I always begin my training sessions by telling my students not to remember anything I say.
This sounds completely stupid and my excuse is it wasn’t my idea to say it.
About ten years ago I worked in France. After about a year it seemed obvious that I would need to speak to people to order “Fish n Chips” and stuff like that.
Anyway I got these CD’s to teach me French and the bloke (can’t remember his name) started off by telling you not to remember anything he told you.
Reverse Psychology
I think there is a bit of reverse psychology going on but the main idea is that you understand not remember. It didn’t work for me because I still managed to completely fuck up the language.
Not realising French Canadians speak differently to native Frenchmen (I was working for Bombardier) . Anyway I asked this bloke, in French, to “will you come with me”. I can’t remember what it is in French and after all the bloke on the CD had specifically told me not to remember.
Anyway turns out this had a sexual connotation and made me the complete laughing stock everywhere I went from then on. (I’ll let you do the maths on that one.)
“OK which one of you bastards bought all the fuckin toilet paper in lock-down?”
Now I know what you are thinking, “that is the gnats cock of CNC Turning G Code Lists”. Honestly size isn’t everything.
Learn these first and just by seeing them every day they will just sink into your brain.
When it comes to CNC Programming it is important to enjoy your self and not get bogged down trying to remember loads of G Codes.
The truth is you only need to remember a few and it’s all about understanding what they do.
For Example This is in your Programme.
You watch in amazement as it cuts your part.
So you look up what G71 means on your list of G Codes printed in large letters on the side of your machine.
G00 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Move at Rapid speed G01 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Feed in a Straight Line G02 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Clockwise Arc G03 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Counter Clockwise Arc
G04 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Time Dwell
G28 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Return Axis to Home
G41 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cutter Compensation Left G42 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cutter Compensation Right G40 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cancel Cutter Compensation
G50 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Maximum Spindle Speed G54Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Work Offsets
G71 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Stock Removal Cycle G70 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Finishing Cycle for Above G76 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Threading Cycle
G83 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Peck Drilling Cycle
G96 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Constant Surface Speed G97Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Speed in RPM
You might not know it but if you put your memory stick into your Haas control then press and hold SHIFT as you press F1 you get a Haas screenshot or a (Haas screen capture) on your memory stick.
It is really useful if you need help because you can save a record of what is on the screen.
With this Haas Screen Capture. You could use it for set up sheets. It will also be useful if you want to create training literature.
If you want to enter a name for your screen capture just input it before doing the above.
I love the fact that Haas are constantly improving their products the machines are so well thought out. They were the first ones to incorporate a coolant hose to clean down the machine.
Extras
I notice now some things do come as extras but they still come well loaded. It’s not like when you buy a car and you find that all the things that really attracted you to it (don’t we just love the toys) are extras.
Range rover with no wheels
Just having a memory stick on a machine is really good. I cant help but think that it seems to be taking so long for machine tool companies to really get to grips with technology.
Sometimes when I am training people who never worked a CNC before I feel embarrassed to say “oh the memory is like the size of a 1980’s calculator”
1970’s Calculator
The editing on some controls (and I won’t name names, as I can’t retire yet) is poor to say the least. Students used to using a PC expect to be able to easily COPY and PASTE bits of programme.
UNDO (don’t even go there) some do have it. But wouldn’t it be great if you could UNDO things like offset changes. These things are gradually coming in on new controls but I can’t believe how slow it’s all been.
And you thought this articcle was just about taking a Haas Screenshot
Anyway I’m rambling again (only doing it to get the word count up), I will be using this Haas Screen Capture all the time. Typical Haas practical, user friendly. Keep up the good work boys.
Fanuc Screen Shot
Yes Fanuc Does it Too
Go to a screen you would like to capture.
Press and hold the [SHIFT] button for 5 seconds.
The control appears to lock up for about 15 seconds.
Once it frees up an image will be on your memory stick or memory card.
This article is about using G10 on a CNC Lathe to set the work shift or work zero offset as it is known on a Haas control.
If you have ever used Mazak machines you will know that when you call a program the work offset is kept with it.
Obvious really……
I mean if you were teaching your dog or your cat to program a CNC Lathe and you told him that he had to reset the workshift every time he called a new program what would he say.
I mean nothing really but he’d probably give you a strange look.
But you can do it on a Fanuc control or on a Haas control.
You just put this………………….
G10 P0 X0 Z-98.1
So you would put that at the head of your program and it would change the work shift screen as above.
Advantages
No need to set workshift everytime.
Automatically sets X figures so there’s no chance you could alter it by accident.
Well there is a slight catch.
It’s obvious really but from now on you can only change the workshift from the program.
If you altered it on the workshift screen it would just change back when you run the program.
Now I know your not stupid enough to do that but I bet the bloke on nights is.
I must be honest I didn’t have that many creative uses for it.
Anyway when I posted it on Linkedin I did get some interesting replies and comments. I was surprised to see how many people do use incremental U and W.
About a year ago I was working at Gardner Aerospace and we were struggling to get rid of a taper on a shaft we were machining.
Not a particularly difficult job other than this pesky taper we kept getting.
It was something like 30mm diameter by about 140mm long. We were making it on a new Haas ST lathe we struggled to hold the size which was about plus or minus .02mm and were getting a taper too.
I noticed that when we programmed a taper it was easy to make a mistake.
The above program would take the size .015 less.
When it came to changing the taper again the calculation had to be made. I suddenly had a brainwave and realised we could program it in incremental by using a U figure.
The great thing about doing this is that you can see exactly what taper you have and it’s really easy to modify.Â
The other thing is that the figure is always going to be small so it’s easy to spot mistakes.
I got so excited I even made a video.
Thanks for watching and reading
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this post or need CNC Counselling then contact me.
Or call us
If you want to learn to program CNC Milling Machines
