[Cory]

Does anyone have a rough guess how much the cost of a replacement probe body is?

Someone crashed ours today pretty bad. totally wrecked the body on the top of a vise. Shockingly enough, the stylus remains intact and good as new. Go figure.

[HelicopterJohn]

I can tell you exactly what it costs.

$950.00 FLAT RATE CHARGE plus shipping for Renishaw 1-847-286-9953

A new probe costs $3,800.00 Ouch!!!!!

My Local HAAS Field office offered no replacement plan other than purchasing a new one.

You have to send your crashed unit in and they will either repair your unit or send you a rebuilt replacement.

Just some words of caution from another dummie that made that same mistake.

The programming supplied by HAAS has (CERTAIN) protected moves. i.e. if you place the probe above the recommeded .4 above the part it will alarm out and the probe will stop. If you are doing a x + surface probe and the probe is too far away from the material it will alarm out and stop. If the probe (fake ruby tip) touches something before programmed object it will alarm out and stop.

Here is a scenario that will get you in DEEP trouble FAST.

All was well with me until Sunday evening. I crashed my Renishaw probe into the vise. A slight $950.00 setback. I was doing a Y web on a .4 diameter piece. I did the probe the first time at -.375. I wanted to go a little deeper on the diameter of the part that was extended from the vise. The issue was that I put in 4. instead of .4 and got in a hurry and didn’t take a second look at the entries prior to running the probe. I saw the probe go by the part and had my hand on the feed hold button but thought for just a second and reached for the Emergency Stop button instead. WRONG CALL. The probe beat me to the vise by about 1 millisecond. If I would have just pressed the feed hold like a good boy I would have been O.K. Guess that 62 year old brain didn’t cut the mustard. Ha Ha

The probe will alarm out in certain instances. i.e. if the probe is too far away from the part on a Z or X or Y Probe. Needs to be about .4 away to get it to work. However if you make a dumb move like me and give it a large negative number (longer than the ceramic probe tip) on a X or Y web and the body of the probe hits something before the ruby tip does you are in for a treat. If the ruby tip would have hit something first I would have been O.K. Just got a little to complacent and got bit really hard. I think HAAS should have programmed a protective move (or a least a warning that you have exceeded the probe tip length) to prevent a movement longer than the probe tip when doing Z Probes. I realize that Renishaw offers different probe tips and some (may) be longer.

I intend to talk to someone at HAAS factory as I think when an operator tries to make a move that may be hard on the owners pocketbook that a warning should come up on the screen and al least let you decide if you have just entered a number that could result in a crash. I am a newbie and it bit me hard in the pocketbook.

I just got my rebuilt probe back from Renishaw yesterday and have installed the rebuilt probe on the tool holder. There are six set screws you have to remove to send it to Renishaw. It is a real treat to get it zeroed in.

I still need to run the calibration program to set the tool length for the probe. Easy task. Then I need to mount my ring gauge on the table and run the calibration program for the X Y axis.

Then hopefully it will work fine and I will have learned an expensive lesson. Hope this little message may prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

John

[Cory]

I can tell you exactly what it costs.

$950.00 FLAT RATE CHARGE plus shipping for Renishaw 1-847-286-9953

A new probe costs $3,800.00 Ouch!!!!!

My Local HAAS Field office offered no replacement plan other than purchasing a new one.

You have to send your crashed unit in and they will either repair your unit or send you a rebuilt replacement.

Just some words of caution from another dummie that made that same mistake.

The programming supplied by HAAS has (CERTAIN) protected moves. i.e. if you place the probe above the recommeded .4 above the part it will alarm out and the probe will stop. If you are doing a x + surface probe and the probe is too far away from the material it will alarm out and stop. If the probe (fake ruby tip) touches something before programmed object it will alarm out and stop.

Here is a scenario that will get you in DEEP trouble FAST.

All was well with me until Sunday evening. I crashed my Renishaw probe into the vise. A slight $950.00 setback. I was doing a Y web on a .4 diameter piece. I did the probe the first time at -.375. I wanted to go a little deeper on the diameter of the part that was extended from the vise. The issue was that I put in 4. instead of .4 and got in a hurry and didn’t take a second look at the entries prior to running the probe. I saw the probe go by the part and had my hand on the feed hold button but thought for just a second and reached for the Emergency Stop button instead. WRONG CALL. The probe beat me to the vise by about 1 millisecond. If I would have just pressed the feed hold like a good boy I would have been O.K. Guess that 62 year old brain didn’t cut the mustard. Ha Ha

The probe will alarm out in certain instances. i.e. if the probe is too far away from the part on a Z or X or Y Probe. Needs to be about .4 away to get it to work. However if you make a dumb move like me and give it a large negative number (longer than the ceramic probe tip) on a X or Y web and the body of the probe hits something before the ruby tip does you are in for a treat. If the ruby tip would have hit something first I would have been O.K. Just got a little to complacent and got bit really hard. I think HAAS should have programmed a protective move (or a least a warning that you have exceeded the probe tip length) to prevent a movement longer than the probe tip when doing Z Probes. I realize that Renishaw offers different probe tips and some (may) be longer.

