CNC and Internet Connectivity

CAD/CAM and Current CNC Machining As is stands, the process by which a CNC machine is prepared for operating involves multiple stages. Designers and engineers can create a template for the workpiece using CAD software, which enables them to view a product in 3D and edit the design as necessary. When a design is deemed complete, a programmer can then being to translate the template into CAM. The program is then loaded from a PC directly into the memory of the CNC machine, via an RS-232 link. New CNC Networking An RS-232 link means one file at a time can be transferred. By adding an FTP (file transfer protocol) server and client, information can be transferred via Ethernet directly from a computer to a machine. File transfer is much faster as a result—instead of waiting hours for a program to load, files as large as ten megabytes can be transferred within 40 seconds—which in turn gives operators and programmers greater flexibility. Information can even be transferred between computer and machine while the machine is in process. This kind of information transfer could be especially useful for companies who manage CAD/CAM operations in a different geographical location than where their machines are located. (Hyperlink: http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/linking-cnc-machine-tools-to-the-internet.aspx) Potential Pitfalls Although in theory hooking up CNC machines to a network should streamline the manufacturing process, as well as provide operators and manufacturers with a fast way to communicate with each other and directly with the machine, several issues may need to be addressed. Very few CNC machines come with built in Ethernet capabilities. Instead they continue to be manufactured with RS-232 ports, and those that do come with optional Ethernet ports don’t appear to work well with even simple connectivity options—instead of making the most of the ability to link with other machines, the Ethernet port is simply being used to download programs and store them on the machine. If CNC machines use Ethernet to assert their presence in a network, much like a computer, possibilities begin to take shape. An operator could communicate directly with the machine and get necessary feedback regarding programming or processing errors. The is already an increasing demand for CNC machines to be made Ethernet ready so they can appear on a company-wide network, and, ultimately, the internet. Current Solutions Despite the fact that many manufacturers work with older R2-232 connected machines, it is still possible to connect these machines to the internet. Modern Machine Shop Online (hyperlink: http://www.mmsonline.com/article.aspx?id=13808) offers the following three tips for making older machines Ethernet-ready: 1. Using a PC that is already connected to the internet, run an RS-232 cable to the PC RS-232 port. 2. To connect multiple CNC machines, run RS-232 cables to a switchbox that is connected to an internet-active PC 3. Connect directly to a network by using an RS-232 cable to connect to an Ethernet-to-RS-232 converter—then connect the converter to a PC that is actively connected to the network or internet, or connect the converter directly to the network.

Green Innovations in Manufacturing

A burgeoning field in all walks of life is the green, or sustainability, movement. It has made its presence known in film, politics, mass consumption and manufacturing. The green manufacturing movement has inspired a lot of companies to turn towards more sustainable and “eco-friendly” methods of production, incorporating reusability and recycling into their business plans and developing new products that can be reused, recycled or those that will have less of an impact on the environment. While these innovations are good for the earth, they can also be useful PR tools for a company’s brand image. While a lot of green initiative implementation can be more costly than their standard counterparts, often long term cost-saving is the benefit of the initial up front costs.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Use of standard air-source heat and coolage pumps is widespread, but use of geothermal heating and cooling systems is growing; professionals estimate that 50,000 new units are installed in the United States every year.

Geothermal temperature control involves the use of subterranean temperatures to regulate air temperature. Basically, temperature is relatively standard just a few feet below the earth’s surface, normally warmer than outside air in cold periods and cooler than outside air in hot ones. A geothermal temperature pump warms or cools air and sends it through a closed system in a building, offering temperature control. Geothermal systems can be combined with air-source pumps for a dual-source unit. These units are slightly cheaper to install than strict geothermal systems, but are less efficient. This choice depends on the location of the facility and the needs of the company. Geothermal systems generally have higher efficiency rates than air-source systems.

Unfortunately, geothermal systems are more expensive to install than air-source systems. However, they are generally more inexpensive to maintain and use, and they have life expectancies of 50+ years overall, with certain internal components estimated at 25 years. It would take a company 5-10 years to recoup the difference if they invest in a geothermal system than if they had invested in an air-source temperature control system.

Green Energy Production and Energy Saving Techniques

Another energy concern for companies is production. Many manufacturers are turning to on-site solar energy production to power their factories, buttressed by wind, hydro and landfill gas electricity. This is an effort to turn away from fossil fuels, which produce great amounts of energy, but are seen by many as great pollutants and aren’t renewable resources.

