System and method for virtually calibrating computer numeric controlled machine axes
OwnerTimothy Owensinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for virtually calibrating a CNC machine including the steps of selecting a true axis of movement of a toolhead of the CNC machine, instructing the toolhead to travel along the true axis of movement, selecting multiple points along an actual axis traveled by the toolhead, comparing the distance of the multiple points along the actual axis from the true axis to determine offset amounts from the true axis corresponding to a lack of straightness, and modifying g-code instructions to compensate for the offset amounts before uploading the g-codes to a CNC controller.
Claims15
A method for virtually calibrating a CNC machine to compensate for surface distortions on an object to be machined, comprising the steps of:
- providing g-code instructions for machining a surface distortion-free object;
- selecting a true axis of movement of a toolhead of the CNC machine prior to machining the object, where the true axis is known to be a straight line;
- instructing the toolhead to travel along the object to be machined along the true axis, but where the toolhead actually travels along an actual axis that is deviated from the true axis as a result of the surface distortions on the object:
- selecting multiple points along the actual axis:
- measuring the surface distortions particular to the object to be machined by comparing a distance between each of the multiple points along the actual axis and the true axis to determine an offset amounts of each of the multiple points to determine a lack of straightness of the object:
- and
- modifying the g-code instructions for machining the object based on the determined offset amounts to compensate for the measured surface distortions particular to the object before uploading the g-codes to a CNC controller, wherein the step of computing the slope of a line through the selected multiple points and comparing the slope of the line to the true axis of movement to determine the angular displacement of the line and the offset amounts.
A method for virtually calibrating a CNC machine to compensate for surface distortions on an object to be machined, comprising the steps of:
- providing g-code instructions representing toolhead movement for machining an object free of surface distortions;
- selecting a linear axis of movement of the toolhead from one of x, y and z linear axes of movement prior to machining the object:
- instructing the toolhead to travel along the object to be machined along the selected linear axis of movement, but where the toolhead actually travels along an actual axis that is deviated from the linear axis as a result of the surface distortions on the object;
- selecting multiple points along the actual axis;
- measuring the surface distortions particular to the object to be machined by comparing a distance between each of the multiple points along the actual axis and the selected linear axis to determine an offset amounts of each of the multiple points;
- and
- modifying the g-code instructions for machining the object based on the determined offset amounts to compensate for surface distortions particular to the object to be machined before uploading the g-codes to a CNC controller, wherein the step of computing the slope of a line through the selected multiple points and comparing the slope of the line to the selected linear axis of movement to determine the angular displacement of the line and the offset amounts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.