Probe Pilot 3 - Part Alignment Module
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What is Part Alignment and how will it help save money in my shop?
Anyone who has spent time in a machine shop is probably familiar with the setup process. For those that aren't, it is when a new part or fixture is 'set up' on the machining table. It usually involves the operator placing the part or fixture on the table and then using an indicator and edge finder to 'locate' the part or fixture so that it is level to the machining plane and aligned to one or more axes on the machine tool. This is usually a very time consuming process, even if the operator is very skilled with the use of these tools, and makes set-up time one of those hard to capture shop expenses that don't add any value to the product.
Many modern machine tool controls have the option to transform and rotate the program cutter paths to suit where the part is actually located in the machine envelope. This can be accomplished by a variety of methods including Program Coordinate Rotation (G68), add on Rotary Machine Axes and CNC indexing heads, and Trunnion Type 5 axis machines.
Whatever method is available to a machine tool, there are 2 common requirements for all these methods, an amount to rotate (angle of rotation) and a point to rotate about (XY, YZ, or ZX locations). Using an indicator, edge finder, and calculator to manually calculate these values can be a time consuming process. For this reason, NC program path translation and rotation is still one of the most under-utilized options that are available on today's modern machine tools.
The developers at Advanced Probe Technologies have included a Part Alignment module in ProbePilot3 machine tool probe software. The sole purpose of this module is to provide the NC Programmer the necessary tools to utilize these powerful machine tool control functions. The module guides the programmer to select features that are involved in the alignment, whether it is tooling balls, holes, parallel surfaces or angled surfaces, or any combination of features. There is no need for any manual calculations by the programmer or the operator, ProbePilot3 Part Alignment does everything, automatically. The probe measures the features identified by the programmer, the control does the calculations and automatically sets the necessary parameters.
This capability in ProbePilot3 will truly enable the cost savings that are possible with today's high tech machine tools that just aren't practical without a probe and software powerful enough to utilize it.