the inverse time mode this is very infrequently employed Program G94 to start the units per minute mode Program G95 to start the units per rev mode In inverse time feed rate mode an F word means the move should be completed in one divided by the F number minutes For example if the F number is 2 0 the move should be completed in half a minute In units per minute feed rate mode an F word on the line is interpreted to mean th
119. s with a ballpoint or felt tipped pen on paper or cardboard It consists of a fixed table and a cylindrical pen holder which can move left and right X direction front and back Y direction and up and down Z direction The figure shows a square which has just been drawn on the paper Figure 7 2 shows the Machine Coordinate System which measures lets say in inches from the surface of the table at its bottom left hand corner As you will see the bottom left corner of the paper is at X 2 Y 1 and Z 0 neglecting paper thickness The point of the pen is at X 3 Y 2 and it looks as though Z 1 3 If the point of the pen was at the corner of the table then on this machine it would be in its Home or referenced position This position is often defined by the position of Home switches which the machine moves to when it is switched on At any event there will be a 7 1 Using Mach3Miill Coordinate systems tool table and fixtures D D D D D D D Ps D D D e e e L L L L EE E E E E E E ates D D e D D D D e D e D D D D a D D D D D e D D D D D ET CEET EE EE EE EEN CET m inio 7 sf O d r 4 L L D D D D e o D Li L as Ken un s n unn an un E a u rg a e mal wi D D e e D D e e ef L 4 4 4 L e D be bh w i Kell bg DH D D Figure 7 2 Machine coordinate system zero position for each axis called the absolute machine zero We will come back to where Home might actually be put on a real machin
120. side of triangle N0030 X 2 follow bottom side of triangle N0040 X2 Y2 follow hypotenuse of triangle N0050 G40 turn compensation off This will result in the tool following a path consisting of an entry move and the path shown on the left going clockwise around the triangle Notice that the coordinates of the triangle of material appear in the NC code Notice also that the tool path includes three arcs which are not explicitly programmed they are generated automatically 9 2 2 Tool Path Contour When the contour is a tool path contour the path is described in the part program It is expected that except for during the entry moves the path is intended to create some part geometry The path may be generated manually or by a CAD CAM program considering the part geometry which is intended to be made For Mach3 to work the tool path must be such that the tool stays in contact with the edge of the part geometry as shown on the left side of figure 10 1 If a path of the sort shown on the right of figure 10 1 is used in which the tool does not stay in contact with the part geometry all the time the interpreter will not be able to compensate properly when undersized tools are used For a tool path contour the value for the cutter diameter in the tool table will be a small positive number if the selected tool is slightly oversized and will be a small negative number if the tool is slightly undersized As implemented if a cutter diameter v
121. spindle stop rapid out gis zi see E Canned cycle back boring not yet implemented G88 Canned cycle boring spindle stop manual out E CE Se machine home parameters 5161 to 5166 ess eturn machine home parameters 5181 to 5186 628 1 Reference axis E OO E inverse SE Sai E E e GR G code screen Mach CNC Controller File Config Function Cfg s View Wizards Operator PlugIn Control Help Run Program AltA MDIAIt2 ToolPathAlt4 Tool Offsets Alt5 G code Mcode AM T Profesional Deskop CNC E G See EE H Tool lenght offset index i m H M4 Palale ap spindle clockwise counterclackwise M Stop spindle rotation me Tool Change by two macros Mist coolant on ww Flood coolant on L Number of repetitions in canned cycles subroutines LI 12 tool offset settings fixture offset with G10 M See M codes table S PN linenumber o O Subroutine label number _ __ P Dwell time in a canned cycle Dwell time wt Ei Tool Fixture number with G10 Tool radius with G41 G42 O Feed increment in G83 canned cycle _ _ p renens of subroutine cat s i pindl sapa M code screen 11 3 Using ACT Mill
122. tempt to find a file named Mxx M1S in the Macros folder If it finds the file then it will execute the VB script program it finds within it The Operator gt Macros menu item displays a dialog which allows you to see the currently installed macros to Load Edit and Save or Save As the text The dialog also has a Help button which will display the VB functions which can be called to control Mach3 For example you can interrogate the position of axes move axes interrogate input signals and control output signals Using Mach3Mill 10 34 10 10 10 11 G and M code reference New macros can be written using an external editor program like Notepad and saved in the Macros folder or you can load an existing macro within Mach3 totally rewrite it and save it with a different file name Other Input Codes 10 10 1 Set Feed Rate F To set the feed rate program F Depending on the setting of the Feed Mode toggle the rate may be in units per minute or units per rev of the spindle The units are those defined by the G20 G21 mode Depending on the setting in Configure gt Logic a revolution of the spindle may be defined as a pulse appearing on the Index input or be derived from the speed requested by the S word or Set Spindle speed DRO The feed rate may sometimes be overidden as described in M48 and M49 above 10 10 2 Set Spindle Speed S To set the speed in revolutions per minute rpm of the spindle program S The spindle will turn
