CNC Machining Blog - Tips and Tricks for Machinists

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Posts about CNC Control & Software (2):

5-Axis CNC Mill Programming: Transform Planes Using IJK UVW Vectors

Mike Cope Mon, May 09, 2016
5-Axis CNC Mill Programming: Transform Planes Using IJK UVW Vectors

A while back, I received a comment on one of my previous blog posts asking how to designate 5-axis transform planes using IJK UVW vector tokens instead of the traditional ABC rotary axis designations on their 5-axis CNC machine. Instead of just replying to that comment, I thought I would write this post as a response. Since this will be a continuation of the 5-axis CNC basics series, I suggest that you read and understand using IJK tool vectors as a pre-cursor to this article. 

The idea behind creating a 5-axis transform plane using vectors is exactly the same as programming tool movement with IJK tool vectors on any machine with a fifth axis. However, the difference lies in the fact that you will have two separate vectors: one using IJK and the other using UVW. The reason you need two separate “legs” for this function is because you cannot designate a plane with only one axis. I will use the floor inside a room as my analogy: you could not create a floor in a room without having at least two walls. With only one, the floor would simply spin around that single axis and could actually point in literally any direction. To accommodate the two legs of the transform plane, and because we want to determine the direction of the Z-axis ultimately, we will use the X-axis and Y-axis as our legs, or walls of the desired transform plane.

Explaining Hurco’s Select Surface Finish Quality (SFQ)

Mike Cope Fri, Jan 29, 2016
Explaining Hurco’s Select Surface Finish Quality (SFQ)

Today’s Hurco users are well aware of the term SFQ, or Select Surface Finish Quality, on the Hurco control, and probably have a pretty good idea about which settings work best for them – however, many of them probably don’t realize what is actually going on behind the scenes, and what those settings actually mean or how they affect the machine’s behavior.

5-Axis Machining: It just ain’t that scary (continued)

Mike Cope Fri, Jun 12, 2015
5-Axis Machining: It just ain’t that scary (continued)

Previously, I posted an article titled “5-Axis Machining: It just ain’t that scary,” and to date it has been one of the most popularly read articles in my blog series. So, I'm expanding on that article and diving deeper into what can be done with 5-axis machining to show that even the advanced features of 5-axis really aren't anything more than multi-axis common sense, when you break it down.

We Took Five for 5-axis…will you?

Mike Cope Fri, May 29, 2015

Take_5_For_5_Axis

Hurco recently partnered with Modern Machine Shop magazine for an educational online 5-axis webinar, called: “Take Five for 5-Axis. It was very well received by everyone who attended, and the feedback afterward was outstanding. In this webinar, I try to present this information in a very simple way, and attempt to explain things in a manner that even those who have no history of 5-axis machining can understand it. After all, that was the intention…to educate and teach!

5-Axis Machine Purchasing Considerations: Size Does Matter

Mike Cope Fri, Dec 20, 2013
5-Axis Machine Purchasing Considerations: Size Does Matter

There are several things to keep in mind when you are in the market for a new 5-axis machining center. To be successful, you must make sure that the machine will fit all of your needs, not just your current one. Often times the purchase of a 5-axis machine is driven by a particular job or part, and sometimes shops fail to consider the other work they could run on the machine. Remember, size does matter.

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