Does anyone use the programmability of a Steve Ward Indexer?

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I have a Steve Ward controller on the stepper motor of my rotary table and use it frequently for fairly conventional dividing purposes with no problem.

What I want to do now is mill segment of a flange away to create an 8 eared bayonet, sort of horizontal castelations. I want the table to rotate a certain number of degrees after I have lowered the cutter and then stop so I can raise the cutter. The table then needs to rotate to where the next cut starts so I can repeat the process eight times.

I presume the indexer is capable of what I want to do but I don't really know where to start with programming it hence asking if anyone programmes theirs?

Ian P

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I’m confused by the manual

[Enough!Participant @enough]

You could probably ask Steve (Kwackers) himself in this thread.

If nothing else, the thread makes interesting reading – though after reading it you'll probably have forgotten what the question was.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Just set it up for 16 divisions or am I missing something?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

JS sounds like it need to move in two different amounts say cut 30deg then raise and move 15deg before repeating.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Then set for 24 divisions

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

That would work, now how to set the speed it moves from one div to the next which would need to get slower as the dia of the flange increases to get a suitable cutting speed.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I did not state but Jason surmised correctly that the ears and gaps are not equal. However the 24 division reply has given me an idea of how it can be done.

Using the loop command the programme could probably be very simple with only a few lines. I have not yet used the stepper whilst the mill is cutting but with another read of the manual and some unpowered testing will have ago.

IanP

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Having thought a bit more it is quite unlikely that things will work out nicely like 24divs for that sort of spacing. It will be OK for the actual edge of the cut but by the time you have figured in cutter dia and offset from the finished edge you will probably have odd fractions of a degree rather than nice multiple of whole numbers.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Yes, when I cut say a 10 spline shaft I setup for 10 divisions then offset the cutter from the centreline by half the cutter diameter plus half the spline width. Then take 10 cuts. Repeat the other side of the spline then change divisions to 20 and make one move, change back to 10 divisions, then set the cutter up back on the centreline and do 10 cleanup root passes

Edited By John Stevenson on 16/06/2017 09:25:49

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

I have just done a dummy run. I programmed it to move 19.5 degrees, wait, move 25.5 degrees, wait, etc and loop round 8 times. looks OK in mid air.

My bayonet has 8 gaps cut into a 2mm (radial depth) flange inside a 120mm bore leaving the 8 ears. Material is acetal and I'm using a 4mm cutter so will be doing it shortly.

Ian P

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Just done two of these.

All went OK but next time I will make the loop twice as long, or better still infinite. That will save having to restart the programme after each 360 rotation (easier for taking roughing and finishing cuts.

Ian P

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