New sign we did this last month

[upsman]

Here are some signs we have done over the last month. And here is the you-tube link to my PRS Alpha w/tool changer ShopBot showing how it changes the tool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg2ZEIGX1cM

popjpeg{39128,Sign # 1}


5947

[dubliner]

Very cool John, the dust foot is a surprise!Forgive my ignorance, but are tool changers zeroe'd by how you place the bit in the holder? but hey it works. Greetings from Austin - Neville

[bcammack]

On our CNCs (non-Shopbot), we use the distance from the nose of the spindle to the "deck" (in our case, the top of the Blick vacuum pods) and the control software tracks actual tool length/diameter by tool position # (more abstract than that, but sufficient for this description).

The control program combines the two measurements (spindle nose to deck and tool length) to compute the correct Z location to achieve the working tool Z height specified by the current program file code.

[upsman]

Neville

I made another video showing Z and how i change to another bit. I do this to each bit in the tool changer before i run a part file each day.

Here are the Links

Here is a link showing my PRS Alpha changing tools and setting the Z.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxqoEHQAiwY

This next link shows how to change a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqtyQgcMCkw

Hope to you all next year at the Austin camp

Tim

[steve4460]

Nice dust boot . What and how are you using to control it ?.
Bot on .
www.windwardsigns.com (http://www.windwardsigns.com)

[upsman]

Stephan

The dust boot opens and closed with an air cylinder one on each side.
I will try to post a side view photo later this week.

Is this what you are asking?

Tim

[myxpykalix]

Tim,
This is just plain "SLICK"! So assuming you had a file with 3 or 4 toolpaths, as long as you had the tools in the rack you could walk away and just let it go thru all the toolpaths till it finished? Since i've never seen this done how is each individual toolpath loaded and activated or is that still a manual operation? Good job.

[steve4460]

Ya , that would be great if you could show some pictures of that dust boot .
Bot on
Stephan

[upsman]

Jack,
Only ArtCAM pro will suport tool changing, when i go to save the toolpaths all i need to do is put them in the right order and hit save toolpaths. ArtCAM take each toolpath and puts it in an order that is best to run on the ShopBot.

Tim

[cabnet636]

i use all of vectrics programs including aspire with my tool changing machine, i have no doubt there will be a pp for this likity split!!

jim

[Gary Campbell]

In my postP folder for Vcarve, there is a postP named "shopbot_arc_inch_toolchanger" Me thinks they have one! One advantage over ArtCAM products is that the enduser has the ability to modify post processors for their own use. (And at their own risk!)
Gary