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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Hey G'day folks,

    Just wondering with 4th axis rotary, is there a software that anyone can recommend that does a continuous rotary movement. Keeps turning 360 while cutting rather than a left to right finishing at 360. I've seen a few YouTube videos where the 4th axis is turning like a lathe without the speed while the cutter is doing its job.

    Also just a small show and tell, a few months ago I was asking about cutting speeds and the like for perspex. I got lucky on one job but the rest I was having issues with melting and perspex sticking to the cutter.
    With the tips and suggestions I got I think I've finally cracked it and am able to do bas reliefs in perspex without any issues at all.

    The job below is 20mm perspex from a type of photo frame, two pieces with magnets to hold a picture in the center. You can see the 4 magnets, haven't removed them yet. Haven't polished the perspex yet either. I did an inverted bas relief pretty much looks like a mold from the back but pretty nice I think from the front.

    I used a .5 radius tapered ball nose. Before I used the ball nose what I did was at the bottom I did a 6mm vector x the width of the job and used a 3mm single flute to do some roughing just enough so the ball nose could get in and do the job.
    Job took about 7 hours to finish then as a single final pass.

    Spindle speed I don't know what it is in rpm, the digital display was 10000 whatever that equates too, its a quater of the 40000 display when the vfd boots. I know the VFD can be changed to display rpm last time I looked a couple of years ago now and I gave up, I couldn't make sense of the instructions. I'm only guessing 6000 rpm?!?!?! The feed was 1200mm/s it wasn't going that fast there were very few straight lines in the job.

    Job size 300 x 200.

    I think it came out ok. Happy to hear your thoughts.

    Cheers and ty
    Steve

    Attachment 439218
    Attachment 439220

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    35538

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Look at Deskproto.
    Gerry

    UCCNC 2017 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html

    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
    http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Quote Originally Posted by ger21 View Post
    Look at Deskproto.
    Thank you for the tip.. Ger

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    4252

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Just wondering with 4th axis rotary, is there a software that anyone can recommend that does a continuous rotary movement. Keeps turning 360 while cutting rather than a left to right finishing at 360.
    I can't recommend any SW for this, but I can suggest a HW mod for it.
    I set up a 555 oscillator (or something similar in CMOS, I forget) with a variable potentiometer for the speed, and an SPDT switch. The switch chooses between the pulse drive from Mach3 and the output from this oscillator. Switch to oscillator,adjust rotation speed: slow lathe.

    Cheers
    Roger

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Just wondering with 4th axis rotary, is there a software that anyone can recommend that does a continuous rotary movement. Keeps turning 360 while cutting rather than a left to right finishing at 360.
    I can't recommend any SW for this, but I can suggest a HW mod for it.
    I set up a 555 oscillator (or something similar in CMOS, I forget) with a variable potentiometer for the speed, and an SPDT switch. The switch chooses between the pulse drive from Mach3 and the output from this oscillator. Switch to oscillator,adjust rotation speed: slow lathe.

    Cheers
    Roger
    That would be an interesting mod for sure, do you know if something like that would work for uccnc?

    Cheers,
    Steve

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    4252

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    It is a pure HW mod. It goes between the UCCNC and the rotary drive. In other words, it has nothing to do with the UCCNC.
    Um - that assumes you can get between the UCCNC pins and the rotary input of course.

    Cheers
    Roger

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Yup I can, seeing as we are all locked in I think that will give me something to do.

    Cheers,
    Steve

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    626

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    What about a cheap Stepper drivers on ebay that allow one to control the speed of a stepper via a pot?
    https://tinyurl.com/vfykv3p

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    4252

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Exactly the same thing.
    I made my own because I have cupboards full of electronic chips etc from the past; I am too mean to buy what I can make; and it was fun.

    Cheers
    Roger

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Quote Originally Posted by Sterob View Post
    What about a cheap Stepper drivers on ebay that allow one to control the speed of a stepper via a pot?
    https://tinyurl.com/vfykv3p
    Hey G'day,

    That's a pretty good idea as well - primarily why I was asking about continuous rotary is on the odd occasion I'm making something on the 4th axis I dont like the finish that I get when the cutter is traveling X and small Y increments. I'd prefer if the rotary was moving past 360 degrees and having Z doing its job with X moving incrementally and Y to be stationary. So I don't really want to use my rotary as a lathe, though I can see merit in doing some things that way. Particularly sanding lol.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    454

    Re: Question re: 4th axis rotary

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Exactly the same thing.
    I made my own because I have cupboards full of electronic chips etc from the past; I am too mean to buy what I can make; and it was fun.

    Cheers
    Roger
    LOL I had a good laugh - mean huh lol Coal for you this Christmas....

    STeve

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