[Haas_Apps]

What features or options do you wish your Haas machine had?

[gar]

060707-0604 EST USA

Haas-Apps:

In SCALING provide independent scaling for each axis.

Make RTS (pin 4) positive (asserted) only when HAAS is in a mode to receive RS232 data.

Process DPRNT at machine execution time, rather than in lookahead. Same for variable equates, and maybe a way to define when calculations are performed.

Cleanup all your problems in COMMENTS and DPRNT.

Too many DPRNTs too quick produces a HAAS fault and an erroneous error message.

Provide complete and accurate descriptions and definitions in your manual. Provide more complete electrical diagrams.

Haas applications should not tell me that RTS and CTS are used when the machine is in software handshake mode. My tests indicated these are not.

You need internally a data base to reference that includes bug information and their relationship to software levels so that you can provide accurate infomation to customers on problems.

Your warmup compensation is apparently totally in the background so I can not look at variables and observe what is happening. Probably the same for your algorithmic compensation. This I brought up in the thread on a lathe problem with excessive drift in part size, 0.012". In retrospect that thread was probably about your algorithmic compensation rather than warmup compensation. But it was not clear at the beginning.

The X-axis motor, encoder, and limit switch cables should be covered with a plastic that does not have a plasticizer that leaches out making the plastic brittle.

The edges of the coolant drip pan should be 45 deg instead of 90 deg so that when I blow coolant out that it is not reflected back to me.

In your manual (edit) should (end edit) define the combination of items that makes up spindle position. For example --- warmup compensation + G52 + G5x + tool offset + tool wear. And maybe there is more. Warmup compensation shows up nowhere except it has an effect that you can not track.

.

[JPMach]

I wish that the engrave command had more varibales such as letter spacing. Its too dificult to make taller letters fit in a defined box on a part. As soon as you make the letters just a little bit taller the word ends up being so long as it spaced so far apart.

I also wish that my graphics worked. every time it gets to a circular interp in graphics mode it just sits there feeding down a very small corkscrew and nothing can stop it not even e-stop or feed hold. So far no one has been able to tell me what is wrong.

JP

[gar]

060707-1058 EST USA

JPMach:

Engraving is one application where independent scaling of axes can be useful. It is also useful for making an ellipse since HAAS lacks an ellipse function.

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[JWK42]

For your mills you need a rectangle pocket cycle similar to G12/G13 round cycle. G150 won't accept variables. You need to be able to rotate with out returning to the part center every time you make a new pocket. This makes a lot of unnecessary motion on large parts.

[shawncnelson]

I like the control very much. The only thing I think I'd change is the axis-select and increment buttons. I wish they were like a Mori or Fadal with rotary knobs. It's alot easier to jog those machines around without needing to look at the control each time you want to change axis or increment amount. Like when you're jogging an edge finder up to a part, etc.

[bishb25]

I agree with JWK42. It would also be nice to define irregular pocket boundaries within the main program. Such as call the G150 line without the "P" word then follow the G150 command line with the G01, G02 and G03 pocket definitions and end the definition with some sort of cancel code similar to a G40 or G80. or at least an option use the "P" word like M97 instead of M98 if one so desires.
Also an option to automaticlly leave finish stock and finish the contour last instead of first.
The standard control needs more look ahead in program execution. This would allow the machine to prep for upcomming tool changes and such to reduce cycle time. At my shop I have to force side mount tool turret staging with "T" commands because the control is too slow. We lose minutes in cycle time waiting for the turret to find the next tool. (I realize this is impossible with umbrella style tool changers.)
Speaking of umbrella style tool changers... It would be nice to be able to power up the machine (mini mill in my case) and home the tool changer independant of the machine axis. We often find ourselve in situations where tool length and fixture hight clash under the tool changer. We compensate with fancy progamming and removing all tools at shutdown. But sometimes an operator will forget or an unexpected poweroutage will put us in a pickle. HAAS gives the option to jog without zero return why not the tool changer? Adding a list of manual tool changer commands (such as extend, retract, home...) to the user manual would also be a great help.
It would also be nice when saving offsets with the programs for the control to read the program and save only the work offsets that program actually uses instead of universal saving. Especially if I don't want to overwrite some of the other offsets when loading the program. There is also no need to save tool offsets as these will constantly change from setup to setup. This is a real pain when the operator sets his tools up before loading the program. Most places cant afford to permanently set tools in holders for one specific job. If we were that rich we would probably be buying higher end machines. For now we resort to recording the offsets we need on paper and storing them in the job file with the drawings.