123. ternet Additionally the following functions must be disabled 1 Automatic Updates 1 Right click My Computer and select Properties 2 Click Automatic Updates tab 3 Uncheck Keep my computer updated 4 Click OK 2 Remote Assistance 1 Right Click My Computer and select Properties 2 Click Remote tab 3 Uncheck Allow Remote Assistance Invitations 4 Click OK 1 7 Machine Power Off sequence Step 1 Click the RESET button located on the lower left side of the screen This will disable the machine and turn the RED light on RDY led flashing Step 2 Turn machine power off make sure to do this before exiting the program Step 3 Exit from ACTMach3 software program Step 4 Log off or shut down from Windows system 1 8 Safety Rules for using CNC machine Any machine tool is potentially dangerous Computer controlled machines are potentially more dangerous than manual ones It is recommended that the user spends some time to play with the software before turning on the DMC III power switch We designed the machine to be very reliable and easy to operate however ACT accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by improper use of the machine It is your responsibility to ensure safety of operation The following rules are recommended for safety Wear safety glasses Make your workshop kid proof Keep work area clear Keep away from turning spindle and tools Ma
124. the command is encountered It will then wait for Cycle Start to be pressed execute the macro M6End and continue running the part program You can provide Visual Basic code in the macros to operate your own mechanical tool changer and to move the axes to a convenient location to tool changing if you wish If tool change requests are set to be ignored in Configure gt Logic then M6 has no effect 10 8 4 Coolant Control M7 M8 M9 To turn flood coolant on program M7 To turn mist coolant on program M8 To turn all coolant off program M9 It is always OK to use any of these commands regardless of what coolant is on or off 10 33 Using Mach3Mill G and M code Reference 10 8 5 Re run from first line M47 On encountering an M47 the part program will continue running from its first line It is an error if M47 is executed in a subroutine The run can be stopped by the Pause or Stop buttons See also the use of M99 outside a subroutine to achieve the same effect 10 8 6 Override Control M48 and M49 To enable the speed and feed override program M48 To disable both overrides program M49 It is OK to enable or disable the switches when they are already enabled or disabled 10 8 7 Call subroutine M98 This has two formats a To call a subroutine program within the current part program file code M98 P L orM98 P Q The program must contain an O line with the number given by the P word of the Call This O line is a
125. the coordinates of the current Controlled Point to be values given by X Y and or Z Neither G52 nor G92 move the tool they just add another set of offsets to the origin of the Current Coordinate system 7 7 1 Using G52 A simple example of using G52 is where you might wish to produce two identical shapes at different places on the workpiece The code we looked at before draws a 1 square with a corner at X 0 8 Y 0 3 G20 F10 G90 set up imperial units a slow feed rate etc GU Z2 0 lift pen GO X0 8 Y0 3 rapid to bottom left of square G1 Z0 0 pen down Y1 3 we can leave out the Gl as we have just done one X1 8 YO 3 going clockwise round shape X0 8 GO X0 0 YO 0 22 0 move pen out of the way and lift it If we want another square but the second one with its corner at X 3 0 and Y 2 3 then the above code can be used twice but using G52 to apply and offset before the second copy G20 F10 G90 set up imperial units a slow feed rate etc GO 22 0 lift pen GO X0 8 Y0 3 rapid to bottom left of square G1 Z0 0 pen down Y1 3 we can leave out the Gl as we have just done one X1 8 YO 3 going clockwise round shape X0 8 GO 22 0 lift pen G52 X2 2 Y2 temporary offset for second square GO X0 8 Y0 3 rapid to bottom left of square G1 Z0 0 pen down Y1 3 we can leave out the Gl as we have just done one Ke YO 3 going clockwise round shape X0 8 G52 X0 YO Get rid of temporary offsets
126. the tool as it rasterises the image Raster X Y cuts along the X axis moving the Y axis at the end of each X line Raster Y X makes the raster lines be in the Y direction incrementing X for each line Spiral starts at the outside of a circle bounding the image and moves in to the centre Each raster line is made up of a series of straight Using Mach3Mill Choose type of rendering Baier Sr C C Raste YX C C Spal C Dot Diffusion xSke 11096 Depth 049 Y Size 80 Saez 4 F Invest White is down Raster Step Over X Step Over Y Step Over Figure 8 6 Defining the Step over DXF HPGL and image file import lines with the height of the Z coordinates of the ends depending on the shade of grey of that part of the picture 8 4 3 Raster and spiral rendering As you select one of these raster methods you will be prompted by a dialog for the step over values See figure 8 6 These define the distance between raster lines and the length of the short segments making up each line The total number of moves is the XSize X Step Over X YSize Y Step Over and of course increases as the square of the size of the object and the inverse square of the size of step over You should start with a modest resolution to avoid impossibly big files and long cutting times 8 4 4 Dot diffusion rendering If you choose the Dot Diffusion rendering method then you will be asked for a Dot size diffusion
