Tormach CNC Scanner User manual

Preface
Tormach®CNC Scanner
Tormach®CNC Scan CAD
Operator’s Manual
©2012 Tormach® LLC. All rights reserved.
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Tormach CNC Scanner Manual
UM10138_ 0712A

Preface
UM10138_0712A 2 Tormach® CNC Scanner
Contents
1 Preface......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................9
1.2 The CNC Scanner Concept .........................................................................................................................9
1.3 Performance Expectations ............................................................................................................................9
1.4 Requirements ...................................................................................................................................................9
2 What’s in the Box...................................................................................................................................................10
2.1 Packing List......................................................................................................................................................10
2.2 Assembling the Scope...................................................................................................................................10
2.3 Installing the USB Microscope Software Driver ....................................................................................10
3 Installing CNC Scanner/Tormach Scan CAD ..................................................................................................11
3.1 Running the Set Up Wizard........................................................................................................................11
3.2 Using CNC Scanner for the first time......................................................................................................11
4 CNC SCOPE ...........................................................................................................................................................13
4.1 Using CNC Scope .........................................................................................................................................13
4.2 Working with CNC Scope .........................................................................................................................13
4.3 Centering the Scope.....................................................................................................................................14
5 CNC Scanner ..........................................................................................................................................................15
5.1 Before You Begin...........................................................................................................................................15
5.2 Starting a Scan................................................................................................................................................15
5.3 Planning a Scan ...............................................................................................................................................15
5.3.1 Naming the Scan File ...........................................................................................................................15
5.3.2 Determine the Scan Area...................................................................................................................15
5.3.3 Choose a desired resolution .............................................................................................................16
5.3.4 Choose Units ........................................................................................................................................16
5.3.5 Pixels / Resolution................................................................................................................................16
5.3.6 Usable Field of View............................................................................................................................17
5.4 CNC Scope Camera Settings .....................................................................................................................17
5.4.1 Brightness...............................................................................................................................................17
5.4.2 Contrast .................................................................................................................................................18
5.4.3 Gamma....................................................................................................................................................18
5.4.4 Hue ..........................................................................................................................................................18

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Tormach® CNC Scanner 3 UM10138_0712A
5.4.5 Saturation...............................................................................................................................................18
5.4.6 Sharpness................................................................................................................................................18
5.4.7 Snapshot Size.........................................................................................................................................18
5.4.8 USB Bandwidth .....................................................................................................................................18
5.4.9 Exposure.................................................................................................................................................18
5.4.10 White Balance.......................................................................................................................................18
5.5 Picking a Start Point......................................................................................................................................19
5.6 Establishing Image Scale ...............................................................................................................................20
5.6.1 Use Previous Scale...............................................................................................................................21
5.6.2 Scale by Image.......................................................................................................................................21
5.6.3 Scale by Motion ....................................................................................................................................22
5.7 Completing the Scan.....................................................................................................................................26
6 Getting Started with Tormach® CNC Scan CAD.........................................................................................28
6.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................28
6.2 System requirements....................................................................................................................................28
6.2.1 Operating system .................................................................................................................................28
6.2.2 Processor ...............................................................................................................................................28
6.2.3 RAM.........................................................................................................................................................28
6.2.4 Video .......................................................................................................................................................28
6.2.5 Hard disk................................................................................................................................................28
6.2.6 Pointing device......................................................................................................................................28
6.3 Installing CNC Scan CAD ...........................................................................................................................29
6.3.1 To install CNC Scan CAD from a compact disc..........................................................................29
6.4 Help ..................................................................................................................................................................29
6.5 User Interface.................................................................................................................................................29
6.5.1 Menu bar ................................................................................................................................................30
6.5.2 Toolbars .................................................................................................................................................30
6.5.3 The Command Bar ..............................................................................................................................30
6.6 Command History Window.......................................................................................................................31
6.7 Dynamic input ................................................................................................................................................31
6.8 Layer tab..........................................................................................................................................................32
6.9 Property tab....................................................................................................................................................32
6.10 Export tab .......................................................................................................................................................32