HAAS_APPS,
I don't know if you still moniter this thread, but I hope you find this info useful. I know HAAS has a good history of listening to its customers and building the kind of machine they want to use. Thank you and HAAS for the hard work you do.

[1ctoolfool]

I would like a feed hold function that stops the spindle, and z up to max Z, plus a safe re-enter to the work.

Editing functions for FNC programs on the hard drive

more powerful edit functions like cut, paste, find, replace, etc.

Improved ethernet communications, current set up is very limited and hard to use, based on myself and other users comments.

by the way I love my machine, the cost and power give the little guy a chance.

joe V.

[makrskr]

I want the graphics to show another axis view. On an Okuma lathe, paging down will show the tool path looking at the c axis.


On a mill being able to look at the z axis tool path, instread of just the little right hand useless graph that shows up down movement.

[MYDOIT]

How hard or expensive can it be to put some kind of cover or door on the disc drive??? I used velcro sprips on a TL2 and SL30 but the 3YT opening is a little larger.

[Geof]

....more powerful edit functions like cut, paste, find, replace, etc.....joe V.

On machines since 1998 or something around there the Haas editing has these functions.

[scappini]

I agree with shawnncnelson: the increment buttons and axis select could save my neck turning quite a few times a day. I'm in 'Oz so my metric conversion of rapids of .100" are .1mm. When in home on an SL30 it is becoming more of a pain in the bu_? to bring my turret near my workpiece.
I have been MDI'ing GO W-550. just to get my turret where I would like it.
But hey I wouldn't go back 20 years, he he he.


Scappini
CNC's Rock!!!

[makrskr]

How about a coolant "off" override button.

[Geof]

How about a coolant "off" override button.

Press the COOLNT button. If it is on it turns off and if it is off it turns on.

[htishop]

1) Haas should move the next tool button away from the X dia measure and put it on the hand jog line of keys.
2) Haas should beef up thier bolt on turret on the SL 20, I get way to much flex when I put 4-5 od turning tools in pockets 1-4.
(chair)

[Haas_Apps]

All,
I appreciate all of your comments so far. You should know that many people here at Haas review your comments here and other places as well. Some of the things you have requested are already being worked on. I can not go into details as we have many things in the works at various stages of completion and some things may take more than a year before being released. I started this thread in an attempt to find out what things are important to our customers and will make them more successful in their business. I, as well as executives from Haas, will continue to monitor this thread from time to time for more input from all of you.

[philipm]

I like the control very much. The only thing I think I'd change is the axis-select and increment buttons. I wish they were like a Mori or Fadal with rotary knobs. It's alot easier to jog those machines around without needing to look at the control each time you want to change axis or increment amount. Like when you're jogging an edge finder up to a part, etc.

The remote handle jog has axis knobs. I think if they put knobs on the control the control would loose its "unique" look. Not that it matters to us, but it matters to sales folk.

The standard control needs more look ahead in program execution.

I think HSM and more look ahead should be standard. Its all in there just like macros.

This would allow the machine to prep for upcomming tool changes and such to reduce cycle time. At my shop I have to force side mount tool turret staging with "T" commands because the control is too slow. We lose minutes in cycle time waiting for the turret to find the next tool.