127. tion 1 program G99 To use option 2 program G98 Remember that the R word has different meanings in absolute distance mode and incremental distance mode Figure 10 7 Built in M codes Built in M Codes M codes interpreted directly by Mach3 are shown in figure 10 7 10 8 1 Program Stopping and Ending MO M1 M2 M30 To stop a running program temporarily regardless of the setting of the optional stop switch program MO To stop a running program temporarily but only if the optional stop switch is on program M1 It is OK to program MO and M1 in MDI mode but the effect will probably not be noticeable because normal behavior in MDI mode is to stop after each line of input anyway Using Mach3Mill 10 32 G and M code reference If a program is stopped by an MO M1 pressing the cycle start button will restart the program at the following line To end a program program M2 or M30 M2 leaves the next line to be executed as the M2 line M30 rewinds the G code file These commands can have the following effects depending on the options chosen on the Configure gt Logic dialog gt Axis offsets are set to zero like G92 2 and origin offsets are set to the default like G54 Selected plane is set to XY like G17 Distance mode is set to absolute like G90 Feed rate mode is set to Units per minute mode like G94 Feed and speed overrides are set to ON like M48 Cutter compensation is turned off like G40 Th
128. uc version requires a lot of origin shifting to get the desired result for any circle not centred on 0 0 10 7 8 Plane Selection G17 G18 and G19 Program G17 to select the XY plane G18 to select the XZ plane or G19 to select the YZ plane The effects of having a plane selected are discussed in under G2 3 and Canned cycles 10 7 9 Length Units G20 and G21 Program G20 to use inches for length units Program G21 to use millimetres It is usually a good idea to program either G20 or G21 near the beginning of a program before any motion occurs and not to use either one anywhere else in the program It is the responsibility of the user to be sure all numbers are appropriate for use with the current length units See also G70 G71 which are synonymous 10 7 10 Return to Home G28 and G30 A home position is defined by parameters 5161 5166 The parameter values are in terms of the absolute coordinate system but are in unspecified length units To return to home position by way of the programmed position program G28 X Y Z A B C or use G30 All axis words are optional The path is made by a traverse move from the current position to the programmed position followed by a traverse move to the home position If no axis words are programmed the intermediate point is the current point so only one move is made 10 7 11 Reference axes G28 1 Program G28 1 X Y Z A B C to reference the given axes The axes will move at the
129. ure 10 5 Code to Probe Hole In figure 10 5 an entry of the form lt description of number gt is meant to be replaced by an actual number that matches the description of number After this section of code has executed the X value of the center will be in parameter 1041 the Y value of the center in parameter 1022 and the diameter in parameter 1034 In addition the diameter parallel to the X axis will be in parameter 1024 the diameter parallel to the Y axis in parameter 1014 and the difference an indicator of circularity in parameter 1035 The probe tip will be in the hole at the XY center of the hole The example does not include a tool change to put a probe in the spindle Add the tool change code at the beginning if needed 10 7 13 Cutter Radius Compensation G40 G41 and G42 To turn cutter radius compensation off program G40 It is OK to turn compensation off when it is already off Cutter radius compensation may be performed only if the XY plane is active To turn cutter radius compensation on left i e the cutter stays to the left of the programmed path when the tool radius is positive program G41 D To turn cutter radius compensation on right 1 e the cutter stays to the right of the programmed path when the tool radius is positive program G42 D The D word is optional if there is no D word the radius of the tool currently in the spindle will be used If used the D number should normally be the slot number of the too
130. values of the numbers I and J numbers always represent increments regardless of the distance mode setting K numbers represent increments in all but one usage the G87 boring cycle where the meaning changes with distance mode 10 7 26 Set lJ Mode G90 1 and G91 1 Interpretation of the IJK values in G02 and G03 codes can be in one of two distance modes absolute or incremental To go into absolute IJ mode program G90 1 In absolute distance mode IJK numbers represent absolute positions in terms of the currently active coordinate system To go into incremental IJ mode program G91 1 In incremental distance mode IJK numbers usually represent increments from the current controlled point Incorrect settings of this mode will generally result in large incorrectly oriented arcs in the toolpath display Using Mach3Mill 10 30 G and M code reference 10 7 27 G92 Offsets G92 G92 1 G92 2 G92 3 See the chapter on coordinate systems for full details You are strongly advised not to use this legacy feature on any axis where there is another offset applied To make the current point have the coordinates you want without motion program G92 X Y Z A B C where the axis words contain the axis numbers you want All axis words are optional except that at least one must be used If an axis word is not used for a given axis the coordinate on that axis of the current point is not changed It is an error if all axis words
