M6 Tool change (Resolved)

[Ken Rychlik]

Version 18 did not come with an mfunc6 file either. I created my own by combining several bits and pieces from several, including the one's posted you talk about.

You can make one and have it do anything you please. You can even send it to another macro to do a function.

If you are manually changing bits you will need a place to measure them. If you have an auto tool change machine having a side switch that you go to to measure the bit is a great thing to have.

Most people either have an aluminum plate or a switch to set the tool height.

One of mine looks like this. This one goes to a switch mounted outside of my cutting board, but where the spindle can reach. If you look at each line there is usually a description of what that command is doing.

IF #50001 ;Force lookahead to stop processing


N200 ;Probe TT1
M5 ;Spindle Off

G53 Z-.5 F75
G1 x0 Y18 F250 ; Change tool spot


M200 "#)**Change Tool**\nPress Cycle Start to continue"

G1 x.5 F100
G1 y-13.25 F250 ; Tool Measure Spot

M115 /Z P7 F15 ;Move at fast probing rate until TT1 detected
M116 /Z P-7 F10 ;Retract at slow probing rate until TT1 clears
G91 z0.125 F20
G90
M115 /Z P7 F5 ;Move at slow probing rate until TT1 detected

G92 Z[#9251] ;***Get Paramater 251 for setting z Height ***************

G4 P.5 ;Wait 1/2 second

G53 Z-.5 F50 ;Retract Z .5 from top So

G1 x0 y12 F300




M200 "#)**Install Dust Foot**\nPress Cycle Start to continue"

N300
IF #50001 ;Force lookahead to stop processing

N1000 ;End of macro

[ShawnM]

Arturo,

I did the same thing Ken did. Cobbled a few M6 scripts together that work for me. I'm actually still refining ver2 right now but what I have is working for me for now.

The fact that the machine responds when you type M6 in the MDI and yet nothing happens when you run your home brew g code with a m6 tells me that your g code is not in a format that the acron can understand. I could be wrong but if the MDI recognizes the m6 command and it starts the macro and your home brew g code doesn't I would look at this first.

Have you ever had any g code you downloaded online or was written by a CAM program and used the Centroid PP? Did that work?

Do you have a touch off plate installed? Have you tried to run the simple complete m6 script for the movable touch plate?

Like this one that Scott wrote: download/file.php?id=5719

[cnckeith]

viewtopic.php?f=63&t=1493#p9150

clint's version of scott's original
download/file.php?id=5721

[Arturo Martinez]

Hi,
Those who read my postings may recall that I mentioned that "the downloaded file from DIYCNCSCOTT MFUNC6.mac was ignored. The only difference with this file is that the type is 'Text Document' instead of 'MAC File'."

I went back to download DIYCNCSCOTT file again and throughout the process of placing it within the Centroid cncm directory, I made sure that it was always a MAC file (mac).

Then I tried my process again and it worked!
It started sending me messages regarding the tool change process.
With that, I made some adjustments to go with my configuration (for instance, I have a router, not a spindle) and now it is sending the appropriate messages.

Thank you all.

Arturo