[JWB_Machining]

My Haas TM-1 is off when I use my probe to find the work piece. If I probe a hole and then plunge a cutter into that hole I can tell I'm not centered about the hole. I want to go through the work probe calibration in IPS but it seems a lil daunting. Can anyone help walk me through this one step at a time?

[Geof]

I will sing my favorite song.

Learn how to do it manually with Edge Finders and Coaxial Indicators. This has two advantages; first when your probe is not calibrated or you have crashed it into something you are not stuck; second when you do calibrate your replacement probe you can independently check the calibration instead of relying on blind faith.

And you may surprise yourself and find that sometimes just zipping through a work zero and tool offset determination manually is actually faster than using the probe.

[JWB_Machining]

Yeah I can respect that and that's how I used to do it. But is there any best way to use an edge finder for the inner diameter of my calibration ring? Or is gonna be just go to edge on the inside in the X direction until I touch and then move positive and negative in the Y and make sure I'm still hitting edges? The only edge finder I have to use is an electronic one that lights up when it contacts something, I don't have my preferred Spinning kind.

[Geof]

Using an edge finder inside a bore is awkward because intitally you do not know where the center is, but you need to know this because the touch-off on Y for instance is only precise if you are on center in X.

Try this procedure:

Position by eyeball as close to center as possible.

Touch Y moving positive and enter this value in the offset table.

Touch Y moving negative and on a different enter this value in the offset table.

Your center on Y is very close to the midpoint between these values so now move to this Y position.

Touch X moving positive etc.

Touch X moving negative etc.

Find the difference and that is your center point on X.

Repeat the Y operations now that you are on center on X.

[rbest27]

honestly if you have it, use vqc to calibrate your probe. IPS sucks. If I need precision there's no better way to find center then using an indicator if possible. Go old school with an indicol and .0001 indicator, you'll be dead nuts everytime.

[Cory]

You should be able to do this in VQC in under a minute. Get a ring gauge, lightly clamp it in your vise or to the table. Position the probe inside the bore, roughly centered. Open the correct template, fill in the diameter of the ring gauge, insert program into MDI, hit go.

It does the rest.

[JWB_Machining]

Which template is the right template in VQC however?

[dougtyler]

The best way to tell if the probe is calibrated correctly, is to first probe the bore as usual, then either turn the spindle 180 degrees, or insert the probe into the spindle 180 degrees out. Now probe the same bore and see if the two sets of values are the same. The closer the two sets of XY values are to each other, the better the calibration.

[JWB_Machining]

Thanks everyone. I figured it out today. I had to use IPS, but there's a part where it tells you to use an indicator to find the rings exact location on the table but both the manual for the probe and our Haas tech said that was unessecary. Turns out it was nessecary and it was just a matter of taking the time to find where the calibration ring actually was. Geof thank you for the lesson on finding the center of a ring.

[Cory]

Thanks everyone. I figured it out today. I had to use IPS, but there's a part where it tells you to use an indicator to find the rings exact location on the table but both the manual for the probe and our Haas tech said that was unessecary. Turns out it was nessecary and it was just a matter of taking the time to find where the calibration ring actually was. Geof thank you for the lesson on finding the center of a ring.

This is unnecessary if you use VQC. Press "EDIT" then "PRGRM CONVRS" three times then "F2" then scroll down to 09996 "HAAS VQC PROBE" Go to "PROBE CALIBRATION" then "SPINDLE PROBE X,Y CALIBRATION".

All you have to do from here is handle jog to within 0.4" of center, input the diameter of the ring gage, and hit go.

[JWB_Machining]

I'd have loved to have been able to do that but unfortunately that is not listed in my list of VQC options. Maybe Next time our haas guy comes I can ask him about getting that to me because that'd have been a lot better than having to do what I did. Although it was a Nice refresher to make me realize how Spoiled I am just using that probe.

[mgb1974]

Did u hit F2 and select the o09996? When I go through it its not on the main VQC screen, you have to pull up that program.

[JWB_Machining]

No I didn't. Thank you for the tip though I"ll write that down incase I have a problem in the future. Some things about Haas Machine's really don't make sense, but hey nobody's perfect.