Wanting to join Linux CNC

hi

I was thinking of changing the controller we use at work for this software but I just need some help figuring out some things and would love any help

first is I'm assuming this will work with linear drive motors?

will a Renishaw wireless probe work here and a plum laser tool set?

will it allow for 5 axis work?

coolant control?

are we going to loose any accuracy using this rather then the original controller?

I was told about Linux cnc by a friend who retrofit and old 3 axis mill

as you can image our machine is a little more complex in terms of what its packing but our controller has basically driven everyone away from it and some have just point blank refused to use it.

just wondering /hoping that this is a good fit

thank you very much

I think every thing you want is possible, but you may have to be rather clever to get all of it. Start with giving the manual(s) a good going through.
linuxcnc.org/index.php/english/documentation

As far as the accuracy potential of Linuxcnc, is mostly only limited by the hardware.

Good Luck, and welcome to the club!

thank you for getting back to me.

I will give that a read.

I don't mind things being difficult to set up as long as at some point it is set up and set up permanently with a good level of reliability

thank you

monit111 wrote: first is I'm assuming this will work with linear drive motors?

Yes. It's not common, but it has been done.

will a Renishaw wireless probe work here and a plum laser tool set?

The probe should be easy. I don't know what the other thing is.
You may have to choose hardware with some care to get the right interfaces into the PC.

will it allow for 5 axis work?
coolant control?

Absolutely

are we going to loose any accuracy using this rather then the original controller?

No. You might even gain some as the motion controller is more tweak-able than the original.

as you can image our machine is a little more complex in terms of what its packing but our controller has basically driven everyone away from it and some have just point blank refused to use it.

What is it that they don't like? Is there a chance that they will hate LinuxCNC just as much?

should you need any help , theirs plenty of people here , with a vast knowledge , and some of us use Linuxcnc professionaly
too, so your in safe hands from that point of view , assistance in configuring and setup can be done too ,

but this does not mean you dont need some skills , how are you with electronics , and one point do you have all the information
on the machine such as schematics , this all helps us help you .

hi Andy

the plum laser is to set tool height but on original controller it also checks for run of.

its a very handy bit of kit for checking if tool is worn out or even broken just hoping it does not require its own plug in or something.

the old controller keeps freezing and last week it plunged 2mm into a mold I'm sick of it and so are the rest of the operators. not going to mention brands but the support is beyond horrific

guys honestly thank you very much this is 3 times more support then the controller's support team ever gave me

you shoud not have any problems with the plum laser , may have to add some software to support it , but thats all
all depends on what we have to interface with , if it works the same as a renishaw etc ,.