[cnchouse]

We purchased a brand new Haas VF4 that was installed in January of 2011. In addition to buying it for additional capacity, we were excited about using the machine's Renishaw probe to inspect our complex parts in machine. For 4 months, we struggled and finally hit a wall when we needed to probe a part with tenth tolerances throughout. I turned to this forum and after a week or so of researching was able to find a member who frequently contributed to questions regarding Renishaw probes and Haas machines. I contacted this member and in a matter of days, he and his partner generated calibration and inspection routines. We are extremely satisfied with the level of support they gave us on very short notice and are now on the path to cutting chips and making money!

I'm posting this in hope of helping someone else avoid the wasted time and money associated with trying to write routines to probe complex parts. The member who helped me was GUYPB and here is his info:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/members/guypb.html

NOTE: Other than the support they gave us on the Renishaw probe on the Haas, I have no business or financial dealings with Guy or his business partner, Brent. I met him a couple of weeks ago through this forum, but will be using them again to get us proficient in intermediate/advanced probing.

[Radian Racing]

I have a VF3 and the Haas Renishaw probe which I use to set up parts and tools. Do not know how I managed before I got the probe!

Anyway if I would want to convert a model into Solidworks from probing with the haas probe on the table how do I even start and who do I ask for advice?

[guypb]

I love a challenge!! This will depend totally on what the model is likely to look like and the power of SolidWorks.
The on machine probing and data collection side I can easily handle. PM me and we'll see where this takes us...

[aaronn]

I am trying to use our Renishaw OMP40-2 Probe as an Inspection tool to check our part without sending it off to a CMM. We have a Haas VF3 with Inspection+. If you have any advice on how to set this up that would be great.

Aaron

[haastec]

I am trying to use our Renishaw OMP40-2 Probe as an Inspection tool to check our part without sending it off to a CMM. We have a Haas VF3 with Inspection+. If you have any advice on how to set this up that would be great.

Aaron

This is a pretty wide open request. I recommend you go through the book throroughly and learn it well. Reproduce some of the examples in the book and experiment with some of your own.

Post specific questions when you have some.

[aaronn]

Right now I am trying to figure out how to get numbers from the machine to a PC. For example if I run a Macro with a Bore operation how can I get the X,Y, and Size of the bore to a chart on a PC.

Aaron

[WallyL7]

I am trying to use our Renishaw OMP40-2 Probe as an Inspection tool to check our part without sending it off to a CMM. We have a Haas VF3 with Inspection+. If you have any advice on how to set this up that would be great.

Aaron

Unless there is some seriously strange reason you can't pull the part off the machine and put it on a CMM....Pull the part off the machine and put it on the CMM.

Spindle probes do work well for in-process inspection, but you've got to have a lot of extra time on your hands to want to perform a full inspection on a machining center and not just whip it out on a CMM.

If you just want to know how to do it...Cool...Do as Haastec suggested.

Per your last question...Do you have a Manual? If not - download it from Haas. You should have a manual for the Inspection Plus software also. It is all spelled out in there for data collection.

[haastec]

Renishaw has manuals available through their website also.

[txcncman]

Right now I am trying to figure out how to get numbers from the machine to a PC. For example if I run a Macro with a Bore operation how can I get the X,Y, and Size of the bore to a chart on a PC.

Aaron

DPRINT and RS-232 should work. There are several threads in the forums on this. Search to find them.

[graemeian]

I have the OMP40-2 Renishaw kit with touch prove with an Okuma controller. I have my OPM400-2 mechanically centered to within 0.0001" . I wrote a gcode program that somewhat self calibrates without boring a hole or using an indicator. I install the gauge ring. I find the "uncalibrated" center using a standard subroutine. I then do an edge find in -y direction. I rotate the spindle 180 degrees. repeat the edge find in +y direction and take the average value for the two y values and move to that location. I repeat the process at 90 and 270 degrees for the x value. I rename my coordinates using G92 X0 Y0. I use another canned subroutine to compensate for a non-concentric probe tip and given the ring gauge ID, I have also calibrated the ruby diameter. Is there any error in my logic by having the same face of the OMP touching each of the 4 quadrants and doing the average thing? I understand that there is some inaccuracy in the spindle rotation but I am mechanically centered to within 0.0001". Thank you in advance.

[Ydna]

This may be a dumb question but are you sure your controller doesn't have a cycle to automatically compensate for the XY runout? The programs included with the Haas system will probe a ring gauge at various orientations then calculate the runout in X and Y, and those small shifts are used whenever you probe any surface (even Z). With that compensation you don't even need to mechanically adjust the probe tip so long as it's close (within a few thou...I can't recall the published spec).
I'd send you the programs but the probe program numbers and macro variables are probably different depending on your OSP or whatever..