FAULTY CNC MACHINE PROGRAMMING

CNC machining is not exactly a foolproof process. In some instances, either a work piece or the machine itself could be directed in a harmful way. When this happens, a crash might occur, whereby tools or machine parts end up broken. The tools that could get damaged by a crash may include the vices or clamps that hold the work piece in place. When damage occurs within the machine, it could range from minor screw breakage to serious structural deformity.

The fact is, CNC equipment lacks the sentience to know exactly which distances are too far. Therefore, the tools must be exactly programmed in order to work without fault. If a program code is miscalculated, a CNC machine could be driven outside its physical bounds and cause an internal collision. Even though most of today’s CNC machines are manufactured with parameter boundaries, these inputs can be manipulated by operators.

Likewise, CNC tools are oblivious to a given environment. While certain CNC machines are equipped with spindle load sensing, others lack this feature. In the latter case, the software must be coded properly to ensure nothing goes off parameter, otherwise a crash would be the likely outcome. Even if a CNC machine is equipped with load sensors, a crash could still occur. When a tool function goes astray, it’s up to the operator to rectify the situation.

Crash Prevention on Different Types of CNC Machines

With the installation of encoder-disk position sensors, the possibility of a crash can be detected in advance and thwarted. Alternately, torque sensors can help determine whether a CNC machine is moving as intended and also detect unwanted cutting.

In garage CNC systems, tools are reliant on the rotational precision of stepper motors for the correct number of degrees. To monitor the tool position, the pulses that go to the stepper must be counted, because in most cases, there’s no form of alternate monitoring.

On industrial CNC machines, closed-loop controls are employed, whereby the control always knows the axis position. If properly controlled, the potential for crashes is significantly lowered, though it’s still the responsibility of programmers to see that codes are inputted accurately for utmost safety.