[joeyjrc]

Last night I was setting up my 770 to do some engraving when I set my tool length offset I took a quick look at the code the wizard wrote and I didn't notice it never put a G43 line
with the correct H number in. I safely clicked it into single block and hit cycle
start to test the program. Click, click, click, smash! Right into the vice full rapid z move! Oh sh_! Wrecked my brand new engraving tool and drill Chuck, the machine seems fine. I referenced the axis and checked the offset , still the same. What do you guys think, is everything ok?
Man I felt stupid, I'm actually an experienced machinist full time and have had my 770 since October without any crashes.

[nitewatchman]

am I the first guy to crash his tormac?

IN YOUR DREAMS

The Z-Axis is likely okay.

Z Axis Inhibit is one of my best friends. I use it in cases like yours to be able to test code without making undesired PROGRAMED moves into the part. Unfortunately if there is no offset or the wrong offset called it likely won't help much.

I assume that you are talking about the Write Wizard in Mach. I use it and like the results but find it has a lot of quirks. Things like posting moves and circular offsets calculated to an obscene number of decimal. Additionally, I will copy the code into larger programs for engraving part numbers etc. While it works the when the program is ran after copying, if the program is saved and recalled the engraving code is a complete failure and will not run until Write is allowed to post more code and it could be code for anything, even a period.

[SquibLoad]

Last night I was setting up my 770 to do some engraving when I set my tool length offset I took a quick look at the code the wizard wrote and I didn't notice it never put a G43 line
with the correct H number in. I safely clicked it into single block and hit cycle
start to test the program. Click, click, click, smash! Right into the vice full rapid z move! Oh sh_! Wrecked my brand new engraving tool and drill Chuck, the machine seems fine. I referenced the axis and checked the offset , still the same. What do you guys think, is everything ok?
Man I felt stupid, I'm actually an experienced machinist full time and have had my 770 since October without any crashes.

Er.. no, you're not the first. My vise jaws have several 'arcs of shame' and several of my fixture plates have had to be remade. Watch those decimal points in DRO's too. They sneak up on you.

I made a special place on my wall to display destroyed parts and fixtures, called my 'wall of shame'. Each time I look at it I remind myself not to make that same silly mistake.. make a new, different one instead! And I do..

[tbaker2500]

I'm amazed at how many holes, scallops, and missing chunks vise jaws can have and still be very useful!

My business partner even put a 1/2" bit into the table itself. Hey, the Tormach is just a tool, right? Right?

[Steve Seebold]

That's one good reason to run aluminum jaws.

[David Bord]

am I the first guy to crash his tormac?

IN YOUR DREAMS.

+1000.

David

[joeyjrc]

Thanks everybody, I figured I'm not the first to crash but I needed some other peoples stories to help me feel better. Yes I was using the "write" wizard in mach. By the way how do you copy the wizard generated code into a bigger program? That sounds cool.

[Spooq]

Z Axis Inhibit is one of my best friends. I use it in cases like yours to be able to test code without making undesired PROGRAMED moves into the part. Unfortunately if there is no offset or the wrong offset called it likely won't help much.

How do you do this? Is it on one of the screens?

[LeeWay]

I would imagine the guys doing prototype testing at Tormach would have been the first.

Better question might be who hasn't yet crashed their Tormach?

[SomeWhatLost]

Better question might be who hasn't yet crashed their Tormach?

I haven't...

I meant to mill my vise like that...
and I meant to send z to -1 instead of -0.1...
and...
etc...

[FuriousGeorge]

I went straight down into my vice jaws with a facing tool last week when I typed a z instead of x... I mean, I was "testing" to see if I could cut hardened steel on a z plunge at 90 ipm. Yeah, lets go with that...

[nitewatchman]

Thanks everybody, I figured I'm not the first to crash but I needed some other peoples stories to help me feel better. Yes I was using the "write" wizard in mach. By the way how do you copy the wizard generated code into a bigger program? That sounds cool.

I write the "Write" code to Mach and copy to the clipboard. Then I close the "Write" code and open the larger program. Edit the program and them paste the copied "Write" code to the appropriate place. Clean up the edges like making sure the offset is present removing extranious code like S0M03. and save back the to Mach.

nitewatchman

[nitewatchman]

How do you do this? Is it on one of the screens?

Z Inh is on the Mach Comp Run Screen at the bottom of the third column. If you click it on a pulldown will appear. Z Inhibit will appear, a value can be entered into the field and will set the lower limit that Z will not go below. For example if the top of the part or the highest clamp is at 3.000" and Z Inhibit is set to 3.025" the program will run normally until the Z axis is commanded below 3.025" and it will simply not do it. The rest of the code runs normally there are just no moves below the inhibit plane controlled by the value you input and the active offset. Additionally, if you position Z below the inhibit plane, Mach will pull it back up.

Saved me from unplanned tests on occassion.

nitewatchman

[Spooq]

Z Inh is on the Mach Comp Run Screen at the bottom of the third column. If you click it on a pulldown will appear. Z Inhibit will appear, a value can be entered into the field and will set the lower limit that Z will not go below. For example if the top of the part or the highest clamp is at 3.000" and Z Inhibit is set to 3.025" the program will run normally until the Z axis is commanded below 3.025" and it will simply not do it. The rest of the code runs normally there are just no moves below the inhibit plane controlled by the value you input and the active offset. Additionally, if you position Z below the inhibit plane, Mach will pull it back up.

Saved me from unplanned tests on occassion.

nitewatchman

Brilliant, thanks. I will try it out this weekend!

[TiagoSantos]

I went straight down into my vice jaws with a facing tool last week when I typed a z instead of x... I mean, I was "testing" to see if I could cut hardened steel on a z plunge at 90 ipm. Yeah, lets go with that...

Ouch! What was the end result of that one? Most crashes I find can be fairly benign, usually the tool and whatever is holding it gives up before anything else gets damaged. But a big face mill would take quite a beating before it gave up, I imagine!

[dbrija]

Last night I was setting up my 770 to do some engraving when I set my tool length offset I took a quick look at the code the wizard wrote and I didn't notice it never put a G43 line
with the correct H number in. I safely clicked it into single block and hit cycle
start to test the program. Click, click, click, smash! Right into the vice full rapid z move! Oh sh_! Wrecked my brand new engraving tool and drill Chuck, the machine seems fine. I referenced the axis and checked the offset , still the same. What do you guys think, is everything ok?
Man I felt stupid, I'm actually an experienced machinist full time and have had my 770 since October without any crashes.

Do you check the tool path preview? You should be able to see situations like that with a deep z move. That is how I caught my tool table nicely setting tool #10 to length of 0! I have had the tool table corrupted twice, and the preview caught it.

On the flip side, I have had the preview also show phantom deep z moves too, but it triggered me to review the code.

Using the simulation function also helps as it shows the axis move extents...

Moved to linuxCNC and have not had a corrupted tool table since...