Centroid CNC control sales, service, training and support
Pricing, packages, and policies are subject to change at any time. The pricing which follows is from Centroid's price sheet dated February 15, 2007.
Currently available control software options are:
Items marked (A) are part of Package A, which is included with nearly every mill control. Items marked (L) are part of Package L, which is included with nearly every lathe control. See Packages below for more about package bundles.
P/N 10729
Centroid's conversational programming software, allows you to create CNC programs using a friendly fill-in-the-blanks interface.
P/N 10851
Includes G41 and G42, for tool diameter compensation (on mills) or tool nose radius compensation (on lathes).
P/N 10526
Includes G73, G81, G82, G83, G85, and G89 drilling and boring cycles.
Also includes G76 fine boring cycle, but that cycle is only usable on a machine with spindle orientation capability (generally an ATC mill or machining center).
P/N 10620, $350
Includes G74 and G84 tapping cycles, for use with a tension/compression (floating) tap holder. These cycles reverse the spindle at the bottom of the hole, but do not rigidly slave the Z axis feed to the spindle rotation.
You need to have programmable spindle speed control in order to use compression tapping. You do not need a spindle encoder.
You do not need the Compression Tapping cycles in order to tap with a self-reversing tap head (e.g. TapMatic or Procunier). With a self-reversing head you use the G85 boring cycle. G85 is part of the Drilling Cycles option, and is included in Package A.
P/N 10810, $995
Includes G74 and G84 tapping cycles, for use with a rigid tap holder. These cycles reverse the spindle at the bottom of the hole, and also rigidly slave Z axis feed to spindle rotation.
In order to use Rigid Tapping, you need a machine with spindle encoder feedback (typically an ATC mill or machining center, or nearly any lathe).
If you must have Rigid Tapping on a knee mill or small bed mill, Elrod Machine now offers a Rigid Tapping adapter which supports a spindle rotation encoder on top of the spindle, under the air power drawbar.
P/N 10600, $700
Includes G55-G59 codes and extended G54 code for additional part zero locations (a total of 18), plus G52 for coordinate shift, G53 for positioning in machine coordinates, and G29 and G30 for additional reference return point moves.
You do not need the Work Coordinate Systems option to use G54 (WCS #1) and G28 (return point #1).
P/N 10610, $1495
Includes M98, G65, variables and arithmetic, conditionals (IF/THEN) and branching (GOTO).
Click here for some examples of what you can do with subprograms and macros.
You do not need the Subprograms and Macros option in order to use Intercon's Subroutines (Repeat, Mirror, Rotate, Depth Repeat). Intercon expands those operations out into long-hand G codes.
I offer the Multiple Work Coordinate Systems and Subprograms and Macros options combined for $1595: a significant discount over list pricing.
P/N 10625, $495
Includes G50 and G51, for axis scaling and mirroring in G codes.
P/N 10630, $1495
Provides the ability to run CNC programs larger than 1MB. Generally, this is needed for large 3D programs, and is not needed for 2½D job shop work.
You do not need this option to store many megabytes worth of G code programs on your control; only to run a job larger than 1MB.
per dealer
Also known as leadscrew compensation, ballscrew mapping, nonlinear pitch error compensation, etc., this option allows you to compensate for small errors in axis travel by measuring the error at each point (usually with a laser) and building an error map for each direction of each axis.
Centroid does not currently charge for this software option, so the only cost is from your dealer or technician for supplying it and helping you set it up.
Ballscrew compensation is most useful on machines with good repeatability but less-good accuracy: i.e. when any given move reliably goes to the same place (perhaps within 0.0002"), but when that place is not quite correct (perhaps out by 0.001" or more).
If the repeatability error is comparable to or larger than the accuracy error, then using ballscrew compensation will not help.
P/N 10850, $495
Also known as fixture compensation, this option allows you to compensate for out-of-square vises or fixtures by measuring and storing a rotation angle for each part location.
If you also have the Probing package, then rotation angles can be measured and set automatically using the touch probe.
You do not need the Coordinate System Rotation option in order to use the G68/G69 part rotation G codes. Those codes are standard.
P/N 10360, $1250
Allows you to use a fourth (or fifth) CNC axis. In general, this option is included whenever you buy a four-axis or five-axis control, or buy a rotary fourth axis add-on package.
Click here for Centroid's page describing some of their available rotary table packages.
Some controls shipped with four-axis servo drives installed, but without fourth axis hardware or software. If you have one of those controls and you wish to use a third-party rotary table, then you will need to purchase the software option.
P/N 10814, $495
Extends Mill Intercon to allow reading 2D DXF geometry (from a CAD drawing) into the conversational programming. You can then use features of the drawing to generate pockets, 2D contours, drill locations, etc..
Also includes a feature to convert a DXF drawing directly to engraving G codes, without going through Intercon.
This feature is not yet available for Lathe controls.
P/N 10740, $665
Conversational-style CAM software for generating text and graphic engraving programs.
With current Linux-based controls, the engraving software is offline, running under Windows on a laptop or desktop computer.
On older DOS-based controls, the engraving software runs on the control itself.
P/N 10405, $1825
Includes DP4 touch probe plus software cycles for 2D feature location, measurement and part setup.
P/N 10770, $4200
Requires 10405 Probing Package
Adds 3D surface digitizing cycles. Click here for more information.
The Digitizing package also includes the options for Unlimited File Size (10630) and Scaling and Mirroring (10625).
I offer the DP4 Probing and Digitizing packages combined for $5995: admittedly more of a psychological discount than a real one.
P/N 10220, $695
Includes TT1 tool detector plus cycles for automatically measuring tool height offsets, and for setting Z axis part zero using the TT1.
P/N 10660, $1550
Provides software and PLC program support for sending requested tool number information to the PLC.
This option is built into all ATC controls, and so is generally not purchased as a separate option.
This is a software option, to provide the necessary tools to support an automatic tool changer. It does not include any tool changer hardware. It also does not include any custom PLC programming, which would almost always be required to support a particular tool changer.
If you are interested in pricing a control retrofit for a machine with an automatic tool changer, or are interested in adding a tool changer to an existing machine, contact me directly for a quote.
P/N 10808, $670
Includes a 100-step electronic handwheel in a handheld pendant, for expanded axis jogging control.
This handwheel is used on current and recent (2002 and newer) controls: those with a 28-pin Amphenol port on the side of the console. If you have an older control with an 8-pin Amphenol connector on the console, or the earlier T-shaped M39 or T39 pendant, then you need the older style 32-step MPG handwheel. A limited number of these handwheels are available at $490.
There is no software option or unlock for the MPG handwheel: you just plug it in. You can, therefore, move one handwheel among several controls as long as they use the same type of plug.
$995
This software option allows you to manually jog the machine with the jog buttons and/or MPG handwheel in the middle of a program, whenever the program is paused at an M0 code and waiting for CYCLE START.
This is usually used in specialty applications where manual adjustment
or alignment are required in the middle of a cycle.
Packages
Package A is included with nearly every mill control.
Package L is included with nearly every lathe control.
Packages B and C are discounted bundles, available only at the
time of a new control purchase.
Included with mill control
Includes:
Included with lathe control
Includes:
$1850 with new machine or control
Includes:
$1699 with new machine or control
Includes:
P/N 10772, $2595
Includes:
Copyright © 2008 Marc Leonard
Last updated 16-Jan-2008 MBL