131. way We will call this type a material edge contour This is the sort of code that might be hand written The contour given in the NC code is the tool path that would be followed by a tool of exactly the correct radius We will call this type a tool path contour This is the sort of code that a CAD CAM program might produce if it is aware of the intended cutter diameter The interpreter does not have any setting that determines which type of contour is used but the numerical description of the contour will of course differ for the same part geometry between the two types and the values for diameters in the tool table will be different for the two types 9 2 1 Material Edge Contour When the contour is the edge of the material the outline of the edge is described in the part program For a material edge contour the value for the diameter in the tool table is the actual value of the diameter of the tool The value in the table must be positive The NC code for a material edge contour is the same regardless of the actual or intended diameter of the tool Example Here is an NC program which cuts material away from the outside of the triangle in figure 10 1 above In this example the cutter compensation radius is the actual radius of the tool in use which is 0 5 The value for the diameter in the tool table is twice the radius which is 1 0 N0010 G41 Gl X2 Y2 turn compensation on and make entry move N0020 Y 1 follow right
132. while simultaneously lowering the tool 0 2 in the Z direction You can also see the initial GOO move which is a straight line You can if you wish to produce a display like the conventional isometric view of the toolpath A few minutes of play will soon give you confidence in what can be done Your display may be a different color from what is shown in figure 3 11 The colors can be configured See hapter 5 3 7 2 Panning and Zooming the toolpath display 3 8 The toolpath display can be zoomed by dragging the cursor in its window with the Shift key depressed The toolpath display can be panned in its window by dragging the cursor in the window with the Right mouse button held Double clicking the toolpath window restores the display to the original perpendicular view with no zoom applied Note You cannot Pan or Zoom while the machine tool is running Other screen features Finally it is worth browsing through some of the other Wizards and all the screens As a small challenge you might like to see if you can identify the following useful features gt A button for estimating the time that a part program will take to run on the actual machine tool gt The controls for overriding the feed rate selected in the part program gt DROs which give the extent of movement of the tool in all axes for the loaded part program gt A screen that lets you set up information like where you want the Z axis to be placed to keep X and Y fr
133. with the Control or Alt keys Although letters are shown as uppercase for ease of reading do not use the shift key when using the shortcuts In a workshop it is convenient to minimize the times when you need to use a mouse The arrow keys can be used to move the X and Y axes and page up and page down is used to move the Z axis up and down It is noted that the left and right arrow keys logically move the tool to the left and right The up and down arrow keys move the table forward and backward where the table moves in opposite direction of the arrow direction It is because that the Y direction is defined as the tool moving direction The tool moves relative to the table in the opposite direction 3 2 3 3 3 If a button does not appear on the current screen then its keyboard shortcut is not active There are certain special keyboard shortcuts which are global across all screens Chapter 5 shows how these are set E ES La X Data entry to DRO Ka You can enter new data into any DRO by clicking on it with the mouse clicking its hotkey where set or by using the global hotkey to select DROs and moving to the one JOG Mode a JOG Con 0 0100 JOG Step Unit ES JOG On Off that you want with the arrow keys Try entering a feed rate like 45 6 on the Program Run screen You must press the Enter key to accept the new value or the Esc key to revert to the previous one Backspace and Delete are not used when inputting to DR
134. ystem origin 1 e machine zero is then set to given X Y Z etc values frequently 0 0 You can actually define a non zero value for the home switches if you want but ignore this for now The Z home switch is generally set at the highest Z position above the table Of course if the reference position is machine coordinate Z 0 0 then all the working positions are lower and will be negative Z values in machine coordinates Again if this is not totally clear at present do not worry Having the Controlled Point tool out of the way when homed is obviously practically convenient and it is easy to use the work offset s to set a convenient coordinate system for the material on the table What about different Z Y lengths of tool If you are feeling confident so far then it is time to see how to solve another practical problem Suppose we now want to add a red rectangle to the drawing Tbig We jog the Z axis up and put the red pen in the holder in place of the blue Figure 7 4 Now we want another color one Sadly the red pen is longer than the blue one so when we go to the Current Coordinate System origin the tip smashes into the table Figure 7 5 Mach3 like other CNC controllers has a way for storing information about the tools pens in our system This Tool Table allows you to tell the system up to 256 different tools Z Y On the Offsets screen you will see a Tool number and information about the tool The DROs are

ACT-DMCIII OPERATION MANUAL - Desktop CNC Milling Machines

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