Running a factory on alternative energy can involve high investment in the initial stages. Switching to wind or hydro-generated electricity involves installing different equipment which can be costly, but long term investments can pay off.

Green Branding

One of the more intangible differences between classic and green, eco-friendly innovations is the public relations aspect. Companies can foster greater relationships with their local communities by engaging in very small scale community investment. And for customers, buying from an eco-conscious company can be paramount. And going “green” can be as simple a task as investing in carbon emission offsets. According to many experts, the unquantifiable public relations boost “going green” can afford a company is seen as leverage in today’s conscious and concerned economy and environment.

The Future

Any newsstand will feature literally dozens of articles about the green revolution, which speaks to the demand for readers about these kinds of initiatives. Regardless of global warming’s currency in popular discourse, there is certainly a growing population who are eager and willing to engage in more ecological conscious production and consumption behavior, paving a way for more green innovations.

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Improvements coming in Windows 7 Handwriting?

this post came via robinz CAD blog, and stupidly forgot the link

I’m impressed with the hand writing support in Vista. I’ve mainly used it with MindManager but the TIP panel generally does a great job deciphering my scrawl. MindManager 8 Ink From this Microsoft post it looks like Windows 7 is going to improve this further, maybe the Tablet isn’t dead! How long before we see pen support in CAD/BIM? Engineering Windows 7 : Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting Microsoft has been working on handwriting recognition for over 15 years going back to the Pen extensions for Windows 3.0. With the increased integration and broad availability of the handwriting components present in Windows Vista we continue to see increased use of handwriting with Windows PCs. We see many customers using handwriting across a wide variety of applications including schools, hospitals, banking, insurance, government, and more.

Encoder count selection for G320

Question

want to use homeshopCNC servo motors on a router. The motor is rated
72VDC and 4200 rpm no load speed, 850 in oz peak torque, 170 oz in
continuous torque. My plan for the gantry drive is to go from the
motor through a 1:3 reduction and drive a jackshaft with 14 tooth XL
gears on each end, which rack over stationary belts fixed to the
frame. I calculated the gantry mass at 175lbs aprox. I’d like to
achieve 30 ipm traverse speeds for the gantry and carriage. Is that an
unrealistic speed?

I don’t know how to make the choice between 250 or 500 line quadrature
encoders. The ‘files’ sections servo motor files were empty. From what
I remember, top speed depends on pulse throughput from the PC. The
control software is CNCPRO, Turbocnc, and EMC. Would the 500 line
encoder provide greater precision?

Would anyone care to show me how to make the line count selection for
the Gecko G320 and advise on the PC speed/performance requirements?

Answer

Determine what is your software’s maximum step pulse rate. It’ll be
published somewhere. Convert your motor no-load RPM into revs per
second (divide RPM by 60) and divide that by 4. Divide that into
your software’s max step frequency. The result will be the maximum
encoder line count. Pick the next lowest standard mfg encoder line
count. In other words, if your result is 566.66 lines, pick a
500-line encoder.

*This is if the encoder is mounted on the servo. If you mount it on the screw, you will need to take any reduction ratio into effect also.

9 great command line 1- liners

fuser [portnumber]/[proto]

find process associated with a port
e.g.
fuser 25/tcp (see which pid is listening on smtp)

du -hc *
Display total Kb/Mb/Gb of a folder and each file

ls -dF `find . -maxdepth 1 \( -perm -1 -o \( -perm -10 -o -perm -100 \) \) -print`
List just the executable files (or directories) in current directory

Does an ‘ls’ on just the files and directories in the current directory with an execute bit turned on. This version will list directories. Just tack on “-type f” to the start of the find to omit listing directories and list only files.

openssl ans1parse -inform DER < [priv key]
Identify a PKCS#8 Private Key

a pkcs8 key will have integer 00 at offset 4 and an rsaEncryption object at offset 9

python -m smtpd -n -c DebuggingServer localhost:1025
This command will start a simple SMTP server listening on port 1025 of localhost. This server simply prints to standard output all email headers and the email body.

chgrp -R [projgroup] ; find /path/to/dir -type d -exec chmod g+s {} \;
Turn /path/to/dir and subdirectories into a project tree

changes group ownership of all files/dirs in /path/to/dir to a project group [projgroup] and then gives the sgid bit to directories in that tree – all subsequently created files will inherit [projgroup]’s gid.

units “2048 bytes” “kibibytes”
easily convert one unit to another

Easily convert units of similar measurement. May also be invoked alone, units.

pkill -f foo (good for fighting viruses)
Be careful when issuing this command, it may kill unwanted processes!

