Feature Suggestion: Surface Grinder wheel dressing compensation

[MidniteMachinist]

Yet another YouTube-inspired thought: Was watching James Clough's recent CNC surface grinder conversion video, and it got me thinking... Would TouchDRO be able to compensate for wheel dressing?

I'm thinking a "Wheel Dressing" mode, where the current Y-axis position is captured, then a sort of "incremental" mode is entered, then the user touches off on the dresser, zeroes the axis, dresses the wheel, taps a button, and the original Y-axis reading is changed accordingly.

For example, say I'm grinding the 1" dimension of a 1-2-3 block. I've rough ground it to within a half-thou, and I want to dress the wheel for the finish cut. Y-axis readout is currently 1.0005".

Enter "Wheel Dressing Mode". Put my diamond dresser on the mag chuck, raise the Y-axis, and then lower it down to touch off on the diamond. Hit Zero. Dress 0.002" off the wheel. Exit "Wheel Dressing Mode", 0.002" has been added to the Y-axis. Remove dresser, lower Y-axis to 1.000", take the finish cut (and some spark-out passes), I am now Bob's nephew.

Just a thought. I dunno how many others use TouchDRO on a surface grinder, but I feel like I can't be the only one.

 

[The Oracle]

I'm running a set of HEIDENHAIN DRO’s on my Jones & Shipman 540, they are getting long in the tooth. I would cut the 540 over to TouchDRO in a heart beet if it had grinder tools.

Lynn M.

 

[ycroosh]

Yet another YouTube-inspired thought: Was watching James Clough's recent CNC surface grinder conversion video, and it got me thinking... Would TouchDRO be able to compensate for wheel dressing?

I'm thinking a "Wheel Dressing" mode, where the current Y-axis position is captured, then a sort of "incremental" mode is entered, then the user touches off on the dresser, zeroes the axis, dresses the wheel, taps a button, and the original Y-axis reading is changed accordingly.

For example, say I'm grinding the 1" dimension of a 1-2-3 block. I've rough ground it to within a half-thou, and I want to dress the wheel for the finish cut. Y-axis readout is currently 1.0005".

Enter "Wheel Dressing Mode". Put my diamond dresser on the mag chuck, raise the Y-axis, and then lower it down to touch off on the diamond. Hit Zero. Dress 0.002" off the wheel. Exit "Wheel Dressing Mode", 0.002" has been added to the Y-axis. Remove dresser, lower Y-axis to 1.000", take the finish cut (and some spark-out passes), I am now Bob's nephew.

Just a thought. I dunno how many others use TouchDRO on a surface grinder, but I feel like I can't be the only one.

I think this is very similar (if not identical) to what the "Hold" function does:
Lower the Y axis until you touch the diamond, tap "Hold", dress the wheel, tap "Hold" again.

For what it's worth, this is how I do this on my surface grinder.

I'm open to suggestions for grinder-specific functions, though.