[mountaindew]

Okay. What's an AO?

Auxiliary operation ! I would think this is common not a sprutcam thing.
Unless your cam does not have such features to control things with g-code!


auxiliary operation - a operation performed by off-line equipment not under the control of the central processing unit

[LeeWay]

Ah. That may explain why I don't know what it is. I don't use Sprut cam.

I have Dolphin Turn.

It has different operations that you insert into the job when you want it to do something specific. It doesn't have a bar puller, but does have a bar feed. I am thinking it should work fine once I have the proper PP. That is actually what I have been looking at this am a bit. II will see what kind of Gcode it spits out and go from there.

[LeeWay]

What type of post processor is everyone or anyone using? It won't do me any good yet to try and implement the puller or the auto closer.
Dolphin has a lot of posts, so I am sure one should get me close.
II'll try the one I used on Mach 3 first.

[LeeWay]

A few issues I am running into with Dolphin Turn or this lathe. I set it to run the spindle counter clockwise for my job and it actually runs the spindle backwards. Clock wise. When I hit the forward button on screen on the lathe, it turns CCLW. As it should. I am just using the post I used with Mach 3. Not a big deal, but not right in Dolphin with that post for some reason.
The lathe also complains about a G41 that gets inserted in my first test Gcode. This code works okay with Mach 3.
On my little lathe, I never hooked up any switches. That meant that I manually homed it to the work offsets each day. Just fire it up and zero everything out. It did not move when shut down, so would keep correct or at least close enough.
You have to home the slant Pro. I don't trust it enough yet not to check it with the master tool on the work. This means all values are negative in Z in machine coordinates. Dolphin does not like that and is not really able to do the safe Z correctly.

Still working out that issue. Dolphin will certainly need a special post for the Tormach. I know it will need modification to do the bar feed/puller to post what the Slant pro is looking for. I can see some hand coding coming for awhile.

I did have to shim my gang tools as well. .032". I can see the benefit of the long nose collet holders too. I had to pull my gang tools back to the center slot to keep the drills close to the same Z position as my parting tool. I'll take a few pictures later today.

[LeeWay]

Well, I did manage to find some lighting that I think will work okay on this and not be blinding or obtrusive. Also again, no modification to the machine.
The HF work light is 120 VAC and is held in place with rare earth magnets. The little battery operated led light bar is self adhesive velcro on the chip cover door. I think I will glue a couple rare earth magnets on it to next time is needs a batter change. That light bar is aimable and dimable.
The HF work light does not have a switch, but I will put one on it. Both work well. It is really dark inside with the door closed. I have florescent light right above, but they are of little use where it counts.

I broke my little parting and grooving tool too. I bought this one for my little lathe. Just 1/2" shank. Not very robust at all. I left the drawbar partially unlocked. Probably almost as bad as leaving a chuck key in and starting.
I have another new tool coming with 3/4" shank. I hope it lasts longer. I think it is USA made. Should be here Tuesday. No more setup and testing until then. Time to go back to work and quit playing around.

[LeeWay]

Well, I didn't quite get all the parts in, but had enough stuff to get the closer working. If I had it to do over, I might use a little larger line. This is 1/8". It is just a pain to work with. I have two small leaks I will have to fix. I'm sure it was caused by cutting with scissors rather than a sharp knife.
Also the closer operates backwards to the on screen button. I just have to swap the control lines on the cylinder to fix that. All in all, it works great. Just as I had anticipated. The only modification I had to do was drill and tap one hole for the air regulator. Not bad at all.
Here are some pictures.

[LeeWay]

Now I just need a parting/grooving tool and a bar puller.

[tmarks11]

awesome!

[daniellyall]

so when are you going to start selling them, you bet tormach to it

[LeeWay]

People already sell this stuff. The only thing I actually made was the mounting plate. A bandsaw and drill press took care of that in just a few minutes.
The price for this is reading this thread.

Automation Direct parts

1.0/AFR-2133-MD FILTER-REG 1/8in FNPT MANUAL DRAIN 40 MICRON METAL BOWL W/SIGHT GAUGE
1.0/AVS-5211-120A VALVE 4-WAY 2-POS Cv=0.78 120VAC 1/8in FNPT SPOOL SGL-SOL ALUM
1.0/C32015D COMPACT CYLINDER 2in BORE 1-1/2in STROKE DBL ACTING THRU-HOLE MOUNT
1.0/ME18-18N FTG MALE ELBOW 5/PK PBT 1/8in TUBE TO 1/8in MNPT
1.0/MS18-18N FTG MALE STR 5/PK BRASS 1/8in TUBE TO 1/8in MNPT
1.0/PU18CBL100 TUBING PUR CLR-BLU 100ft PKG 1/8in OD 0.062in ID

Mcmaster Carr Parts

4444T231 Steel Ball Joint Rod End with Grease Fitting, 1/2"-20 Right-Hand Female Shank, 1/2" Ball ID, 1-1/16" L Thread

91187A560 High-Pressure/High-Temperature Fully Threaded Rod, Type 18-8 Stainless Steel, 1/2"-20 Thread, 1 ft Long

91845A145 Type 18-8 Stainless Steel Hex Nut, 1/2"-20 Thread Size, 3/4" Wide, 7/16" High, Packs of 25

92196A256 18-8 Stainless Steel Socket Head Cap Screw, 10-24 Thread, 2-3/4" Length, packs of 10

I also bought a ball valve, but did not use it. My air supply will run in from behind the machine between it and the control panel to keep it out of the way.
The aluminum plate was 4" wide, but I cut it down to 3.125" wide. 10" long. 1/2" thick.
And that is about all there is to it.

