KIRBSTER, this is what I made to hold the qualification artifact. We calibrate at the beginning of every program so the operators were taking in and out of the box it came in and I didn't want them to drop it so I made this box to hold the sphere and I taped it to the granite plate right next to the plate. I also took one of the smaller pillars and machined threads to the top to accept the qualification sphere. Now the qualification sphere has 1/4-20 threads that screw right into the center hole on the plate.
This is why I am so interested in the probe rack because I know I can make one and it would help with breaking probes. We have a lot of broken probes from when the operator switches from one styli to another.
Very nice, I think the hardest part about making the rack is the placement of the magnets. You want to place them at the right place so it doesn't pull the probe forward or backward once it drops it off. Once I get everything all squared up. I drop off a probe, stop the machine and mark off where the magnet should be. Only because I use round magnets, and I drill a hole through 3 slots, flip it and do the other three slots, and just press the magnets in. The block is made out of aluminum, so its not magnetic. You can probably use magnet strips, just widen the top part a little more. The ones made by Hexagon or Renishaw or whoever, there is slop in there. So it don't have to be tight. Although mine are a tighter fit.
Very nice, I think the hardest part about making the rack is the placement of the magnets. You want to place them at the right place so it doesn't pull the probe forward or backward once it drops it off. Once I get everything all squared up. I drop off a probe, stop the machine and mark off where the magnet should be. Only because I use round magnets, and I drill a hole through 3 slots, flip it and do the other three slots, and just press the magnets in. The block is made out of aluminum, so its not magnetic. You can probably use magnet strips, just widen the top part a little more. The ones made by Hexagon or Renishaw or whoever, there is slop in there. So it don't have to be tight. Although mine are a tighter fit.