It is my understanding from reading the manual that the tool changer only indexes when commanded by a T command. So the control is not slow at all, you just are not asking it to do anything until the next line that says T6 M06. Adding the T in just like you are doing is the way they tell you in the manual to do it. Lets say it looked ahead and saw T2,T3,T4,T5 in your program. What tells the tool changer where to stop?

HAAS gives the option to jog without zero return why not the tool changer? Adding a list of manual tool changer commands (such as extend, retract, home...) to the user manual would also be a great help.

In the manual for my SMM tool turret rotate manual commands are listed. I can not recall if that was in old manuals or not.

There is also no need to save tool offsets as these will constantly change from setup to setup. This is a real pain when the operator sets his tools up before loading the program. Most places cant afford to permanently set tools in holders for one specific job. If we were that rich we would probably be buying higher end machines. For now we resort to recording the offsets we need on paper and storing them in the job file with the drawings.

I save tool offsets quite often to disk. This way I can set the machine up to make one part, then go right back to where I was with out resetting. It saves me time. Beleive me we don't have tons of $ but we do have deticated tooling as we are not a job shop. So, much like I think some features are pointless they are clearly valueable to some people.

I would like a feed hold function that stops the spindle, and z up to max Z, plus a safe re-enter to the work.

There are ways to do this, just not all at once. Hit feed hold. Press manual overide spindle stop. Push jog and "jog away" will flash and you can jog the tool up in Z if you need to look at the part.

Consider if the machine did exactly what you wanted. I am cutting a o-ring goove with a T slot cutter. I push feed hold to adjust a coolant spigot. The spindle stops while in the groove and then retracts in Z breaking off my T slot cutter. Same thing with a slitting saw or any sort of undercut tool. What about multiaxis guys? Retracting in Z might hit the tool holder to a rotary product of some sort.

more powerful edit functions like cut, paste, find, replace, etc.

Uhh, it does do that.. Copy and paste are in the file menus, and find is easy too. Viewing a program in edit type what you are looking for "g54" for example. Push the down key and it will take you to the first instance of "G54" in the code. Repace is not something I think it has. You got me on that one.

I want the graphics to show another axis view. On an Okuma lathe, paging down will show the tool path looking at the c axis. On a mill being able to look at the z axis tool path, instread of just the little right hand useless graph that shows up down movement.

Im totally with you on this one. Having a C axis display for live tool lathe would have been handy.

How about a coolant "off" override button.

Push cooland button once for on, a second time for off. Also SHIFT coolant turns on high pressure coolant and press shift coolant again turns HPC off. A switch in the settings display allows you to set coolant to "ignore" so it will ignore M08 lines.


I'm not trying to cheerlead for Haas or anything. They don't make the very best machine out there on the market but in my eyes they are a good value and are easy to use. I like the control other then the trend to keep updating the display making refresh slower. I only wish they made a live tooling SL10. With something better than its lame 3k live tooling spindle. 3k is just weak sauce for small drilling. I don't expect a 10k live tooling spindle but hell 5-7k sure would be nice. I suppose the guys that mill steel with cry about more low end power. Haas does have a higher HP option for live tool, but not a high speed one.
Phil

[makrskr]

Press the COOLNT button. If it is on it turns off and if it is off it turns on.

Yes, but then the next tool kicks it back on again. It is a pain when you have ten tools in a setup, and also a pain to erase all of the m8s, and then redo them.

[philipm]

makrskr,

I dont think you are following me. Go to settings set coolant overide to ignore. Run program. It does not matter if there are 1000s of m08s the coolant will not come on. Then when you want to run it with the coolant back on change the coolant overide setting to "normal". Its really quite easy.

Phil

[makrskr]

Push cooland button once for on, a second time for off. Also SHIFT coolant turns on high pressure coolant and press shift coolant again turns HPC off. A switch in the settings display allows you to set coolant to "ignore" so it will ignore M08 lines.

Phil

You are right. :woot