Wpc question (g54,g55,g56)

[weihmue]

HI,
I have a Shopbot Desktop and have a question about WPC. I like to set up my table to I can run 3 pieces. I made a little drawing.

I like to use 3 fixtures and assign ea. its on WPC "0". with the mills I used to run it would be G54,G55,G56 and so on.

with the shopbot , programming is a little different....anyone something like that before?

thank you,
stefan

SETUP PIC:
24846

[srwtlc]

SB3 doesn't have a true work offset system like G54, G55, G56, etc., but if you're using version 3.8.XX, the keypad has some preset buttons (memorize) that you could use. Although these aren't a true work offset system as they don't set the new location to 0,0. You have to manually remember to do that yourself and it can be a bit quirky.

On the other hand, I have been using a work offset system on my machine for several years. It's easy enough to set up and you can have as many work offset locations as you want and move freely between any of them, save new locations, or return to table base coordinates with just a button click or by the 'Cuts' menu. If you're interested in this, let me know and I can help you get it set up.

[weihmue]

Thanks Scott,
I'm pretty busy during the day in my wood work shop...but if you would I like to try out what you use....see if it will work for my application.

thank you,

stefan

[weihmue]

...also I have the newer version software....with the (memorize) button. my shopbot is less then 6 months old. :)

[donek]

Simply write a sbp program that calls the main part with an x and y offset. What follows uses the same basic concept:

MS,4,.5
JS,6,1
INPUT "HOW MANY MULTIPLES OF 4 DO YOU WANT TO CUT? " &TNUM

&N=1

CUTCYCLE:
J2,12.5+9.3*(&N-1),3-.6561
FP,FILLTEXT.SBP,1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1,2
J2,12.5+9.3*(&N-1),5.666-.6561
FP,FILLTEXT.SBP,1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1,2
J2,12.5+9.3*(&N-1),8.333-.6561
FP,FILLTEXT.SBP,1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1,2
J2,12.5+9.3*(&N-1),11-.6561
FP,FILLTEXT.SBP,1.00, 1.00, 1.00, 1,2


&N=&N+1
IF &N>&TNUM THEN GOTO FINISH
IF &N>6 THEN GOTO FINISH
GOTO CUTCYCLE

FINISH:

[srwtlc]

If you are running the same part with the same tool in all three locations one after the other, then using a master file that positions the tool in the desired location and runs the file in 2D offset like Sean's example would be the way to go. If you're setting up a different part in each location and still use the same tool with the same z setting, you can still use the same method and just call up the needed file for each location. If you want to work at one fixture for some parts and then at another fixture for a different part and tool, but don't want to loose the position of the other fixture(s) for future use, then a work offset system is nice to use as you don't need a master file and you just chose that position and run the file as normal. I'll use each way depending on what I am doing. If for some reason I loose position, I can always re-home the machine and then tell it to go to a saved work offset of 1-6 and I'm back in business. The locations don't always have to be a jig/fixture 0,0 location, but can also be the 0,0 location of a part secured anywhere on the table. This gives you a quick failsafe return/reset to a saved location in case of positional loss of any kind.