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I’ve written about task simplification in several of my previous columns. Task simplification lowers the skill level required of a person performing a task, minimizes the potential for mistakes and shortens the time required to perform the task.
Should you program at the machine or should you program off-line? This debate has been going on for more than thirty years, since the first conversational control was introduced. I thought most of the main considerations for making a wise decision were pretty well understood, but a visit to any of the manufacturing forums on the Internet quickly illustrates that the debate is still raging—and there are still many misconceptions.
All machining center controls come with a set of helpful hole-machining canned cycles. Most control manufacturers use G codes from G81 through G89 to name them (G81 for drilling, G82 for counter-boring, G83 for peck drilling and so on).
Multiple start threads combine the close fit of a fine thread with the quick axial motion of a coarse thread. Any time a design engineer needs a fine fit combined with fast motion, it is likely that he or she will use a multiple start thread.
Every so often, I like to present some of the Web sites I’ve come across. Many have been submitted to me for placement on the CNC links page of my company’s Web site—www.
The most common workholding device for turning centers is the three-jaw chuck. Setup people remove and replace top tooling (jaws) during every setup, and this task can be relatively simple if quick-change chucks are used.
When programs are too long to fit within a CNC control’s memory, one alternative is to use a direct numerical control system. This kind of system is called a DNC system, but must not be confused with a distributive numerical control system (also called a DNC system) that simply transfers programs to and from the CNC machine.
Almost all current model machining center controls use fixture offsets for program zero assignment. With most, the distance from the machine's reference position (commonly called the zero return position) to the program zero point must be determined for each axis.
All current CNC controls have a special program verification display screen page that shows a few upcoming commands in the CNC program, the current absolute position, the distance-to-go and currently instated G and M codes. Many control manufacturers refer to this display screen page as the program check page.
Entering data at the machine is usually tedious. Although control manufacturers provide full access to any data that must be entered or modified by the setup person or operator, many do not make it convenient to do so.