Struggling to drill process

Struggling to drill process

timlees2000
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Message 1 of 6

Struggling to drill process

timlees2000
Participant
Participant

Afternoon all, I am frustrated here trying to drill holes on my CNC using Mach3.

I have created a pair of parts and before the blank is shaped I want to drill the holes, 3mm small then 6mm 37mm deep to allow access to screw fixings. I thought it would be easy but I am struggling to get the orientation sorted.  I think my issue is understanding how this all works and how to set this up.  it is also tricky getting the orientation correct in Manufacture mode as the original was set up for the shape profile.  If anyone has any pointers for me that would be great, Thanks Tim

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Message 2 of 6

seth.madore
Community Manager
Community Manager

Could you share your file?
File > Export > Save to local folder, return to thread and attach the .f3d file in your reply


Seth Madore
Customer Advocacy Manager - Manufacturing


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Message 3 of 6

timlees2000
Participant
Participant

Thanks for a reply I attach the file.

 

I had another play but still having similar issues, any advice you could offer would be great

Thanks Tim

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Message 4 of 6

vandyckaj
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rta4d_8dJ7disMCbae_ohjLDsQok8e5x/view?usp=sharing 

 

Hope this helps!

 

Let me know if you have questions. Seems like you were pretty close! 

Message 5 of 6

timlees2000
Participant
Participant

Thank you for taking the time to help me out, I thought this cracked it, I can get the CNC to go through the motions but the issue I seem to have now is: the CNC takes the spindle to around 24mm above the work and then starts drilling. this gives me a hole depth of 15ish mm not 37mm as desired. I have set the zero up using a probe, it is set to sit 14mm from the work.  I have not seen this behaviour before so it must be something else I have wrong in the drilling processes.  I have tried pretty much everything I can think of, would you cast an eye and see if you can spot why the drilling starts in air and not on the work?

 

Thanks Tim

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Message 6 of 6

vandyckaj
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

The drilling in fusion looks fine. I would almost 100% guarantee you have something wrong with where you have told the machine zero is vs. fusion. 

 

Some things to check:

  • Make sure you are using the same offsets in the program and machine. IE. G54 code and G54 in machine
  • Check to make sure where Z zero is set is fusion is the same place you are touching off with probe.

If you can elaborate on the machine you are using that would help. Typically when you are probing, the probe is of a known length and the machine is then measuring all the tools relative to the probe length. 

 

There are really two schools of thought when it comes to setting up a machine for making a part. 

 

The simple way to do this, without a probe just to see if that is the issue somehow is to go with the tool touch off method. Take your edge finder, get x and y for g54. leave G54 Z as 0. Then touch all the tools off the actual part. So the gauge length of the tools is all relative to the Z of that specific part. Downside is you have to touch off tools for every job. Upside is it is very simple, and is often used ALOT in shops doing one off pieces where tools are constantly changing. 

 

The other method... Is best explained in the link below as method 3. Fundamentally what you are doing is setting the length of the tools all off the gauge line of the spindle. Usually the face. So every tool length should be positive... I think. Yeah that should be right. Then you go and when you get a new part and you just have to tell the machine where the part is relative to the gauge line of the spindle and all the tool offsets stay constant. Instead you place a Z offset in the G54. With this method you don't have to retouch tools once they are touched. You can just do one touch-off on the part with the spindle face and you are set. 

 

Where the probe comes in, is that goes in the spindle, and has some gauge length off the spindle gauge line.  Same as all your other tools. You then touch off the part and that gives you a G54 XYZ.  So possibly in your case that length offset for your probe could be wrong and causing the issue. Or your tool offset for the drill could be wrong as well. Or the part offset in Z for the G54 is wrong. It has to be one of those 3. Cause I really don't see anything wrong with your program. 

 

The other thing you can do for tool touch offs if you never want to touch off tools is what I do. I have a fixture plate in my machine that I fixture everything off off. I touch all my tools off the top of that plate and then never touch them again. When I program my cad, Z zero in the cad is always the top of that plate and I place the part in space where I want it. I never touch off tools or part heights. Just load and go. This is rather advanced and requires good discipline and good habits, but it works very well for repetitive jobs and I didn't need a 6k probe package lol. 

 

Some links to help:

https://blog.caminstructor.com/caminstructor-tips-tool-length-offsets-explained 

 

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