This is coming soon. I am developing new software specifically for cuemakers to quickly and easily generate G-Code programs for turning shafts and butts/butt components on their CNC machines that are equipped with a spinner/lathe for turning.
Below is a screenshot of the main screen. The program will be fully customizable to match your specific lathe setup on your CNC machine. The spinner can be in the X or Y axis and running in either direction. The user will be able to cut in either direction and place the pieces in either orientation between centers. The cut side of the stock (climb or conventional) can be varied. Set all of this once, save it, never touch it again.
Below is a screenshot of the shaft taper design screen. When creating your own shaft taper, curves are initially drawn for various stiffness settings to get you started. Data points defining the curves can be set every inch. Change the key locations that define your shaft tapers, turn the unneeded data points off, save the taper. Create as many as needed. Modify an existing one in just a few seconds. The drawn curve on the screen updates as the diameter of each data point is tweaked.
If a shaft taper is defined to default to a 13 mm taper and you use it to cut a shaft to 12.80, adjustments will automatically happen near the joint end to maintain the defined joint collar rather than it coming out too small. No redrawing a new program for every specific tip diameter a customer might want. The automatic adjustment works in the other direction also. If someone wants a 13.2 mm shaft and you don't want to create a taper specifically for 13.2, select the final pass option and cut to 13.2 using your standard 13mm taper and the program makes another gradual adjustment near the joint end to cut to the final joint diameter rather than it being too large.
I am using the program for versatility and a time saver. The program is super lightweight, so I run it on the same computer that runs my CNC machine. If I need to taper a forearm blank that is 12 inches long and my standard program is for 12.5" lengths, it takes about 20 seconds to generate a program for that piece. Run my program, make a few clicks, change a number or two, and save it. Then load the saved file in machine interface program and make chips. If the next forearm blank is 13 inches long and again I find I don't already have a program for that length, I generate another program for that piece in another 20 seconds. Perhaps 30 seconds if I have not had coffee yet.
Same thing for shafts. If you have a shaft blank that is 31 inches long instead of a standard 30" blank generate a program for it on the fly in about the same time it takes to load the blank and turn the spinner on. Or maybe I need to cut to an intermediate diameter that isn't in my normal schedule of shaft cuts.
The G-Code file that is generated by my program can be generically named (intended to be overwritten by the next generated program and not permanent), or be specifically named if it is going to be a consistently used program in your stable.
I will provide updates and describe new features I add to the program in this thread as I get closer to marketing the program.
Below is a screenshot of the main screen. The program will be fully customizable to match your specific lathe setup on your CNC machine. The spinner can be in the X or Y axis and running in either direction. The user will be able to cut in either direction and place the pieces in either orientation between centers. The cut side of the stock (climb or conventional) can be varied. Set all of this once, save it, never touch it again.
Below is a screenshot of the shaft taper design screen. When creating your own shaft taper, curves are initially drawn for various stiffness settings to get you started. Data points defining the curves can be set every inch. Change the key locations that define your shaft tapers, turn the unneeded data points off, save the taper. Create as many as needed. Modify an existing one in just a few seconds. The drawn curve on the screen updates as the diameter of each data point is tweaked.
If a shaft taper is defined to default to a 13 mm taper and you use it to cut a shaft to 12.80, adjustments will automatically happen near the joint end to maintain the defined joint collar rather than it coming out too small. No redrawing a new program for every specific tip diameter a customer might want. The automatic adjustment works in the other direction also. If someone wants a 13.2 mm shaft and you don't want to create a taper specifically for 13.2, select the final pass option and cut to 13.2 using your standard 13mm taper and the program makes another gradual adjustment near the joint end to cut to the final joint diameter rather than it being too large.
I am using the program for versatility and a time saver. The program is super lightweight, so I run it on the same computer that runs my CNC machine. If I need to taper a forearm blank that is 12 inches long and my standard program is for 12.5" lengths, it takes about 20 seconds to generate a program for that piece. Run my program, make a few clicks, change a number or two, and save it. Then load the saved file in machine interface program and make chips. If the next forearm blank is 13 inches long and again I find I don't already have a program for that length, I generate another program for that piece in another 20 seconds. Perhaps 30 seconds if I have not had coffee yet.
Same thing for shafts. If you have a shaft blank that is 31 inches long instead of a standard 30" blank generate a program for it on the fly in about the same time it takes to load the blank and turn the spinner on. Or maybe I need to cut to an intermediate diameter that isn't in my normal schedule of shaft cuts.
The G-Code file that is generated by my program can be generically named (intended to be overwritten by the next generated program and not permanent), or be specifically named if it is going to be a consistently used program in your stable.
I will provide updates and describe new features I add to the program in this thread as I get closer to marketing the program.
