cnckeith wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 9:19 pm
if you are not going to rigid tap on the W axis, independent Z axes can be controlled with G code, you could simply have your post processor put W in the G code for the 2nd Z axis when you want that 2nd Z to move and then the W axis would move not Z
M333 is not sorted and is experimental, not sure if we will continue with this path or not at the moment, i'm looking into it.
we do have some other plans on how to make it easy to arrange and support independent Z axes and simultaneous Z axes (Z1, Z2) with different or same spindle controls. M3.2 M4.2 etc.. will be sometime this year when we get to that. For now editing the post to create g code to do what you want is how others are doing what you are after.
OK, I have a few questions related to the custom post solution. Customizing a fusion post processor would be an in depth project for me and I'd have to learn a lot. However it occurred to me that for the types of programs I intend to run I will all cuts with spindle 1, then all cuts with spindle 2. If I understand your proposal correctly, I could take the following approach to program spindle 2.
1. Generate traditional 3 axis code via my chosen cam software (in my case Fusion 360), using a setup assigned to G55 WCS
2. Do a mass find/replace on that file to find all Z commands and change them to W.
3. Run the program, the Z axis remains where it is, but the W axis operates just as it would if it were the Z axis.
Is this correct?
Would things like helical interpretation work in this case? For example, this code is copied from a centroid manual for xyx movement.
G17 G90 F30 ; select XY plane and absolute positioning
G00 X3.0 Y2.0 Z1.0 ; rapid to start position X3, Y2, Z1
G02 X2.0 Y1.0 I-1.0 J0.0 Z0.0 ; CW XY arc from X3,Y2 to X2,Y1.
; Center at X2, Y2
; Helical Z move from 1 to 0
would this code, a literal find and replace, accomplish the same thing, but with the W axis instead of Z?
G17 G90 F30 ; select XY plane and absolute positioning
G00 X3.0 Y2.0 W1.0 ; rapid to start position X3, Y2, W1
G02 X2.0 Y1.0 I-1.0 J0.0 W0.0 ; CW XY arc from X3,Y2 to X2,Y1.
; Center at X2, Y2
; Helical W move from 1 to 0
It almost seems to me that G18 and G19 would require some redefinition of being based upon the WX or YW plane. Although maybe not since the WX=ZX plane and YW=YZ plane.
If my interpretation of all of the above is correct, then this would be incredibly simple given the simple structure of my programs. I could write a simple script to automate the edits from standard gcode output from Fusion.