On machines with an connected wireless probe you can write probing routines in your CAM. These can be used to update tool wear, probe a work coordinate system, or measure your part.
It is possible to use the probe to measure the size of a feature manually or automatically. To measure manually simply run a normal probing routine from the machine controller and the machine will record the size of the probed feature (where it displays that information varies on each machine).
To measure automatically use the "probe geometry" toolpath in Fusion. This will output the size of the feature to the same place as manually probing but will not interrupt the running of your program. Probe geometry also has the advantage of being able to stop the program if the position of size of the feature is out of a specified tolerance.
On the Haas machines the probe will output information to the macro variables shown in the table. The most useful is #188, which is the size of the last probed feature.
The Datron simply writes the size of the probed feature at the top of the screen.
You can use the probe to measure the size of features on your part. This allows you to create very accurate features by using tool wear offsets to compensate for any dimensional inaccuracy or deflection in your tool.
You can include work coordinate system probing routines in your CAM probe a more accurate origin. This will overwrite your current G54 origin position. You need a rough origin for the probing routine to work so this is most commonly used in flip operations where a top hat of excess stock initially prevents access to the machined sides. the process would be: probe the raw stock for a rough origin, mill off the top hat with stock to leave, probe an accurate origin, continue milling.
This style of in process probing works on the Tormach, Datron and Haas machines.
In addition to programming in process probing routines in Fusion, you may program them on the Datron. This is more advanced and rarely necessary.
Whenever you flip your part you will have some angular misalignment, determined by how well trammed your vice is to the X axis. Normally this misalignment will cause locational inaccuracy between top and bottom features. You can reduce the error by tramming the vice or you can compensate for the error with G68 rotation!
G68 rotates the CAM program by a set angle around a set point. The means you don't need to tram your vice perfectly and you can make more accurate parts.
To use G68 you need to probe the rotation angle. You can do this with a probing macro on the machine controller or with a probing WCS routine in Fusion. If you manually probe the angle you need to write Manual NC code to use the G68 rotation, which is more difficult. If you use the in-process WCS probing routine in Fusion for an angle it will automatically add a G68 rotation in the code after the probing.
This angle compensation works slightly differently on each machine. Tormach doesn't have the capability for G68. Datron doesn't have a trammed vice so it automatically probes the angle and uses G68 on every part. The Haas Mini-Mill uses G68 normally. The Haas 5-axis UMC doesn't normally use G68, after in-process probing an angle the machine controller will write the measured angle to the C axis G54 origin, then rotate the part to G54 C0. This rotation makes the part parallel with the axis. The vices in the 5-axis are not trammed correctly so it is sometimes important to probe the angle on the raw stock and very important on flip operations.
Part alignment uses the probe to measure the location of a bunch of arbitrary points on an existing part to work out its position. It is use to find the origin on parts without square or flat edges, like 3d prints, castings or fancy geometry.
The instructions are in the Probe/ETS page of the machine.
Use a ring gauge to set the effective tip diameter.
There is a probe calibration routine on the machine, that will mill a pocket of known location and size. Then it will probe the pocket to set the probe tip location and diameter.
The first video is the standard probe calibration
The second video has an extra probe calibration than enables vector probing. Vector probing allows for probing in direction other than the X and Y axes.
