The benefits of adding a Renishaw probe and Productivity+ with Mastercam are many, integrating process control into your CNC programs. Some of the highlights of this setup include:
- Helping to ensure that a machine process will be successful.
- Promoting in-process control by using the probe to measure features and update the machining process based on the results obtained.
- Obtaining reports about the in-process state of a component, and about the decisions that were made when producing it.
- Creating programs that run entirely on the machine tool, including all the calculations, updates, and logic that are needed.
- Eliminating an external PC to process measurement data.
You will want to make sure your machine tool is compatible with this probing package. Here are some questions to answer to help determine if it is:
- Is there a spindle probe already installed on the machine?
- If it’s a Renishaw, no problem, proceed to the next question. Productivity+ will not work with probes from other manufacturers. If the machine does not already have a spindle probe or you would like to switch to a Renishaw to enable the use of Productivity+, contact Renishaw and have a probe installed with Inspection Plus.
- Inspection Plus is a comprehensive macro package. It supports a wide range of cycles from basic part set-up through to more complex vector and angular measurement cycles.
- Is there a toolsetter system installed on the machine?
- If yes and it’s a Renishaw, proceed to the next question. If no or it’s a different brand, contact Renishaw to have it installed with Inspection Plus if you want the capability to set tools and check tool lengths with Productivity+.
- Is the Renishaw probe operational? For example, can probing routines be called up successfully executed from the controller?
- If yes, proceed to the next question. If no, this must be resolved by contacting Renishaw to get it working and by using Inspection Plus.
- Is the Renishaw probe run by executing macros for Inspection Plus?
- If yes, Productivity+ will work on this machine. If no, contact Renishaw for Inspection Plus. If it’s running on proprietary software provided by the machine tool or CNC control manufacturer, it will not work. Having Inspection Plus is necessary for both the probe and toolsetter to integrate with Productivity+.
Once the probing system is set for the machine, you can then calibrate it with Mastercam and enjoy the benefits.
