[drumsticksplint]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a bit of help with a machine that I've recently purchased. The machine is a Denford Cyclone cnc lathe, which runs its own control software based on Fanuc G and M codes.

I have acquired a few manuals for the machine, but can't really fins what I'm looking for. I have used a lathe with a fagor control and a mill with a fanuc control at a friends workshop. When I've used the lathe before, we set up the tool offsets in a manual tool turret, touched onto the workpiece in the Z axis and pressed something like: "z" "0" and "enter", the dro then shows Z at 0.000 and this is the start of the job.

With my machine, I can set the tool offsets, but when I home the machine, the home position zero's the X and Z to machine coordinates. I can't find a way of setting z to zero once I've touched on the workpiece. I've beed reading about a G54 command, but G54 isn't listed in the accepted G codes within the manual, so I guess its not interpreted?

Does anyone know of a simple method of retaining my tool offsets and just setting the Z coordinate to zero for different jobs?

Thanks

[fordav11]

assuming your machine has geometry offsets (reading a tool like T0101 sets the position automatically) you use G54 to set workshift and your machine will have a setting screen for it.
if your machine doesnt have G54 or geometry offsets you must use G50 X Z for each tool.

[drumsticksplint]

assuming your machine has geometry offsets (reading a tool like T0101 sets the position automatically) you use G54 to set workshift and your machine will have a setting screen for it.
if your machine doesnt have G54 or geometry offsets you must use G50 X Z for each tool.

Thanks for replying.

Yes there is a section in 1 of my manuals that describes reading a tool in that way. However, in the list of G codes accepted, there is no mention of G54. I'm not really sure how the geometry offsets work? It say that the first 2 digits following "T" are tool number and the following 2 are the offset, but how do I use and assign this offset? What I'm trying to understand is, do I have set up each tool offset for each job? Or keep the tool library and just set a Z offset some how and the tool offsets will relate to this?

Thanks

[fordav11]

if you have G54 there will be a screen to set it. if you don't have a G54 screen or workshift setting screen you must use G50
Look through the menus on your control for that setting screen or look in the manual.
Can't help with specifics because your machine is not standard Fanuc. read the manuals.
as far as other things like how geometry offsets work, you really need to read up on how Fanuc offsets work.
there are plenty of posts here on the forum about how to set tools. The theory is sound but likely it won't do you any good because your machine is different.
we could probably help if you post some pics of various screens on your machine (offset/workshift etc) and/or provide the manual in pdf
I've programmed and operated many different and weird machines over the years so it wouldnt be difficult to figure it out with the manual.

[sinha_nsit]

Start another thread with the title "Offset help required on Denford Cyclone CNC lathe." It may catch the attention of somebody using the same machine.
You mostly get Fanuc-related help on this forum.