[xj5373]

I have had a fair bit of success now with V24 milling but have turned my attention to the Turn package. My lathe is "conventional" in that you stand in front of it and the tool is between you and the work. -Z direction is heading up the spindle, -X is taking material off the diameter i.e. moving the tool closer to the machine centre line.

Looking in the "machine info tab in Turn, the graphic shows Z ok but X is reversed i,e going positive toward the job. The tool is also above the job in the graphic i.e. coming from the back of the lathe rather than the front. Looking at the orientation tab I have the same problem, X is back to front.

I know that some lathes are this way round but mine isn't and it would help if the software could look more like my machine.....or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?

Ian

[Randall]

I've played with turning a bit and watched the tutorial, in that tutorial they placed the tool path in upper left guadrant so Z 0 is the start of your part and x toolpath is positive, have you watched tutorial?
Randy

[xj5373]

Hi,

Yes I watched the tutorial and everything is hapening just like the tutorial - problem is that the tutorial seems to me to imply that the tool is behind the work.
I hope I have just attached an image that shows what I mean - taken from BobCAD - the top right hand picture (machine info) shows the tool in the top right using of the picture in tool orientation 1 - I am thinking of this as a plan view of the lathe. In my world the tool would be in the bottom right hand corner essentially in orientation number 4 as shown in the orientation graphic, and X would be the other way round - X positive pointing toward the bottom of the graphic.

I have attached a picture from the Mach3 Turn manual showing a plan view of a lathe with the co-ordinate system superimposed. You can also see the tool in the orientation I am after.

Ian

[xj5373]

I suppose one way of dealing with this is just to accept that what I am seeing is upsidedown - maybe the problem is more to do with my mental agility than the software????
Ian

[The Engine Guy]

I suppose one way of dealing with this is just to accept that what I am seeing is upsidedown - maybe the problem is more to do with my mental agility than the software????
Ian

Ian

Don`t worry, you aren`t going mad just yet, try to imagine your front position toolpost rotated 135 degrees around the spindle axis so that the tools have their tips facing down, it is no different to having the toolpost at the front as in your photo.

Most modern CNC lathes have the turret at the rear and are usually of the "slant bed" type, having the tools facing down at the back of the spindle means that the spindle will rotate in the usual clockwise direction so there is nothing to worry about, just do your drawings in the upper left quadrant and the part will be machined correctly.

Think yourself lucky, I have an old CNC lathe that has the turret at the rear but the tools are facing up so I have to run anticlockwise (M04) for normal turning and facing etc on external work and clockwise (M03) to drill, bore etc for internal work

Now that can get a little scary

Regards
Rob
:rainfro::rainfro::rainfro:

P.S. I noticed you are also in the UK so if you want to call me for a chat then drop me a Private Message on here and I`ll send you my `phone number.

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