I searched on Google and Yahoo for info on the Anilam Crusader ML but didn't come up with much. Does anyone here know it they are normally set up for threading or spindle control? ...Or would those be a separate add ons to purchase separately?
I bought a cnc lathe with this control and the seller doesn't know anything about it (he bought it at an auction). I won't get a chance to pick it up until next Monday so I thought I would try to find any info I could about it until I get machine & manual.
I had one of those. It's been a few years, but here's what I think I remember.
This was a bolt on unit that attached to a standard lathe in place of the saddle. In my case, it came from the factory as an assembly on a Goodway lathe. I think it had provision for an "s" call out, so I assume you could control spindle speed. My lathe had a manual gear box, so the spindle speed was ignored. M3,M4, and M5 worked just fine. Threading was possible because my machine was fit with an encoder that tracked spindle rpms. It had a manual chuck, so there was no safety to check for chuck closure. It did control a coolant pump. I did all of my programming off line and communicated by serial port. It was possible to program at the control, but very cumbersome. You could only see one line of code maximum.
Here's some sample code, it's a bit strange.
% N100 G29 T2001 X-3.925 Z-7.67 (offsets for tools given from home position) (I always added these at the beginning for easy modifications, but could be anywhere) N102 G29 T2002 X -3.875 Z-7.5 ( tool 2) N104 G00 G70 G90 N106 T0 (cancels tool comp so you can send the tool home) N108 G0 X0 Z0 (sends the tool to home position. can be anywhere you set it) N110 T01 (calls tool offsets set in line n100) N112 S200 M03 (s was ignored on my machine) N114 G29LV21 .0100 (feed rate at .010 per rev, model) N116 G95 G0X1.0378Z.4 G1Z.01 X1.1285 G0Z.4 X.9472 \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ G0 N156 T0 N158 G00 X0 Z0 N160 M05 N162 G29E %
I hope you have a book. Things like drilling codes were pretty weird, and this is the only program I had left.
Yes, I believe it should do single-start threading. Any threading requires a continually running spindle and a complete operation, as it isn't "smart" as to indexing, but picks only the spindle speed to gauge from.
I have a Clausing-Colcheter 15", and the manuals, but I am just about to walk out the door going to the hospital for surgery. There is a lot of information available for sale if you can find the right guy to talk to at Anilam in Florida, including manuals at about $30 each as I recall. If you get nowhere there, I will be glad to photocopy the manuals when I return to a mobile state in a few weeks or so.
Please wait until late next week to write to me as a reminder, direct to
snipped-for-privacy@ciaccess.com
AND BE SURE TO MENTION ANILAM CRUSADER in the subject line.
Take care.
Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thanks for the replies, I'm glad to know that it will likely have threading capabilities, although 95% of the work I have for it could be done without threading. I have an Anilam Crusader II on a mill and it has no spindle control other than the E-Stop circuit. This will be my first experience with a CNC lathe. I downloaded the Bobcad post for the control and it gives me an idea of the controls capabilities by the canned cycle menu. I'm supposed to pick up the Lathe Monday, hoping to get it set in place and at least power to the control to see if it fires up.
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