Before you start working with touch probe cycles!

General information

In the touch probe table you define the set-up clearance, i.e., how far away from the defined touch point (or the one calculated by the cycle) the control will pre-position the touch probe. The smaller the value you enter, the more exactly you must define the touch point position. In many touch probe cycles, you can also define a set-up clearance that is added to the one from the touch probe table.

The following can be defined in the touch probe table:

  • Type of tool
  • Touch probe center offset
  • Spindle angle during calibration
  • Probing feed rate
  • Rapid traverse in probing cycle
  • Maximum measuring range
  • Set-up clearance
  • Feed rate for pre-positioning
  • Touch probe orientation
  • Serial number
  • Reaction in case of collision

Touch probe table tchprobe.tp

Executing touch probe cycles

All touch probe cycles are DEF-active. The control runs the cycle automatically as soon as it reads the cycle definition in the program run.

Positioning logic

Touch probe cycles numbered 400 to 499 or 1400 to 1499 pre-position the touch probe according to the following positioning logic:

  • If the current coordinate of the south pole of the stylus is less than the coordinate of the clearance height (as defined in the cycle), the control first retracts the touch probe in the touch probe axis to the clearance height and then positions it in the working plane to the first touch point.
  • If the current coordinate of the stylus south pole is greater than the coordinate of the clearance height, then the control first positions the touch probe in the working plane to the first touch point, and then in the touch-probe axis directly to the set-up clearance.

Notes

 
Notice
Danger of collision!
When running touch probe cycles 400 to 499, all cycles for coordinate transformation must be inactive. There is a danger of collision!
  1. The following cycles must not be activated before a touch probe cycle: Cycle 7 DATUM SHIFT, Cycle 8 MIRRORING, Cycle 10 ROTATION, Cycle 11 SCALING FACTOR, and Cycle 26 AXIS-SPECIFIC SCALING.
  2. Reset any coordinate transformations beforehand.
 
Notice
Danger of collision!
When touch probe cycles 444 and 14xx are executed, the following coordinate transformation must not be active: Cycle 8 MIRRORING, Cycle 11 SCALING FACTOR, Cycle 26 AXIS-SPECIFIC SCALING and TRANS MIRROR. There is a risk of collision.
  1. Reset any coordinate transformations before the cycle call.
  • Please note that the units of measure in the measuring log and the return parameters depend on the main program.
  • The touch probe cycles 40x to 43x will reset an active basic rotation at the beginning of the cycle.
  • The control interprets a basic transformation as a basic rotation, and an offset as a table rotation.
  • You can apply the misalignment as a workpiece rotation only if a table rotary axis exists on the machine and if its orientation is perpendicular to the workpiece coordinate system W-CS.
  • Comparison of offset and 3D basic rotation

Note regarding machine parameters

  • Depending on how the optional machine parameter chkTiltingAxes (no. 204600) is set, the control will check during probing whether the position of the rotary axes matches the tilting angles (3D-ROT). If that is not the case, the control displays an error message.