Re: Lube

[Jon Elson <elson-at-pico-systems.com>]

Kurtis Martineau wrote:

>  Is it normal for a cnc controller to shutdown the mist colant, flood
> coolant, and lube, when toggled from auto or mdi modes, to manual mode?

No, this sounds like a mistake.  It probably should do this only on an
e-stop.  Although, without other smarts, it might make sense to stop the
lube when the machine is idle.  If one actually made parts in manual, rather
than
just jogging into position and setting the axes, you would definitely want the

lube timer running in manual.  If the machine was left in manual (not e-stop)
overnight, then you would want the lube timer off.  Connecting the lube timer
to the spindle on relay might be a good solution.

> If the operator doesn't notice he would be running the machine without the
> lube timer enabled.
>
> For manual mode, EMC_TASK_SET_MODE = 1.
> When I toggle from auto or mdi back to manual, EMC_TASK_PLAN_SYNCH = 0.
>
> Does this have to reset the lube to off?  Would it not be safer to have the
> lube on as long as the machine is on (ie: EMC_TASK_SET_STATE = 4), unless
> the operator turns it off?

It really depends on how the lube system works, and how the machine is used.
If the machine was never used to make parts in manual, always in auto or MDI,
then
the lube timer sounds like it should be just fine if it only works then.

The EMC behavior of killing almost everything when you go to manual is kind of

a pain.  I believe all these things are programmable in some files that set
various
behaviors of mode changes and interpreter commands.  I put a manual spindle
on switch on mine, so in places where I am doing a lot of manual things
between
running programs, or where I just want the spindle to run as I change a part
and
run the program again, I can do that.  This avoids the spindle having to stop
and
start again every few seconds.

Jon