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I am looking for an offline controller for a 4 axis cnc router. This is a bridge style router with 2 motors and screws on the Y axis. So I need a controller that does axis slaving and auto axis squaring. There X, Y, Z and A axis B or C would be the slave axis.
Anyone know of such a controller?
Hi,
I use Mach4 ($200) and an Ethernet SmoothStepper ($190) motion board. It will do all you require including slaving and axis squaring.
Others worth investigating are UCCNC and one of their motion boards like a UC300.
LinuxCNC with a Mesa motion board will work well too.
A more commercial one stop shop is Centroid Acorn. A little less flexible than the others but as near a turn key solution that you can get in this price bracket.
Craig
Thanks Craig, but I am trying to get away from a PC
Hi,
why?
Inside any of the other CNC controllers is still a computer of some description. They are just as prone to failure as a PC, and should a PC fail they are dime a dozen,
not so a standalone (PCless) CNC controller.
It was explained to me some years ago that once you connect a PC to a machine then it is no longer a PC, that is a general purpose computing platform, but a machine controller that
happens to use Windows as an OS. It should not be connected to the internet or even a network nor should that PC, aka machine controller, be burdened with any software or services
that are not directly related to running the machine. That would exclude your CAD/CAM suite for instance. Under those circumstances a PC is exceptionally reliable.
Last thing, LinuxCNC runs on a Linux machine, same physical hardware but it does not have a Windows operating system.
Craig.
There are a lot that have started using these standalone controls, with very few problems, its mostly understanding setup of the control and wiring, there are some videos also that have been posted. I don't know about the auto squaring which you should not have to be doing if your machine is ridgid enough, they have all the features required for any CNC machines with most being plug and play, there are many to choose from 3 axis to 6 axis, here is a snip of one I may get for testing.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
Craig
I built a machine for a friend of mine. Although he is a woodworker he is unfamiliar with CNC. We chose a SMC-5-5-N-N and it has worked very well . It was fairly easy to install and configure, even with the poor chinglish documentation. This control has run flawlessly. He has run programs well over 2,000,000 lines long and over 8 hours run time. But there are some drawbacks to this control. It does not have slaving or auto squaring. There is no cutter comp, no MDI or program editing.
I am a mechanical engineer who worked for close to 50 years in a machine shop and am very familiar with industrial CNC. My machine is a gantry machine with dual Y axis motors and ballscrews. so I need slaving an auto squaring as well as other advanced features.
I am currently running a Pokeys57CNC on a windows 10 machine using mach3 with a custom screen set. This has been working very well for me although is still has the quirks of mach3.
This solution requires a PC, touchscreen monitor, keyboard trackpad combo, the Pokeys as well as the motion electronics. The SMC only required the controller and motion electronics. It requires a lot more work for an attractive installation.
I looked at that controller, It does not appear to support slaving or auto squaring.
Any machine with independent motors and ballscrews can become out of square, no matter how ridged for a number of reasons, such as jamming. auto squaring just makes it easier to recalibrate.
Not true if the machine is built with having 2 Ballscrews and is built ridgid enough from the start, then the Gantry can't get out of square. (Auto Squaring can be the cause of jamming) :)Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
You don't need to have a slave axis, you can run (2) motors from (1) output, this is very common and the best way to do it.
Yes, the SMC make a good control!
If you don't mind the PC just acting as a HMI, (Human Machine Interface) , and passing of the closed loop control to another system, either in the PC or external, there are several to pick from. Starting with my favorite, Galil Motion, which features electronic gearing/slaving up to 8 axis.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
Kanalog is another external system , there are others.
Most of these are comparable to many industrial CNC system and their features.
hello :) please, what is the difference between online and offline controller ? is the 1st time i see this terms
reading a bit, i guess is about closing the loop through the pc, or kind of using a pc to help with progress, like when drip feeding ?
thus in online, the pc is required to buffer the program ? and in offline, the pc is used to simply send the program, or the pc can actually no longer exist ?
and why would someone wish to go towards offline ? is it about that offlines are faster ? kindly :)
An offline controller takes the place of the pc an software such as mach3. An offline controller includes the control hardware in one unit. This includes the display device and keyboard, usually built into a single unit. An control interface board is also no longer needed. (pokeys57CNC for example)
I hope this answers your question.
The control that I posted after checking their manual they do support Axis slaving and Macros if you needed to have axis squaring then you could write it as a Macro.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
Page 5 on this PDF Axis slaving
They have many manuals on their web site.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadlykitten
In my answer in #9 I intended to mean systems that perform the control loop external to the PC S/W , where the PC is used purely for a HMI only, IOW there is a dedicated processor intended for the CNC only, this type of process can also support multi-axis gearing. where one or more axis is geared off of the encoder of another, capable of performing high level synchronism of all axis.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
Also the PID control loop is closed back to the processor, not the individual drives.
This is my definition of one form of Offline.
Examples are Dynomotion, Galil, etc. These closely emulate the higher level Industrial controllers.
Hi,
I think OP intends it to mean a CNC solution that has NO PC. Its not clear why, I can certainly understand why people have an aversion to Windows, but the PCQuote:
what is the difference between online and offline controller ?
hardware seems as good as any thing else. That would suggest that a LinuxCNC solution might appeal to OP....but apparently not.
It seems that OP in more interested in having a unitary control panel that does not have an extra keyboard, monitor etc, more as a matter of integration
than reliability.
The two standalone controllers that I can think of are Masso and Sinumerik 808, both out of my price range, and I suspect OP's too, otherwise
he would already have one.
I think therefore OP is asking is there a 'cheap' standalone controller that is better than 'cheap quality'....cheap and good is like the holy grail!
Craig
Actually the Masso touch is exactly the type of controller I am looking for and at $1340 is not out of the price range as a PC, touch monitor, keyboard, control card with bob and software such as mach3 can add up quickly, but the last I checked it didn't do cutter compensation.
Thanks Rick
It has a low kernel speed so is good for Stepper Motor not so good for Ac Servos, the control looks great, until they up the Kernel speed it's just a low-end controller, with a big price tag.Quote:
Originally Posted by rp-beech
There are many offline controllers available for 4-axis CNC routers on the market. However, it's important to make sure that the controller you choose is compatible with your specific router model and has the features you need, such as axis slaving and auto axis squaring.
One option you might consider is the Mach4 CNC Controller. This software-based controller supports up to 6 axes of control and can be customized to meet your specific needs. It also has advanced features such as axis slaving and automatic axis squaring, making it a good choice for your 4-axis router.
Another option is the Planet CNC USB Controller. This controller also supports up to 6 axes of control and has advanced features such as axis slaving and auto axis squaring. It's designed to be easy to use and has a simple, intuitive interface.
Both of these controllers are compatible with a wide range of CNC routers and can be customized to meet your specific needs. Be sure to check the compatibility of the controller with your router and its software requirements before making a purchase.
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rp-beech may be doing some large wood doors sculpting, days of cycle time, and he realized that the pc is being ON for too much useless time, so he needs an offline controller :)