[jdrimm]

Looks like the model! Nice work. I just found out I'm going to have two months off, unemployment is currently MORE than my regular paycheck, so I do believe I will be finishing my lathe. Planning to use your turret design, thanks!

[CS900]

Please do! i've made a few changes that you'll want to incorporate. Here's the new model everyone...


https://drive.google.com/open?id=15V...hjfZlfLjhbTKS9

[CS900]

After i got all my grown up chores done today I got to play again and it turns out there was nothing wrong with the bearing....I just had a blond moment. The bearing race actually sticks out past the bearing race and the opening in my mounting plate wasn't large enough to clear it so every time I put pressure with the nut it bound up....I opened up the clearance pocket and now it's good to go. This is one of the changes made to the CAD model.


So once i got that done I finally fabricated the two ratchet arms. I ended up welding little pins into them for a spring connection. My tolerances were a bit tight so some grinding was required. While i was at it, i ground in a little retaining notch that the loop on the spring hooks into. You can also see there is also a little pocket on the side that I use along with a pin in the front plate that acts as a hard stop to locate the arm when it's in the "lock" position.


Here you can see the guts. The springs ride in the little tracks and pulls the arms into the stop pins. My springs are a wee bit long so I may replace them, or i may try to cut a few coils off them and reform the hook. You can see the stop pin here as well, and you can see the arm on the right is against the stop pin and can not rotate in towards the bearing any farther.


So once I had the stop pins in I realized there was a slight clearance issue with the ratchet paw and the pins. So I decided the best fix was to machine a bit off the backside of the paw. BUT I had already pressed the bearing into place so i had to cover it the best i could. I ended up machining about .03" off the backside of the paw which fixed everything. I also added this change to the new CAD model.


All assembled and it has such a gratifying click every time it increments. And some of you may be wondering why the heck I have two arms. Well by adding an additional arm I doubled the number of stations on the turret without having to make the paw contact pads smaller. So i'll have 6 regular tool holders and in between each of those I'll have the option to mount drills or boring bars. Still not 100% sure what i'm doing yet.



But that wasn't it for today! I also got the first two cams that secure the tool to the turret. They operate on the same principal as the low profile mittebite clamps. I thought about just buying some of them, but they are like $6 a piece and i need 12 of them. So here you can see the eccentric cam profile in both the screw and the clamp.


installed:


and with a tool installed. They work REALLY good, but i need about .010 worth of shims, so some adjustments will be made to the cams.

[jdrimm]

I'm impressied! Glad you are updating the CAD as you work out the kinks, I am not one bit ashamed to say I'll wait for you to get this running before I start cutting. At the rate you are moving, I'll be able to start about Wednesday!

[CS900]

If anyone is good with VB programming maybe you can see what I'm doing wrong...I get a compile error anytime I try to do a tool change in mach3

Dim Num_Tools As Integer
Dim Ang_Move As Integer
Dim Req_Tool As Integer
Dim Current_Tool As Integer
Dim Lock_Move As Integer
Dim CW_Feed As Integer
Dim CCW_Feed As Integer
Dim Moves As Integer


Num_Tools = 12 'number of tools on turret
Ang_Move = 360/Num_Tools 'angular rotation per tool
Req_Tool = GetSelectedTool()
Current_Tool = GetCurrentTool()
Lock_Move=15 'distance to move back onto paw to lock
CW_Feed=100
CCW_Feed=50

'Start tool change

If Req_Tool < 1 Then
Message"Tool number too low"
Code "M30"
End If

If Req_Tool = Current_Tool Then
'do nothing
Else
'do tool change
If Req_Tool > Current_Tool Then Moves = (Req_Tool - Current_Tool) * Ang_Move
Else
If Req_Tool < Current_Tool Then Moves = (Num_Tools - Current_Tool + Req_Tool) * Ang_Move
End If

'move to safe position
Code "G0 G53 X-.25 Z-.25"
Code "G04 P0.5"
'index turret
Code "G91 G94"
Code "G01 A" & Moves + 10 & "F" & CW_Feed
Code "G01 A-" & Lock_Move & "F" & CCW_Feed
While IsMoving()
Sleep(10)
Wend

SetCurrentTool Req_Tool
SetUserDRO 1500 , Req_tool
Code "G90"
Code "F" & Current_Feed

[burbingus]

Did you figure this out? How's progress going?

