Post Processor for RichAuto 11

[Anonymous]

Hello, 

Recently our school purchased an Axiom Auto Pro 8, when it was purchased we were advised to use AutoDesk Fusion 360 as our design software, as we can use a student version for free since the school budget is extremely tight. For about a month now checking forums and trying different ideas we cannot get the CNC to replicate what we designed on the program. In the manual it reads that the RichAuto 11 controller will read standard GCode, we have tried Grbl/grbl, and RS-274D/rs274d, neither one will produce a completed project without some kind of issue. Below I attached our latest try. We are also struggling with time, the program forecasts about 10 minutes, and the actual project takes almost 2 hours. I am definitely a novice so there can be other problems within the program. I am hoping to find an answer in why we are having these dependencies between what Fusion is showing and what is actually getting done, and is there a better generic G - Code to use? Is there a different program we should use? 

Your help is greatly appreciated

Thank you

[gregor.randla]

I already found a solution for my problem. First of all, ReadT has to be activated from controller. Then the tool number itself cannot be big so I had to put for the tool change T2 from the program.

In the end the G code for the tool change looks like this:

M05

M00

T2 M06 S<s> (this is program specific, it takes spindle speed from the tool list)

M03

Im using Estlcam with LinuxCNC and finally got it working okay. Im still trying to figure out how to change the tool changing position, but I am determined 😄

[ridwaan1]

i tried this post processor and it worked, but for some  reason the tabs to hold down the material was not added

[seth.madore]

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@ridwaan1 wrote:

i tried this post processor and it worked, but for some  reason the tabs to hold down the material was not added

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Would you be able to share your Fusion file here?
File > Export > Save to local folder, return to thread and attach the .f3d/.f3z file in your reply.

[paul.jefferies.0]

This file of G-codes that the A11 understands includes G43 & H codes. This suggests that you can program tool offsets in the controller. Does anyone know how to do this? The manual doesn't mention it, and I can't find any menu item that sounds like tool offsets in the controller. 

[deutirium]

Hello Paul,

Have you managed to find more info? There are a couple of manuals posted earlier in this thread but the links are dead unfortuntely. I'd love to know how to automate manual tool changes with my probe instead of having to touch off the part every single time. If anyone has info, it would be much appreciated!

[paul.jefferies.0]

Hi deuterium,

I followed up with Richauto directly and they confirmed that the A11 does not support tool offsets. I think the best you can do is to provide a workspace location for the tool change in the A11 handset, and have a touch plate mounted there permanently. Then when the manual tool change happens, it will do the touch-off from this fixed touch-plate rather than your part. However this doesn't help very much I know, and personally I have ditched the Richauto controller and switched to LinuxCNC with a Mesa 7i76eu board instead. That way I can work towards automatic tool changes. Sorry I couldn't help more.

[deutirium]

Hello Gregor,

Have you finally figured this out? I'd like to standardize my tool-setting on my machine using an A11 controller where I manually load tools in the ER20 Collet. Thanks!

[deutirium]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The spindle icture you posted is a typical manual tool change model.  That's OK.  IT's a matter of setting up the A11 to go to the tool change position (by that it means XYZ co-ordinates).

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I'd like to know how to do this, as it seems from your comment and others that it is possible, however I cannot find any further information online. The links to the manuals you provided are now dead unfortunately. I managed to find the first one by searching the SKU on google and found what I assume to be the same manual: powermatic.com/media/akeneo_connector/asset_files/1/7/1797022_man_en_ecb0.pdf

It does not seem to give any insights about this, though. Any help would be much appreciated!

[deutirium]

Thank you! Simply getting confirmation that this can't be done is really valuable, as I felt like I was going on a wild goose chase. I don't think I have the ability to change my controller as of this moment and may just end up getting a better one with my next machine.

I'm still skeptical though, since this video for example shows a tool setting menu where you could set the position. This menu is not found in the manual and I don't remember seeing it in my controller though (will have to recheck when I'm back with the machine). Maybe tha't a different model? It does say A11 though, and the video is 6 years old so I don't assume it's using a newer software version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPyf4y02iTY

In the meantime, what you suggest (fixing the touch-plate position) seems like my best bet. Is there, at least, a way to have the too automatically go to the coordinates where I'd like it to touch off? I'm assuming I'll have to save that position as XY0 on one of the Work Offsets (for example X2,Y2,Z2) and so the workflow would be the following:

1. change from X1Y1Z1 (or another WCS where you have your stock position zeroed) to X2Y2Z2 (which is zeroed on the probe)
2. Press the origin button to go to the zero position of X2Y2
3. Press the automatic toolset key combination (you now have your Z zeroed in X2Y2Z2)
4. return back to X1Y1Z1 (all numbers should now be non-zero)
5. Press Z zero (you manually have to adjust the value relative the touch block in case of discrepency in the thickness before zeroing)
6. Press the origin button to return to your program WCS zero position
7. Your X1Y1Z1 should now be zeroed in correctly

 This of course assumes that the value for X2Y2Z2 does not change relative to the permanently-set touch block, so every once in a while you should check for any drift in the values which may happen as the machine skips steps or there's an error with the limit switches.

Alternatively, without changing the coordinate system you could just manually move the tool above the touch block/probe by eye and start the Z tool setter.

Either way seems like a big hassle unfortunately.

[paul.jefferies.0]

Actually it's a bit easier than that. In the menu under "machine setup/Toolset setup/C.A.D Position" change the settings to "InPos". The controller then asks you to position the spindle over your touch plate. After you've done this and hit "OK", every time you do a toolset it will automatically go to this position and after doing the touch off will go back to where it was.

That's all great, but the big bug in A11 that a previous poster highlighted (and made a video of) is that when you do a touch-off as part of a tool change mid program, the A11 ignores it! This effectively makes tool changes mid program useless for A11! I really think this is just a bug, but Richauto clearly don't want to fix it as they want you to buy a new controller with more functions if you want to do tool changing!

[deutirium]

Given that the last update for the controller is now 6 years old, It wouldn't surprise me if they're no longer supporting it. Do you know if there's a way to take advantage of this functionality while avoiding the bug? I don't mind having my toolpath seperated into different programs by tool number, I was just wanted a faster more streamlined tool change workflow. If I set this C.A.D position, does it work every time regardless of the current WCS and program origin? Does it store the positiong for my touch plate after shut down?

Sidenote: silly question really, but has anyone figuered out what C.A.D even stands for here?

[paul.jefferies.0]

I think if You're ok with splitting your code into different files for each
tool (necessary for the free version of F360 anyway!) then you'll be ok.
The machine remembers the position of the touch plate in machine
coordinates, not your working coordinates. This means it will stay the same
irrespective of your local WCS, and hopefully across reboots too. You'll
have to experiment a bit with it. I can't say much more about it as I lost
interest in experimenting after I bumped into this glaring bug of the
tool-setting mid program not working!

[gregor.randla]

Hey!

I finally gave up and started using Vectric Aspire instead. Sadly I didn't get the automatic tool change to work and I make a file for every toolpath. It isn't much hassle as I don't have the automatic tool change anyways, so it doesnt take much more time. I just zero my tool every time with the inbuilt tool zero plate. 

Hope it helped.