TUTORIAL: WCS Probing for Robust Setups

[@Richard-us1nh]

Are you able to explain the use of Override Driving WCS, if this isn't selected does the probing cycle use a work piece shift to offset the Cam for that particular part?

[@richardstubley9611]

Hey, thanks for mentioning this, I actually recorded another few minutes on override driving WCS but cut it out as the video was getting a bit to long. Override driving WCS is a brilliant way to stop "creep" on your machine when probing, it also allows 1 WCS to be the datum for multiple WCS's. So, in your setup you have offset 1 selected (G54), you make a bunch of milling paths, and some probing at the start. The probing path has override WCS selected as 2 (G55). What will happen on your machine now is, the probe will move in the G55 co-ordinate system, but then update the G54 position for all your following toolpaths to then be driven in the G54 co-ordinate system. The reason why this is so good is lats say you have the ideal position of your part and you load it slightly to the left, without override driving wcs selected you will move the probe in G54 then update G54 for the milling paths, your ideal location has now moved to the location of the last part. Imagine if you keep loading this to the left, soon you could be a considerable way away from your original desired location without realising because you only moved the part 0.5mm each time, but after 20 parts you are now 10mm away. Override driving wcs does not update the co-ordinate system the probe is driven under it updates the co-ordinate system the milling paths are driven . So the datum the probe is driven with does not update every time and remains static in your set location. I hope this helps, its a bit difficult to describe without pictures. I was wondering whether to do a separate video on this, ssing as you have asked I will put it on my to-do list.

[@richardstubley9651]

@@richardstubley9611 for anyone else reading this is there is now a video on Override Driving WCS kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmXUdIhmjZajja8

[@ScottMoyse]

Richard... you're good at these videos mate. Nice work!

[@richardstubley9611]

Cheers Scott, any requests? (Part alignment with a casting is on the to-do list :) )

[@offuttjr]

Thanks for the great. Tutorial

Nice one 👍 Have started learning probing features in Fusion 360 a few days ago so this is very timely! One thing I can't possibly find is how to probe my B axis?! I work on a XYZ+BC table VMC, so all setup start with probing C then B axis to align table before probing X Y and Z. In Fusion 360, option to probe angle relative to X or Y axis is offered when selecting a vertical/side surface to probe C, but nothing's available when selecting an horizontal/top surface to probe angles along X for B and Y for A 😢 How do people with 5 axis machines do probe their WCSs? Thanks in advance for your answer.

[@homer4889]

I believe your 5th axis is an attachment. So when you place & set that attachment in your table, you initially set the B axis flat & aligned from your spindle &/or table & save that value to a dedicated work coordinate(e.g. G59). And from this moment on you will always refer & copy your B from that G59 B to whatever work coodinate you will actually be using for your part. Let’s say when you initially set your attachment you got a B=-0.04mmm after alignment then save this to G59. And from then on that will always be your B value on your G54, G55, and so on.

[@homer4889]

Sorry for the -0.04mmm. 😅

@@homer4889 no, machine is a DMG DMU50 with BC rotating table. For each setup I first probe C to align X, then B, then X Y and Z.

[@richardstubley9611]

@ what cycles are you running on your DMG? The inbuilt heidenhain / Siemens or the renishaw? You might be interested in this also. This is a full how to align parts fully is 5 axis kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2OnYnaqbdOAe68

@@richardstubley9611 I'm using the built-in Sinumerik cycles. The inspection method for aligning parts showed in the video is indeed very interesting, and powerful! But this seems quite a heavy and time consuming process when all I need is a couple of probe touches more at the beginning of my programs to orient my table. Really, this should be added to probing cycles

[@DanBader]

Is it just me, or do you have your probing speeds completely backwards? The rough positioning move happen super slow, and then when it's expecting to make contact with a surface it's moving at more than tripled that speed!

[@richardstubley9611]

Hi, I think it's just the way it looks on camera, the first touch is at about 500mm per min (can't remember off the top of my head) the second recorded touch is 102mm per min ( I definitely know that one) its as defined in the renishaw inspection plus cycles.

[@jenspetersen5865]

We are trying to program our probe in our Haas with the same 10/12mm and 1mm/1mm setting that you have and the same probing cycle, but in simulation in Fusion we get a lot of probe errors for "collission with stock" and for the life of me I cannot see that the probe should not collide with stock - that is kind of the purpose, but as with all trouble shooting in Fusion CAM the error descriptions are pretty much useless. How do you stop the probe from giving errors in simulation. The simulated movement of the probe looks perfect but it gives a collision alarm when it is supposed to find an edge

[@owievisie]

Awesome One question, is it possible in Fusion to make a programm where in every cycle first your probe touches off your part with G54 and uses that datum to machine the part Sometimes we have casted material and those parts can be 0,8 mm diffrent every time So when I want to machine it to spec I have to probe every part by hand Can’t I put that probing cycle in the beginning of the programm with Fusion?

[@homer4889]

owievisie Yes that’s possible.

[@richardstubley9611]

Yes, just use the probe wcs toolpath and put it at the start before your machining. This way you will probe first and then machine.

[@steevesmith1573]

How are you making the soft jaws I mean is it in fusion and you machine them?

[@richardstubley9611]

Hi, yes I modeled them up in fusion, using the combine tool I subtracted the model from the jaw stock, and then added extra relief in places Then just machine them like any other part.

[@animeanime8907]

Hi Sir, i'm still new to this. If i had already determined the origin of the part using a 3D edge indicator, do i have to perform this probing process? Would this probing process produce any error message if it sense that the part is out of tolerance?

[@richardstubley9611]

Hi, If you are happy with the datum you have already set then you do not need to do this. Probe WCS is a brilliant tool for refining a datum using our probes, If you are happy with your datum using an edge finder then you don't need to do this. If you were making multiple of the same part you can use this as an automated way of setting the datum rather than using your edge finder for each part.

[@adamhaney9447]

Everything technical seems better when explained in an English accent.

[@richardstubley9651]

I agree, but might be slightly biased :)