Adding to my tool library - correct procedure question

[bloomingtonmike]

I have a knee mill

I made and have the reference tool. I have ref tool length set to that tool touching a 123 block on top of my vice.

The day I entered the reference tool length value, I also entered three tools as well.

Since then I have moved my knee.

I now have some more tool holder with tools chucked up that I want to enter into my library.

Can you walk me through the steps, from powering on the controller/software to correctly add to the library without redoing all my tools please.



I am new to tool libraries so it is a bit confusing to me. Please and thank you.

[bloomingtonmike]

Do I just part home the Z axis with one of the tools in the library already then just go in and measure the additional tools and add them?

May be way over thinking this.

[cncsnw]

See http://www.cncsnw.com/OLEM.htm and http://www.cncsnw.com/OLMProc1.htm.

Each time you go to measure tools, you need to:
1) Go to the Tool Offset Library
2) Put the Reference Tool in the spindle
3) Press F1 to set Z Reference
4) Jog the Reference Tool to whatever surface you want to measure tools on today
5) Press F10 to set Z Reference there.

You can then load each new tool in turn; touch them to that same surface; highlight the appropriate length offset number; and press F2 to measure the offset for that tool.

All this is entirely independent of where you might have the Z axis Part Zero location set.

Once you have measured your tools, then you can use any one of them, or the Reference tool, on the Part Setup screen to set the Z axis Part Zero location.

[bloomingtonmike]

Thank you!

[bloomingtonmike]

So another example to explain a question on this I still have.

Day one the knee is at 10" - I pick a spot and set ref tool height and save that and measure off tools 1-3 and save

Day two the knee is at 14" - I pick a spot and and set ref tool height, save it, and measure off tools 4-6 and save

On day 3 I want to cut a job and knee is at 8". I set part Z home to top of workpiece and save that. Will tools 2 and 5 both zero correctly even though the tool offset value was different between days one and two.

Also the instructions say the following:

Operation (for each job)

Load all of the tools for the job into their tool holders.
Go to the offset library.
Press F1 to set Z Reference. Following the instructions:
Put the Reference Tool (the drill rod) in the spindle.
Jog to touch off on some convenient surface.
Press F10 to set Z Reference here.
For each tool in the job:
Highlight the tool/offset number.
Load the tool.
Jog to touch off on the surface.
Press F2 to measure the offset.
Press F10 to save the measured offsets.
Go to Part Setup.
Touch off and set X and Y positions normally.
Touch off the part surface with whatever tool happens to be in the spindle.
Enter the correct Tool Number, then press F10 to set the Z position.

I dont understand why all these stepps are done for EVERY JOB?

[cnckeith]

mike,

once a tool is setup in the tool library there is no need to remeasure that tool until it breaks or you move its position in the tool holder.

in the case of the knee mill, if you move the knee position all the tool lengths are still the same, so all you have to do it reset Z zero (a wcs) with a tool that is setup in the tool library and all the other tools follow along automatically. the mill training video does a real good job of explaining this in the "knee mill" section. second video down on this page.

http://www.centroidcnc.com/video_milltrain_index.html

[bloomingtonmike]

CncKeith,

Am I reading this correctly that I do NOT have to remeasure the tools at all as long as they do not change position in their holders or break. When I start a different job at a different knee height I can just set my part setup Z to zero with any of the measured tools, making sure to select the correct tool number when I do so.

Also, I am still unclear how I come back say in a month, and many jobs and knee heights later, and add a tool to the library correctly. Z ref is throwing me off. DO I just mount up the same offest tool that I used originally, touch off somewhere like at the vise top, set the Z reference height AGAIN at that NEW position (new being different than originally done with all the tolls a month ago), and then set the tool height offsets for the new tools?

Sorry for beating this horse but I am trying to understand it correctly in my own mind. I have watched the videos (both vmc and knee videos) many times but they do NOT show adding new tools in later.

[diycncscott]

Mike,

As long as you are using the same reference tool/tool holder and the same touch off point, you can add new tools (or enter a new height offset for a broken tool) anytime you like by touching off the reference tool and setting/resetting the Z reference position and then measuring your new/changed tool.

This works because the height offsets in your tool library simply reflect the incremental difference in tool heights between the "reference" tool and the other tools. The difference doesn't change no matter where the knee is moved to. Just don't forget to enter a tool number when setting/resetting part 0 for your Z axis after your offsets are set.