Hello all, could you please verify that I am calibrating my tips properly! I recently calibrated my machine and my results seem offset in one axis. (Calibration sphere comes off the table after every calibration)
I start by selecting A0B0 only ( Say Yes, Sphere has moved) Calibrate it by itself
Then I Select all tips (Including A0B0) and say No, Sphere has not moved)
The second time I calibrate my tip set should I be including A0B0? Also, Do you guys have a separate probe file called something like "Master probe" with just A0B0? or do you calibrate it within the tip set.
I haven't been on a machine in many years and I'm trying to remember the correct way to do this.
IF this is truly a PH9, you might be able to 'help' it, but not fix it, at least to get you (maybe) up to a couple years more use out of it.
A PH9 has a tiny little hole in the LEFT side of the head. Inside that hole is a set screw that controls the LOCKING tension of the locking plate inside the head. You can try screwing it in half a turn and see if that eliminates the PH9C error.
ALSO, if it is a PH9, you have VERY old equipment, and chances are, you have STEEL 12mm diameter extensions, they are heavy, you might want to think about ordering the aluminum extensions to reduce the weight, which could help with that error.
Yes Matthew this PH9 wants to retire. I did tighten the set screw on the side to get rid of the PHC9 error. Thank you for your suggestion about the aluminum extensions I will run this by management.
Technically, with a TP20 you can absolutely "have" longer probes that work fine, but you need to understand & acknowledge what kind of repeatability you will end up with, when you go over the length. It's silly to expect +/- 0.0001" accuracy out of it.
--As an example, say you build a 140mm probe to check the diameter of a bore with a +/- 0.050" tolerance. You use a carbon fiber or ceramic extension with some tiny TC-shanked tip... As long as you aren't detecting false hits while probing and you can confirm you're still within +/- 0.005" of variation (10% tolerance), your method of measure is still statistically sound enough to determine pass or fail.
For "Master" probe calibration clarification directly from Hexagon, log in to the support portal, and search for "Relating Multiple Probes". It is an OLD 6-page PDF file that goes back to wilcox days. It goes over the details of how and why you need to maintain a master probe with simplicity & great clarity.
As for your PH9 probe angles failing: High standard deviation is indicative of false-trigger hits during probe calibration.
--When you have false hits at any angle other than T1A0B0, it typically means one of two things.
1: Either your probe build is too long or too heavy for a TP20 sensor (a 20mm extension with a 2x20 stylus should be completely fine at any angle), which leads to next thing,
2: Your TP20 probe module is likely worn out.
--Try the same probe build with a known good TP20 probe module. Renishaw TP20 modules are designed & documented to only last about 2,000,000 hits, which in my world doesn't even last 6 months (hence why we went to TP200's for all our machines).
louisd Thanks Louis I will review that. Unfortunately i'm just starting with this company and they have had many crashes and lots of issues over the past 2-3 years. Im pretty sure we just have the one TP20 Module that's still "good". Due to $$$ I doubt ill be able to order any new parts so ill just have to do the best I can with the machine. Thanks for your response.