To only search on the process name don’t use the argument -f, pkill foo

stty sane

Reset terminal that has been buggered by binary input or similar

The Evolution from NC to CNC Machining

CNC Shop: Books, Software and Tools

Present-day computer numerical control (CNC) machines follow a set of protocols based on the older numerical control (NC) system first developed in the mid-twentieth century. With the advent of NC machines, the metalworking industry began relying on the use of paper punch-tape applications (or “G-Codes”) to program instructions used for manufacturing components. This continued for several decades, until the late 1960’s, when more advanced CNC programs became the industry standard.

Numerical Control Use Prior to 1949

Although conventional NC programming became common in the metalworking industry in the 1950’s, a rudimentary form of the punch-card system was already in development in the nineteenth century, when it was used to control textile looms and player pianos under a similar, although greatly simplified, principle.

In 1949, a numerically operated toolmaker’s lathe introduced the process of numbered tape-controlled machining, but manufacturer response to the new technology was ambivalent. After World War II, the U.S. Air Force sought a method for adding greater component design precision to existing fabrication methods. This led John Parsons, the president of Parsons Works of Traverse City, Michigan, to develop a by-the-numbers manufacturing technique involving servo controls. The servo control system was driven by positional data input into a computing device. The new method sped up manual processes and increased machining precision.

From 1949 to 1964

From 1949 to 1952, Parsons worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create an experimental machine capable of numerically controlled contour milling. At the time, the electronics industry hadn’t yet created support systems to help integrate the new machines, and it was impractical to mass-produce Parson’s technology. However, in 1952, a three-axis numerically driven milling demonstration was successfully completed before members of the military, the aerospace industry, the machining industry, and the media. By 1964, over 35,000 numerically controlled machines were in use nationwide.

Punch Tape to Software Programs

Originally, NC punch tape cards were created with a typewriter-like machine known as the “flexowriter.” Punch cards were fed into a large control unit adjacent to the machinery and imprinted with a programming sequence called G-Code, named after the company that developed it, Gerber Scientific Instruments.

NC machines were the industry standard until the late-1960s, when the first computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines were introduced. CNC technology followed the same principles set by the original numerical protocol system, but replaced the punch and paper method with more advanced computer software programs. This new programming technology quickly replaced NC machining as the industrial standard. CNC was also the foundation for subsequent processes, such as computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). While conceptually similar to the machining punch card system created in 1952, CAD/CAM provides today’s manufacturers with greater flexibility in their operations.

Controller Evolution

Numerically controlled machines of the 1950s and 60s employed vacuum tubes and mechanical relays as their primary controller sets. At that time, the controllers were “point A to point B” locators that functioned along two axes. Today’s high-density integrated circuits, however, are capable of creating three-dimensional shapes in a vast range of designs and dimensions. Modern controllers can also communicate with the user and store and analyze program data.

Sophisticated CNC machinery can automatically monitor the quality of the work being performed, and relay its findings to other segments of the machining process, such as the loading and unloading phase. If the controller notices a defect or deviation from intended product design, it can sometimes make a correction in real-time by replacing dull tools or notifying the manufacturer about any problems. This level of automation highlights the key difference between the two conceptually similar programming methods: while NC controllers must function within the parameters of direct, simple tasks, CNC programming enables machinery to analyze data and adapt to changing circumstances.

Advantages of CNC Machining

Since computer-controlled machining has evolved over the course of several decades, its current iteration is more advanced in terms of precision, automation, and production speed than any of its earlier forms, including NC programming. Some of the benefits provided by the most recent type of CNC machining include:

• Complex and intricately shaped part fabrication can be performed with greater accuracy and faster turnover rates.
• Quality control and equipment inspection systems can be semi- or fully automated.
• Shorter CNC machine set-up and integration times result in greater productivity.
• In some cases, computer-controlled networks can reduce the number of machines required for a particular project.
• CNC programs can be modified, making them adaptable to a wide range of machining tasks.
• There is less need for prolonged machining trial runs under CNC programs.

 

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