Got my NWA 4th axis ordered

[studio-n]

Lucky man! Mine's not going out until Monday or Tuesday. Let the fun begin.

[Ronwoodson2]

Has there been another delay?? The silence from NWA is deafening.


Postby Tim Owens » Wed Apr 08, 2015 3:02 pm

Thank you all for the enthusiasm for the 4th axis attachment to the Sharks. We are shipping the kits this week and have the 2.1 manual upgraded to include the 4th axis.

[studio-n]

no notifications here.

[studio-n]

ok, I take it back. after a phone call, I'm told everything is scheduled to ship tomorrow (THURS). I've been billed
so just waiting on a tracking # tomorrow. Hoping to be in business on Monday or so.
-Nick

[fison]

My 4th Axis arrived today. Have it set up with the new control panel and can jog everything around. Currently am unable to find the referenced post processors for the 4th Axis on Nextwave's web site so can't do any cutting other than manually created files at the moment.

Some observations for Tim, et al. First, in my humble opinion they should have designed things to have the 4th axis motor at the back of the table rather than at the front. The back area can't be reached by the cutting head so I would be able to use the maximum amount of cutting area and I wouldn't have to move it around as much to get it out of the way of other jobs. I have an HD extended and regularly cut stuff using the bulk of my cutting area. When I wanted to use the rotary axis I would just have to install the tail piece instead of the motor.

Second, I'm guessing that the motor bolt slots are intended for the standard machines since I can barely get them to hold on the extended table which has 1/4" slots instead of the 5/16" on the older tables.

Lastly I'm planning to make some spacers to raise both the motor and the tail piece so that the center line of my 4th axis is in approximately the middle of my available z-axis. Not sure how much I'll really need it but I like having the ability to use it all.

Hope to have figured out how to use this thing before our next CNC club meeting on May 5th. I'll keep you posted.

[EdThorne]

Thank you for the update, Paul. What is the largest diameter stock that can be utilized?

Some forum members have asked about the manuals. The latest Shark Control Panel is version 2.1 build 12. This installs with links to the latest update of the SCP Manual and the 4th Axis installation, setup, and operator's manual. These have both been updated recently.
Regards,
Ed
Ps Paul, did you get the two post processors with the 4th axis?

[jeb2cav]

Not sure why the rotary post processors are not available yet from the NWA Downloads page. I've attached them as .txt files to this thread. Once you download them, rename the extension to .pp and install them into your VCarve Pro or Aspire setup for use. You'll have to restart VCarve Pro/Aspire once you do this for them to be available.

If you read through the User's Manual - you'll find that you can place the rotary setup anywhere you want on the table. I suspect what you really mean is you'd like one end to be able to be outside the area where the cutter can 'reach it'. Unfortunately, it has to be at least a little bit 'inside' the area the cutter can reach so that you can tap off and setup the job for running. As this is not a permanent fixture, and it is intended for use by a wide audience, that is the way it is designed.

I found a similar thing regarding the bolts - it was easy to use some that were 'better' for my setup. Not sure that falls into the fail category. I frankly am more concerned about the tailstock - which does not freely move with the material like a lathe tailstock. But for smaller projects, or shorter run times, probably fine.

[meb]

Got mine Tuesday but due to customer orders tying up my machine I won't be able to get it installed this week and possible 2 weeks if they keep me busy. I guess I can't complain because they are helping me pay for the 4th axis kit.

[fison]

Ed,

Largest diameter would be 4". That is probably adequate for most of what I'm doing but my machine can handle a little more so I'm looking at making a spacer to raise it up a bit.

[EdThorne]

Thank you Paul,
That's better than I expected. Actually, 4" sounds pretty good. I didn't know whether to expect 2".
Regards,
Ed