I intend to talk to someone at HAAS factory as I think when an operator tries to make a move that may be hard on the owners pocketbook that a warning should come up on the screen and al least let you decide if you have just entered a number that could result in a crash. I am a newbie and it bit me hard in the pocketbook.

I just got my rebuilt probe back from Renishaw yesterday and have installed the rebuilt probe on the tool holder. There are six set screws you have to remove to send it to Renishaw. It is a real treat to get it zeroed in.

I still need to run the calibration program to set the tool length for the probe. Easy task. Then I need to mount my ring gauge on the table and run the calibration program for the X Y axis.

Then hopefully it will work fine and I will have learned an expensive lesson. Hope this little message may prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

John

Yeah, I know exactly what went bad. Normally I'm the only one running the machine, but we had someone new who has taken a CNC class and decided to run their code without checking with me first/setting rapid overrides.

He had just finished setting his WCS with the probe, hit cycle start, and the probe immediately rapided into the top of the vise. Somehow, like you, it managed to avoid even touching the stylus, and just rammed the crap out of the probe body. He had a G90 G28 Z0. in his insurance line instead of a G91.

There were about 10 different ways we could have avoided that mistake... proofing the program at 5% rapid, reading the code first, waiting for me to come over and look at the code, switching to a tool that costs less than $1,000 so it would have crashed instead.

I thought it wasn't too bad when I had to adjust the runout in my probe body. I tweaked it a little bit when I accidentally hit the auto z feed button somehow, and broke the stylus. Only took about 5 minutes to get about 0.015 down to nothing that I could measure on my 0.0005 indicator

What is the $3800 charge for, if the probe is $950?

[HelicopterJohn]

A brand new probe is approximately $3800.

A rebuilt exchange probe is $950. You need to send your old one in for exchange to get this price.

John

[Vern Smith]

The Renishaw folks must have found themselves in a rather interesting position when they sold the $5,000.00 package to Haas. Who would pay $3,800.00 for the spindle probe when they could call the local Haas HFO and get the entire kit (spindle probe, tool setter, and transponder unit) for $5,000.00?

Short answer, the $950.00 probe exchange program. I wonder if there is a $950.00 exchange program for the tool setter as well? Considering it's positioning requirements and 3+ inches of height, it's not a hard job to T-bone it with a tool in a heart beat.

Vern

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Vern,

I thought that the $5,000 price option only applied to new machine sales or agreements made at the time of purchase such as yours. ?????????

[Vern Smith]

John,

The Haas/Renishaw probe accessory has a Haas part number like all their other replacement parts. I think anyone can call their local HFO, order the accessory by part number and get it for five grand.

I could be wrong, it's a hell of a lot of neat technology for the price. Hopefully, someone on the forum, out of our area, will make the call and find out.

[HelicopterJohn]

I could be wrong, it's a hell of a lot of neat technology for the price.

Vern,

You are right on. It is the best and most used option I ordered on my TM-1P.

I love it.

John

[Cory]

Vern,

You are right on. It is the best and most used option I ordered on my TM-1P.

I love it.

John

I agree. In a given day we could run 4-5 different parts, with just a few of each. Without dedicated fixtures or anything like that, the probe makes everything incredibly easy compared to having to edge find/indicate.

[Vern Smith]

I dug out my invoice, the part number is VQCPS for anyone interested in inquiring about price and availability.

Like John and Cory 90% of my projects are 5 or less relatively small pieces. Before the probe-tool setter my set up time to run time was 3 to 1, with the probe it's closer to 1 to 1. The tool setter saves more time then the probe for me because most of my programs use 7 to 10 tools.

The probe makes very accurate and fast set ups, especially if you're using a boss or hole. I think guys with a lot of experience using the new touch off stuff can probably go about as fast as the probe for finding a corner (with a lot smaller investment).

Vern

[Cory]

I dug out my invoice, the part number is VQCPS for anyone interested in inquiring about price and availability.

