W axes calibration

[Ralphxyz]

What is the W axes incremented in?

How do I set it for thous or mm?

Just got everything working on my Mill well I still need to get my tach working but I have tested it at my desk.

Ralph

[Ralphxyz]

Sure would appreciate an answer!!

TouchDRO is worthless for 4 axes without knowing.

Ralph

[Ralphxyz]

Doesn't anyone use the W axes?

[Eskimo2k]

Sorry for no replies, Ralph.

The W axis is added to the axis of your choice, usually the Z axis for milling machines.
It is intended to be used as the knee height for a mill with a knee, and added to the Z axis.
It is NOT a stand alone 4th axis.
It's units are the same as the rest of the machine axis. You calibrate the W axis along with the Z axis when you set that up.

[Ralphxyz]

Sorry for no replies, Ralph.

The W axis is added to the axis of your choice, usually the Z axis for milling machines.
It is intended to be used as the knee height for a mill with a knee, and added to the Z axis.
It is NOT a stand alone 4th axis.
It's units are the same as the rest of the machine axis. You calibrate the W axis along with the Z axis when you set that up.

Thanks for the reply Brian.

Boy I am going to have to really get my head around "not a stand alone 4th axis":

I need a stand alone 4th axis.

Too bad, I might look for alternative DRO programs, unless I can understand why I would want to combine axes.

My Clausing 8520 mill has a Knee and a spindle that independently go up and Down (Z-table and Z-spindle).

I can picture times when I might move the Knee down and the spindle up, apparently that would not work with combined axes.

I sure would like to hear how people are using W. 

I'm brand new to machining so I have a lot to learn. In fact I flunked out of Machine Shop II fifty years ago. I sure could use Mr. Dundas now.

Ralph

[Eskimo2k]

The W axis is designed for your type of setup.
You connect the W axis to the knee height and the Z axis to the spindle height. You then set up TouchDRO to sum the W axis and Z axis. The result is the exact table height from your zero reference, no matter which one you adjust.

[Ralphxyz]

The W axis is designed for your type of setup.
You connect the W axis to the knee height and the Z axis to the spindle height. You then set up TouchDRO to sum the W axis and Z axis. The result is the exact table height from your zero reference, no matter which one you adjust.

But I might adjust both!!

Thank you, like I said I am new to this.

I will have to set it up to see if I can understand exactly what it is telling me.

So far TouchDRO has worked exactly as expected, I am very pleased.

Ralph

[Eskimo2k]

The fact that you might adjust both is exactly the reason for summing the two axis.
No matter which one you adjust, spindle, knee, or both, the Z axis on the display will always display how far you are from reference zero.

[Ralphxyz]

The fact that you might adjust both is exactly the reason for summing the two axis.
No matter which one you adjust, spindle, knee, or both, the Z axis on the display will always display how far you are from reference zero.

Thanks, looking forward to seeing this in action, maybe tomorrow.

Of course "the zero point" is another issue.

I would have individual zero points not just one, I am starting to see how to use this but it took some stretching of my mind.

Again I do not know what I am doing, I am just learning.

Ralph

[Ralphxyz]

Well I have seen it working, don't really understand what I am seeing but that will come as I use it more.

One of these days I will even check to see how accurate the scales are reading, so far I just been pleased
with seeing them read.

Ralph