[LorenzoNH]

Sorry if my question seems trivial but I am new to CNC machining and I have limited experience with machining period. I am a welder by trade who now runs the welding portion of a small machine and fab shop. I have CAD experience so the owner asked if I'd be interested in learning BobCAD and eventually work toward being able to program the 2 CNC machines we have that hardly get used. Don't get me wrong our machinists are awesome but we do a lot of repair work and not a lot of production work but occasionally we will so the CNCs would be a huge benefit. So here is the problem I'm having..... We have a Haas VF-2 and I wrote a g-code for a part but I have been unable to access the tool offset parameter the D portion of the g-code. I have the book from Haas and although it touches on the tool offset it isn't very clear on how to change the value for this parameter. The book is also doesn't explain what 01-50 (I believe that is the scale) represents in relation to the amount of offset. In the book is a test program that specifies a .250 end mill with a D-01 (I believe) which would be a .200 offset. How much of an offset would 02 give you? Or 03 or 09 and so on.

Sorry if this question isn't presented correctly but understand I've basically been handed a basket case and asked to make something of it. I've been teaching myself to write g-code, learning the BobCAD software, advancing my knowledge of general machining........ in a nutshell I've been busy busy busy..... and my mind is frazzled. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[Geof]

Tool offset is not a parameter it is a value you enter in the Tool Offset page.

Go to the Tool Offset page by pushing the OFSET key on the controller. You want the page labelled Tool Offsets so you may have to push the OFSET twice. This keyes toggles between the Work Offset page and the Tool Offset page.

On the Tool Offset page there is a column on the left that is tool number, then moving to the right one that has the heading length and further over diameter or radius. It is the diameter/radius one you want.

Use the arrow keys to move the cursor over to highlight this column at tool 1, for a .25" diameter tool type .25 if the machine is set for diameter or 0.125 for radius. Which you use is controlled by a setting. After typing the number press WRITE, or F1. The number is now in the diameter/radius column.

The way the program uses this value is to have a command G41 D01 blah blah. The blah blah is a movement command and there are limitations to the type of move and how far which are a deeper story. The G41 D01 tells the controller to take the value in the offset column for tool 1 and use it to move the tool to the left of the programmed path such that the edge of the tool is following the the programmed path. G42 D01 would tell it to go to the right of the path.

I hope this is clearer than the Haas stuff and I hope I have it all straight, I am doing this from memory.

If you go to the Haas website and search around you will find a pdf file of the entire mill manual that you can download. You go to the site map, then 'literature', then 'manuals' and look for Mill Manual. If you can't find it I can get the link.