'Sensing Position in CNC Machining'

Sensing Position in CNC Machining

USAPatriot from USA -

Sensing Position in CNC Machining

Hi,

This is my first post. I'm not an engineer, not a machinist unfortunately (see my profile for other info) but I have been kicking an idea around in my head for about a year. I know what I want to do, just not how to do it. I guess my first question is:

How does a CNC machine sense the position of it's cutter?

Phrased differently, how is it determining it's start point and how is it determining how far it's traveled?

I need to determine the position of a (currently fictional) single-plane rotary cutter moving horizontally to .001".

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. -Rod-

Comment #1 Steve (12.6.229.114) -

This is typically done with pulsecoders attached on each axis. The machine has a home position that has to be established at each power up. Once the machine has been homed any movement maunual or programmed the pusecoder sends signals to and from the control to track movement.

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