Did you know about the coupling function?


SCHAUMBURG, IL (February 2015) — Axis summing or coupling of the axis is available on ACU-RITE’s VUE, 200S and 300S DROs, as well as the MILLPWR G2 control. Multiple scale coupling can be achieved by purchasing an external MSC coupling box as shown or through a software setup parameter in some applications.

The MSC hardware, when retrofitted to an ACU-RITE digital readout,provides the mathematic combination of two ACU-RITE linear encoders (scales) mountedin the same axis, resulting in one combined reading. This is accomplished by the addition (or subtraction) of both encoders’ output signals, resulting in the combined display of one output on the readout’s axis.

An example of “Coupling” in Milling when summing the display of the Quill and knee
If you have a three axes readout on a knee mill with X, Y and Z Quill encoders and want to add an encoder to the W axis knee of your mill, then follow the instructions below:

Motion in the Quill and knee can be displayed on an ACU-RITE three-axis DRO by using the external MSC box. If you are using ACU-RITE’s MILLPWR, the additional knee scale can be plugged into the back of the control and a software parameter changed to allow coupling of the two axes.

This turning application provides a quick method for coupling the Z0 and Z axis position on a three-axis system. The display can be coupled in either the Z or Z0 displays.

An example of “Coupling” in Turning when summing the display of longitudinal axes
In lathe mode, the positions of the saddle and the top slide are displayed either separately or as the sum of both values.

  • If you select separate displays, the position values are referenced to the datum for each individual axis. If only the saddle is moved, the displayed value for the top-slide axis remains unchanged.
  • If sum display is selected, the counter adds both values (“couples”) while taking the algebraic sign into account. You can now read the absolute position of the tool in relation to the workpiece datum — without having to calculate!