[LeeWay]

Couple more small details.
I used 8/32 screws on the solenoid itself.
The lathe has the 4 tapped holes shown already and they are 6mm. My bar puller should be here tomorrow. My parting tool today.
I should be making some chips later this week.

[LeeWay]

I did contact Dolphin about the possibility of them having or working with me to create a PP. I hope they will be interested in doing that. I can't afford Sprut Turn now too. I use Fusion 360 as well and I hope they implement the turn module soon. It uses HSM Works, so that would be awesome.

[LeeWay]

I received the new parting tool. It is made by Dorian. It's nice. Doesn't have a set screw to hold the inserts, but should still do okay. I did order another type as a back up just in case. It does have a set screw hold down, but the inserts are reversible. Long narrow type.
I also redid my air lines to the closer. Just use a sharp razor knife to cut the tube with and you won't have any trouble. I also swapped the control lines, so now it operates as it should. The mufflers came in and I installed those. They are for the air solenoid. I will reinstall the belt cover and snap a few pictures.
I am waiting on the bar puller before I do any more testing. Then I think we will be in business. Of course some video of it doing it's thing, but don't expect the good stuff like from Tormach, Grimsmo, or John at NYC CNC. I am not sure where my talent lies, but I know it is not in instructional or informative videoing.

[MichaelHenry]

Thanks for the info on air closer parts - very helpful!

[LeeWay]

Fusion 360 is further along with the turning module than I thought.
They are wanting to include it in the July update.

Here is a teaser video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=306&v=8NVHPkIefZg

No problem, Michael.
I think Tormach's version will be something similar. The machine really was setup for it already.

[LeeWay]

Short video clip of the closer working.

YouTube

Video should be live in about 30 minutes.
Here are a few images too.

[tmarks11]

Nice job. Can you actually manually operate the closer with that pneumatic cylinder still attached? If not, is there a reason you left the handle in place instead of just installing a shorter length of rod directly to the pneumatic cylinder?

[LeeWay]

You can still operate it manually if you remove the air hose. I bought a ball valve for it that I have yet to install, but will. It has an air relief port, so when you close off the air, the down line side bleeds off. Then you can operate it with the handle. You want to be able to do this manually when you change a collet. You have to adjust it to the correct tension on the stock. That would be a bit of a pain if it were only pneumatic. This is what I noticed when I saw the drawing of the air only closer made by JFK that came with this closer. They showed it, then the lever one, then they had one that was just a knob. This was technical drawings. I did notice that and thought the lever would be more beneficial I think.

[LeeWay]

Well, I guess I will wind up drilling a couple more holes. I did receive the bar puller and the coolant pump isn't quite strong enough to operate it correctly. It closes about half way only.
So, time for some air. My air solenoids here are all too big for what I need. I need a single valve. $20 at Automation Direct. Ordered another regulator as well. I will tee them together on the front. Probably mount the air valve on one of the holes in the rear.
Then just run the tube up to the puller from behind the machine. I am running 80 PSI on the closer.
This puller says it only needs 15 PSI. I will still use the coolant outlet on the back. I think I will just use a pigtail to connect both the coolant and the solenoid to it when I need coolant. It doesn't matter that they both operate at that time. It will still operate off of M08 and M09.

So, parts should get here Friday.
They sent a bit different puller than in the pictures on Ebay, but it should still do the job. I did get that safety valve installed.
A couple poor pictures added.

Oh and the shaft size on this mini puller is 5/8". I ordered a few bronze bushings and then just split the side and took out a slice for the set screws. That worked out well.
To line this up in X, I will use one of the drill holders. That will be much easier to get it centered. I will have to play with it some to find out the best spot for Z.

[LeeWay]

I could probably figure out why the coolant doesn't work. Using a larger fitting on the hose is probably key. I was using an 1/8" shraeder valve housing, so the through hole is not very big. There is also a set screw on the puller that you can adjust to regulate the jaw speed. However, if I got it to close correctly, I still would not be able to easily regulate it.
Turning brass and plastic needs to be able to adjust the pinch pressure. Otherwise I will need to waste a lot of material cutting off the gouges made by the puller. The coolant would also need a dwell coded to allow it to come up to pressure. With air, that is basically instant. I think air is the way to go.
I noticed on one of the videos that one guy installed a USB panel in the machine. The hole is already there on the right side. I ordered one of those off Amazon. That will allow a USB stick to be used without opening the controller door.

On a side note, I think my little lathe is seeing the writing on the wall.