[jjv127]

I found a few posts talking about how to program a 4th, so I wanted to verify that I was looking at it the right way.

We are trying to make a multi-angle helix, such as a snowmobile clutch helix (like these, for reference). I see two approaches to programming, defining it with a G107, or just defining the rotation manually for a continuous milling approach.

If I were going to define it with G107, I would do something like this

G107 Y0 A0 Q2.5
G01 Z-0.05 F25
X0 Y0
X1 Y1
X2 Y2

Etc.. Where those are the x and y coordinates of each constant angle part of the helix. This doesn't seem like it would produce a true helix to me, but I don't know how HAAS executes the cylindrical mapping.

The other option would be to define it as an angle move

a19 y0.5 F15
a15 y0.4

This seems like it would produce the desired shape, but I still need to define the correct stock size, G107 says it stores the value in setting 56, is this the correct place to define it? If not, where?

Or am I just doing everything wrong? Haha

Thanks

[greggv]

I'd draw it in Solidworks, then import it into Onecnc, and use a tool called "unwrap", then you put your toolpaths on it as if it was flat. The program makes the output for a cylinder.

[BigNizzy]

A helix is a function of the pitch and the diameter any time I have programmed one using a G107 I write a macro that recalculates the Y relative to the diameter I am cutting at. I get the diameter from the tool height relative to the centre of the part.


That part looks like a straight XY move

[jjv127]

A helix is a function of the pitch and the diameter any time I have programmed one using a G107 I write a macro that recalculates the Y relative to the diameter I am cutting at. I get the diameter from the tool height relative to the centre of the part.


That part looks like a straight XY move

So your macro compensates the effective diameter for the tool position? Interesting... I hadn't thought of that.

But it sounds like if we are okay passing on the improved accuracy of that, g107 will do what I want, which is make a helix on a constant diameter cylinder of multiple pitches.

Thanks for the help

[LeWhite]

Not multiple pitches but multiple starts. You can also do one helix at G54, G55, G56, G57. Where G54 is at A0.0 G55 is at A90.0 G56 is at A180.0. Each sub routine is written in G91.

[extanker59]

Also always start the rotation in the same direction. The A axis location is not great on the Haas indexers. 30 arc seconds according to the manual. I've noticed mismatching on some parts that can be minimized by starting in the same direction CCW or CW.
Reliable indexers just that sometimes we needed more accuracy.