Like John and Cory 90% of my projects are 5 or less relatively small pieces. Before the probe-tool setter my set up time to run time was 3 to 1, with the probe it's closer to 1 to 1. The tool setter saves more time then the probe for me because most of my programs use 7 to 10 tools.

The probe makes very accurate and fast set ups, especially if you're using a boss or hole. I think guys with a lot of experience using the new touch off stuff can probably go about as fast as the probe for finding a corner (with a lot smaller investment).

Vern

I don't save as much time with the toolsetter as the probe. I have about 16 tools that never leave the toolchanger, and I fill in the last 3 when I have an oddball drill/tap/EM.

The place where I find myself saving a ton of time is like you said, with bosses and bores. I'm constantly finding that I'm setting my WCS to the center of a boss/bore, and it takes FAR less time to probe it than to even setup my indicator.

[Vern Smith]

16 tools !!! you lucky devil, I thought 10 would be more than enough but soon learned differently. Most of my stuff has 2, and some times 3 different sized threaded holes. That eats up tool slots real fast.

I have several fixture plates that are so long (30 plus inches) that they have to span 2 vises. Rather then screw around bumping and shimming to get the plate in straight I clamp it in and use the probe to determine how far it's skewed in Y end to end. Then do the trig and plug the out of parallel degrees into the G68 rotation box and away you go.

I realize there are some snow covered purists on this forum that would never have two vises out of parallel but us lesser accomplished amateurs need to take advantage of any crutches that come our way. (wedge)



Vern

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Vern,

Then do the trig and plug the out of parallel degrees into the G68 rotation box and away you go.

Is trig some kind of a dance? Sounds like magic. Remind me to put that on my list of stuff for you to demo on my next trip down South. I may even bring my video man and make you Utube famous. P.S. I will bring along my model release form. :banana:

John

[Vern Smith]

The probe macros will do the trig for you but it seems to be restricted to finding angles from flat vertical surfaces, like the face of a vise jaw. This is fine until you want to use two bores or bosses to measure the angular skew.

Some of you more familiar with the Renishaw macros may have found a way and I would appreciate the help.

[FANTASY]

(OD BOSS & PIN HOLE COORDINATE ROTATION)
G28 G91 Z0
G90
T25 M06
G80 G90 G40 G54 G00 X-8.25 Y0(PIN HOLE)
G43 H25
G65 P9832 (PROBE ON)
G65 P9810 Z3. F250. (PROTECTED MOVE)
G65 P9810 Z-.1 (PROTECTED MOVE)
G65 P9814 D.255 (BORE-PIN HOLE)
G65 P9834 (STORE THE DATA P1)
G65 P9810 Z3. F250. (PROTECTED MOVE)
G65 P9810 X0 Y0 (PROTECTED MOVE CENTER OF THE PART)
G65 P9814 D17. Z-.1 S1. (BOSS-OD OF THE PART)
G65 P9834 A0 D8.24 (STORE THE DATA P2)
G68 X0 Y0 R#189 (COORDINATE ROTATION)
G65 P9810 Z3. (PROTECTED MOVE)
G65 P9833 (PROBE OFF)
G91 G28 Z0
M00

[Vern Smith]

Fantasy,

I'm honored that you would make your first post an answer to my amaturish question. I'm assuming your code locates a boss at one position and a bore at another then places the angular difference in #189.

You are using P9814 (I think) for both the boss and the bore. How does the probe know the difference? I hate to think of the hours you must have spent learning how to code all the Renishaw macros.

I was using one of the examples included in my instruction manual that came with the Haas Renishaw package so it was a simple matter of plugging in values. It looks like you are combining a string of macros to get the same result for bores and bosses.

Thanks for the help,

Vern

[FANTASY]

Hey Vern,
The z move in the p9814 line is the only difference between bore & boss
Mark Lyons

[Vern Smith]

Mark,

Thanks for joining us, we can use your expertise.

I'll give your program a whirl this weekend.

Vern

[Geof]

.....I realize there are some snow covered purists on this forum that would never have two vises out of parallel but us lesser accomplished amateurs need to take advantage of any crutches that come our way. (wedge).....Vern

I am probably being egotistical...but taking into account some comments made in other posts I am wondering if I qualify as a snow covered purist?

And somewhere up in the posts someone mentions setting up an indicator to get the center of a bore. If you are not using a Coaxial Indicator from Blake Manufacturing you should be!!!!! Google 'coaxial indicator' or 'Blake Manufacturing'. Cheaper than probes and very quick.

[Vern Smith]

:wave: