[MetalicGlow]

Hello,

I own a 1996 Torqcut 22 CNC mill with DX32 control. I was searching for information and ran into this forum. Nice forum BTW!

I am self-employed with my own OEM shop equipped with welding and fabrication tools. Every one of my machine tools have "quirks" and occasional issues to be addressed from time to time.

About the TC-22:

The DX32 control seems to have a mind of its own. I have not done any 3D machining on it yet because my needs have been met with 2.5D. So, I just write the G code by hand one line at a time. However, that is all changing now. I have designed some parts that will require CAD/CAM software to machine and I have a few questions.

I've read many posts about Bpt Boss machines and how it is very involved or impossible to get a post processor/drip feed set-up and working. What would I need specifically for the TC-22? I have a printer port and serial port on the machine. If I had a CAM application output to a Bpt post processor, what else would I need on the external PC to drip feed it to the control (as opposed to merely transferring the resultant .txt file)? My TC-22 manual doesn't go into any detail about setting this up.

Reading posts here has brought fear into investing a bunch on money into a CAM application, now that I've learned of the troubles involved in getting a post processor tweaked to work properly on Bpt machines.

I am not looking to do any fancy high speed machining, but want to get into 3D. What recommendations do you guys have to get me up and running? I have not bought a CAM package yet, so I am all ears as to advice on what to get. I need just the simple basics in a 3D program with the least cost. But, then the accompanying Bpt post needs to work as well. I seems that the trial versions of CAD programs won't let you save a part program.

[machintek]

This I do know. Transfer the program to the hard drive. DNC (drip feed) at the control from the hard drive. No external slave PC is necessary. Do not try to go above 40IPM.

George

[MetalicGlow]

This I do know. Transfer the program to the hard drive. DNC (drip feed) at the control from the hard drive. No external slave PC is necessary. Do not try to go above 40IPM.

George

Thank you George for the info. I will forget about attempting to drip feed the data in real time and find a way to transfer larger files to the machine's hard drive.

Any advice on CAD software packages that ships with BP post processors that are known to work fine with DX32? The most rudimentary 3D capability will suffice.

[machintek]

Bridgeport wasmarried to EZCAM and later FEATURE CAM. Both came with a pile of post processors for the Bridgeports and a boat load of other controls. The post processors were easy to tweak. I used the MAC version for few years. But the 3D was not what I needed and was very expensive.

George

[MetalicGlow]

Bridgeport wasmarried to EZCAM and later FEATURE CAM. Both came with a pile of post processors for the Bridgeports and a boat load of other controls. The post processors were easy to tweak. I used the MAC version for few years. But the 3D was not what I needed and was very expensive.

George

The Bridgeport affiliate for my area sold EZcam but I didn't need it at the time. Two months after I got my mill, Bridgeport closed shop and so did my 5 state area affiliate shortly thereafter. So, I guess Feature CAM is my only choice between the two.

Thanks for the reply!

[machintek]

A while back you could download a trial version to play with. Try Googling it.

George

[MetalicGlow]

A while back you could download a trial version to play with. Try Googling it.

George

Found it, registered and downloaded. I will see if I can get it working. Thanks!

[Gncc50]

Hello Metallic,

Where I work we also have a 96 Torque Cut 22. The one we have has a floppy drive. Doesn't yours? You should be able to load files with the floppy. You can also just run the program right off of the floppy. Not too many programs will exceed the size limit of a floppy. You shouldn't have to drip feed too often unless you are doing some pretty good sized programs.

I'm pretty sure you won't have trouble finding a cad program that will work with the Torque Cut as it uses pretty much standard G code. There are many choices out there. I use OneCNC XR3 it seems to work very well and is a good value. What ever program you decide on make sure they furnish you with a post proccesor that will work on your machine and give you a sample program that includes all of the different machining cycles in it. As I mentioned I don't think it will be a problem. I don't think you will have any problem at all with the programs that George already mentioned. I believe they were affiliated with Bridgeport at one time.

Good luck.

[tstom]

I just bought a used 760-22 I already had Mastercam that I use on a Centroid 5 axis machine MC has a Dx32 post available that I have been using
it needs a few tweaks but seems to work pretty well
EMI has a networking package that includes a new single board computer with a network port I am in the process of setting up my network to transfer large files to the C drive It also included a new 1Gig hard drive Those guys have been really helpful
Tom

[machintek]

I have quite a few machines in my territory doing 3D molds. They use the original hardware of the DX-32 control but also load up win 3.11 for workgroups and use a old ethernet card. Fast data transfers and cheap.

George

[MetalicGlow]

Gncc50,

Thank you for the response. Yes, my machine is equipped with a 1.44M floppy. I was under the impression that is is easy to surpass 1.44 megs with a large 3D part program.

Check your PMs.

tstom,

The EMI guys have been great despite what others have experienced. I've been saved by them for a Z axis board, another occasion for spindle encoder. It cost big $$$$$ but I was never down for more than 72 hrs.

machintek,

I just picked up a 540 meg HD from a friend who deals in legacy hardware on ebay. I was considering going ahead and configuring this hard drive with win 3.11, and everything else. Then I would still have my current hard drive as a "quick switch" backup. Of course, the parameter files would need to synchronized if anything was changed in the meantime.

Thanks for the replies, great forum!

[machintek]

You can easily exceed a 1.44 MB floppy capacity with a 3D program. Then add to that the time necessary to transfer it either in pieces via floppy or RS232(HA).
You may want to consider a newer hard drive. This one is very old. Even a new hard drive can be FDISKed to the 528MB. Better yet as an investment in piece of mind try a DOM, solid state hard drive AKA a Disk On a Module. It plugs into your IDE port just works just like a hard drive. No moving parts to be affected by vibration.

George

[MetalicGlow]

machintek,

I know what you mean by vibration. I notice the HD is suspended by several springs to isolate it. I will look into the solid state option. Thanks!

[BobOD]

This I do know. Transfer the program to the hard drive. DNC (drip feed) at the control from the hard drive. No external slave PC is necessary. Do not try to go above 40IPM.

George

I assume the 40ipm limitation is due to processor and or transfer speed. Is that right?
Is there a way around this? I'm considering a 1996 TC22 (DX-32 control) as it's in my price range but I think being limited to 40IPM might kill it for me.

Anybody know where I can find more information on the capabilities of this machine?

[machintek]

I have quite a few older VMC machines cutting electrodes and molds. This is where I base the 40IPM value. The problem is the machine software. A while back there was a class action lawsuit about this (google it) but them Bridgeport filed for bankruptcy. I do not have any TC machines cutting 3D but the software is the same (but drives are different).
EMI has a way of replacing the optimization boards in the Siemens drives (VMC 760,800, and 1000) and he has his own version of the software with better accel/decel ability. He advises to use lovejoy couplings and a BMDC 4 with a lot faster processor and bigger buffer. He probably has something for the TC machine as well.

George