[CS900]

I did not. One of the nice people on the mach support forum figured it out and it's indexing like a charm. Here's the fixed code:

Dim Num_Tools As Integer
Dim Ang_Move As Integer
Dim Req_Tool As Integer
Dim Current_Tool As Integer
Dim Lock_Move As Integer
Dim CW_Feed As Integer
Dim CCW_Feed As Integer
Dim Moves As Integer


Num_Tools = 12 'number of tools on turret
Ang_Move = 360/Num_Tools 'angular rotation per tool
Req_Tool = GetSelectedTool()
Current_Tool = GetCurrentTool()
Lock_Move = 15 'distance to move back onto paw to lock
CW_Feed = 100
CCW_Feed = 50

'Start tool change

If Req_Tool < 1 Then
Message"Tool number too low"
Code "M30"
End If

If Req_Tool = Current_Tool Then
'do nothing
Else
'do tool change
If Req_Tool > Current_Tool Then
Moves = (Req_Tool - Current_Tool) * Ang_Move
End If
If Req_Tool < Current_Tool Then
Moves = (Num_Tools - Current_Tool + Req_Tool) * Ang_Move
End If
End If

'move to safe position
Code "G0 G53 X-.25 Z-.25"
Code "G04 P0.5"
'index turret
Code "G91 G94"
Code "G01 A" & Moves + 10 & "F" & CW_Feed
Code "G01 A-" & Lock_Move & "F" & CCW_Feed
While IsMoving()
Sleep(10)
Wend

SetCurrentTool Req_Tool
SetUserDRO 1500 , Req_tool
Code "G90"
Code "F" & Current_Feed



it's a tight fit inside, but it seems to be working. Haven't made any chips with it yet, but soon!


and also these:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Vo...o8xroSk8eu0wPI
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Vq...Z3UaEGtIR9u066

[jdrimm]

Very nice! Can't wait to see it cutting steel.

[burbingus]

That looks great!

[CS900]

So this happened today...


The surface finish looks much better in person, and once I get coolant it should look even better.

but all in all the tool changer is working. the macro seems to be working well. I need to make more clamps but other than that I think she's about done....videos to come soon...

[CS900]

and steel too!


had some missed steps during some rapid moves so the long "ramp" didn't get touched during the finish pass...time to re-tune the motor settings! Otherwise she cut great, and i think i can push it a lot harder.

[jdrimm]

Looking good! Glads to see you pushing it with steel.

[markde3e]

Please do! i've made a few changes that you'll want to incorporate. Here's the new model everyone...


https://drive.google.com/open?id=15V...hjfZlfLjhbTKS9

The project is looking good!
I'm very curious about the design, since a also want to make a turret of my own.
Could you please upload the model again?

Best regards,
Mark

[CS900]

Mark, does that link not work for you? it should be the latest model

[jdrimm]

Mark, does that link not work for you? it should be the latest model

Link still works for me!

[MrMathew]

No doubt your article has interesting facts, also I like this Mens Leather Jacket. Keep sharing interesting kinds of stuff.

[The_Dream_shed]

So, I have 2 questions:
1) Where is your homing sensor for the carriage? Is it attached to your tailstock so it will never be able to crash?

2) Have you considered adding either a pneumatic or hydraulic piston for an automated center? I can see it useful once one of your round tools (assuming you use a center) makes a hole then **pssssht** you have a center to use as support. Not surprisingly, you'd have to line bore and possibly make a new tailstock because the supplied one is pretty lax in the quill... Well, at least on mine.

3) Have you thought about using the tailstock as a 4th axis? I would like to use it as a sort of bump stop as opposed to using a stop that goes all the spindle and headstock as a registration point for repeatability.

[The_Dream_shed]

Never mind to the question about the homing switch, I see that now. But that does pose another question.... How does that work with your bounding box that is the work envelope? If your tailstock moves, the usable length of your bed changes, therefore your z will be more or less floating unless the tailstock doesn't move or has a positive stop

Question 2&3 still stand though lol

[CS900]

Never mind to the question about the homing switch, I see that now. But that does pose another question.... How does that work with your bounding box that is the work envelope? If your tailstock moves, the usable length of your bed changes, therefore your z will be more or less floating unless the tailstock doesn't move or has a positive stop

Question 2&3 still stand though lol

1)yes, it does mean that my Z axis work envelope changes when I move that tailstock, but I'm more concerned that my cross slide doesn't crash into the tailstock. I set my Z zero off the end of the stock anyways, so it's not too big of a deal.

2) Yeah, I have thought about that but I don't have an automatic bar feeder, so it's not like i'll be doing production on it. I'll have to be there to move the stock so I guess it's not too big of a hassle to move the tail stock manually.

3) I'm not sure I understand the question.

[The_Dream_shed]

3) I'm not sure I understand the question.[/QUOTE]

For my lathe, I was thinking about having the tailstock being able to be positioned. Give the tailstock the ability to move in and out under a "4th" axis designation because you have X, Z, Tool turret. Mine could potentially be x, z, turret, tailstock. The tailstock would only be good for a bump stock or positioning for a center.