New Guy,Best way to setup a Automatic Tool Changer

andypugh wrote:

BigJohnT wrote: I have a BP Discovery 308 with a similar setup for tool changing but due to spindle orientation I can't convert it unless I replace the spindle drive and motor.

Have you tried? I managed some degree of alignment with a direct drive and a 20-year-old VFD on a normal AC motor.

With a more modern VFD, and especially in the lower gears, I reckon it could be done.

Surely the machine worked as sold, so what is the actual problem?

It's not a VFD, it is a Siemens servo drive. I've done the research on using a VFD on the spindle motor and that was a bust due to the type of motor it is which I forget at the moment. As long as I can keep the DX-32 control running I will. I wanted to convert it to LinuxCNC so my whole shop was using LinuxCNC but in order to do that I have to swap out the spindle motor and add a VFD. This is the machine that gave me fits for a year tripping the drive out until I replaced my 15 HP used 3-phase motor RPC with 20hp purpose built for a RPC idler motor.

JT

BigJohnT wrote: It's not a VFD, it is a Siemens servo drive.

I guess that LinuxCNC could probably control that drive?

As long as I can keep the DX-32 control running I will.

Did you miss my mention that the skip at work was full of Sinumeric controllers and 20kW drives the other day? (all gone now)

andypugh wrote:

BigJohnT wrote: It's not a VFD, it is a Siemens servo drive.

I guess that LinuxCNC could probably control that drive?

As long as I can keep the DX-32 control running I will.

Did you miss my mention that the skip at work was full of Sinumeric controllers and 20kW drives the other day? (all gone now)

I'm guessing it can control it as well, but I'm not smart enough to figure it out.

JT

Thank You,

I may try to run the HAAS control for a while, I was told it works just can transfer programs into it, so everything has to
be hand programmed, may just need a Com board.

Luckily its old.. only has a 7.5 hp spindle so I may be able to run it off a phase converter..

It looks like if I want to retrofit it I may have to use Mach3 , the guys at Machmotion already have a old VF2 running on it.

Hmm..I wonder if I could use the rack style programming and set up the toolchanger as a rotary axis so every tool has a
location.. wish it were easy to mess around with. For all it knows the thing is just dropping ad picking up a tool at a set location..

Lots to learn...

Thank You

sspeed33317 wrote: It looks like if I want to retrofit it I may have to use Mach3 , the guys at Machmotion already have a old VF2 running on it.

If Mach can control it then LinuxCNC can control it.

The simplest way is probably to configure the carousel as a rotary axis, then write a G-code routine to make the tool-change moves. Once you have the G-code routine working you can remap that to the M6 command.

Does anyone know who this guy is? Pretty much works that same way as a Haas, only thing I found a Cinci doesnt have is a mechanical orient pin