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Trying to create a plane off the stand pins to be able to zero out on it.

Hello,

           I am new to CMM programing and have hit a snag. I am trying to create a plane sperate from my CAD drawling so I can raise my part off the granite. How ever I need this plan to allow me to zero it. Like you would do for a manual CMM. When I went to program the plane, I told the vectors that it was <0,0,1> instead of <0,0, -1> . I leveled and origin to the plane in both manual and DCC. Then moved working with the CAD drawling, I was hoping that when I create a plane on the inside of the part that it would recognize that the part was on top of the plane. 

           How ever after I finished doing the manual and DCC alignments for the actual CAD drawling and then went to do the first play though, the CMM errored out each time after trying to take the first four hits for the plane underneath the CAD drawling. 

          So, my question is, is it possible to create a raised plane off the granite and if so,, how do you do this? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time. 

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  • I see in your Recall parameter of your alignments you are recalling feature names, and not names of alignments? If I am reading this correctly.

    For MAN_PIN_PLN_A1, you are recalling MAN_PIN_PLN1 which is a feature name

    for MAN_PIN_CIR_A2, you are recalling MAN_PIN_CIR1 which is also a feature name

    After those 2 it looks like you are recalling alignment names correctly, but I have no idea what PC-DMIS does when you recall a feature

  • CIR1 Diameter is way off too, that can throw off your center point, which in the case will throw off your X/Y location.
    Also, no need to rotate in the circle alignment, that could also be confusing things up.

    Still can't see which axis the alarm is for, looks like Z though?

  • AM I able to just make a circle that isn't a feature on the CAD? Like I would do if I didn't have a CAD drawling? 

  • You can.

    Maybe we should back up a bit, post a picture of your fixture. Seems like we are getting farther and farther into the weeds. 
    If possible (legal reasons) share a picture of your part sitting on the fixture as well. 

  •  The pins inside the blue square are the ones I am trying to zero out on. The two to the right are what I am pushing it up against the one on the left center is the front centering point (mostly for reference). I can't show a picture of the part sorry. I have a diameter in the middle of my part that needs to be taken but when I try to run it without the stand offs, the prob errors out on the granite. 

    I start in the back left pin and rotate clockwise taking points off each pin. Then I use the upper left one to create the circle on, so I was able to rotate the plane. 

    To eliminate the circle, could I just Level to Z, origin to Z and then Rotate X minus about the Z positive. This way my CAD drawling matches my physical part. I also made it so that my vector read as <0,0,1> to try and make the plane a level zero. 

    If I need the circle, how do I put it in so that the circle is close the same location as the pin, since the pin is on the outer most bottom plane of the part. 

  • If you would like shoot me a message and i can give you my work number. I dont have anything going on and i can walk you through it and answer any questions you have.

    However..... if you have a CAD file. and the cad file touches the posts. The easiest method is to create points on the CAD surface where it touches the post and then flip the vector. When you execute the points... PCDMIS will prompt you to take a point essentially through the part itself. Just hit those points. Then place the part on and find 2 simple features to rotate to and origin to.

    That make any sense?

  • There are ways. ^^^^
    Is there a reason you are simply not rotating the probe to hit the bottom of the part? With that standoff set and probe head you have enough room. 

    Personally I would do a readpoint, then a circle for xy, then a point for z off the part itself.
    Then go back and find the datums. Your part is already square and level to the machine so there is no reason to fear smacking into things.