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6.11 Image tab .........................................................................................................................................................33
6.12 Status bar.........................................................................................................................................................33
7 Working with Drawing Objects..........................................................................................................................34
7.1 Selecting Objects...........................................................................................................................................34
7.1.1 Select Objects Individually .................................................................................................................34
7.1.2 Select objects with pickbox ...............................................................................................................34
7.1.3 Remove Selection from Objects.......................................................................................................34
7.1.4 Prevent Objects from Being Selected .............................................................................................34
7.1.5 Select Objects First..............................................................................................................................35
7.1.6 Select a Command First......................................................................................................................35
7.1.7 Object selection methods..................................................................................................................35
7.2 Select Multiple Objects................................................................................................................................36
7.2.1 Specify a Rectangular Selection Area...............................................................................................36
7.2.2 Specify an Irregularly Shaped Selection Area.................................................................................37
7.2.3 Specify a Selection Fence....................................................................................................................38
7.2.4 Use Other Selection Options ...........................................................................................................39
7.2.5 Remove Selection from Multiple Objects ......................................................................................39
8 File Commands........................................................................................................................................................40
8.1 Create a New drawing.................................................................................................................................40
8.2 Save a Drawing...............................................................................................................................................40
8.3 Save As.............................................................................................................................................................40
8.4 Print ..................................................................................................................................................................40
8.5 Exit....................................................................................................................................................................40
9 View Tools ...............................................................................................................................................................41
9.1 Redrawing and regenerating a drawing....................................................................................................41
9.2 Regenerating a drawing................................................................................................................................41
9.3 Magnify a View (Zoom)................................................................................................................................41
9.3.1 Zooming in and out .............................................................................................................................42
9.3.2 Zooming methods................................................................................................................................42
9.3.3 To zoom in to an area using a window...........................................................................................42
9.3.4 To zoom using a mouse with a wheel.............................................................................................43
9.3.5 Displaying the previous view of a drawing.....................................................................................43
9.3.6 Zooming to a specific scale................................................................................................................43

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9.3.7 To zoom to a specific scale relative to the current display.......................................................43
9.3.8 Displaying the entire drawing............................................................................................................43
9.4 Pan a View.......................................................................................................................................................44
9.4.1 Using the Pan command .....................................................................................................................44
9.5 Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................45
10 Modify Tools .......................................................................................................................................................46
10.1 Undo.................................................................................................................................................................46
10.2 Redo .................................................................................................................................................................46
10.3 Delete/Erase Objects ...................................................................................................................................46
10.4 Copy Objects .................................................................................................................................................46
10.4.1 Create one copy of an object ...........................................................................................................47
10.5 Mirror Objects...............................................................................................................................................47
10.5.1 To mirror objects ................................................................................................................................48
10.6 Offset an Object............................................................................................................................................48
10.6.1 To make a offset copy by specifying the distance ........................................................................48
10.7 Move Objects.................................................................................................................................................49
10.7.1 To move entities ..................................................................................................................................49
10.7.2 To move an object using grips ..........................................................................................................49
10.8 Rotate Objects...............................................................................................................................................49
10.8.1 Rotate an Object by a Specified Angle............................................................................................50
10.8.2 To rotate objects .................................................................................................................................50
10.8.3 Rotate an Object to an Absolute Angle .........................................................................................50
10.8.4 To rotate a selection set in reference to an Absolute Angle....................................................50
10.9 Scale Objects..................................................................................................................................................51
10.9.1 To scale a selection set by a scale factor .......................................................................................51
10.10 Stretch Objects .........................................................................................................................................52
10.11 Trim or Extend Objects..........................................................................................................................52
10.11.1 To trim an object.............................................................................................................................52
10.12 Extend Objects..........................................................................................................................................53
10.12.1 To extend an object........................................................................................................................54
10.12.2 To extend an object to an implied boundary ...........................................................................54
10.13 Create Breaks............................................................................................................................................54
10.13.1 To break an object..........................................................................................................................55

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10.13.2 To select an object and then specify the two break points ..................................................55
10.14 Create Chamfers ......................................................................................................................................56
10.14.1 Chamfer by Specifying Distances .................................................................................................56
10.14.2 To chamfer two objects using the distance-distance method ..............................................57
10.14.3 Trim and Extend Chamfered Objects ........................................................................................57
10.14.4 To chamfer two objects using the distance-angle method....................................................57
10.15 Create Fillets..............................................................................................................................................58
10.15.1 Zero Fillet Radius ............................................................................................................................58
10.15.2 Trim and Extend Filleted Objects................................................................................................59
10.15.3 Specify the Location of the Fillet..................................................................................................59
11 Image Tools.........................................................................................................................................................60
11.1 Insert a Picture...............................................................................................................................................60
11.2 Adjust Angle ...................................................................................................................................................60
11.3 Adjust Angle to Horizontal.........................................................................................................................60
11.4 Crop .................................................................................................................................................................61
11.5 Scale..................................................................................................................................................................61
11.6 Invert Color....................................................................................................................................................61
11.7 Mirror X..........................................................................................................................................................61
11.8 Mirror Y...........................................................................................................................................................61
11.9 Image Size........................................................................................................................................................61
11.10 Information.................................................................................................................................................62
11.11 Color Fade..................................................................................................................................................63
11.12 Image Display On/Off ..............................................................................................................................63
12 Drawing Tools ....................................................................................................................................................64
12.1 Line Tool .........................................................................................................................................................64
12.1.1 To draw a line.......................................................................................................................................64
12.1.2 To draw a line as a continuation from the end of an arc ...........................................................64
12.2 Arc Tool ..........................................................................................................................................................65
12.2.1 Draw Arcs by Specifying Three Points............................................................................................65
12.2.2 To draw an arc by specifying three points.....................................................................................66
12.2.3 Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, Center, End..................................................................................66
12.2.4 To draw an arc by specifying its start point, center point, and endpoint...............................67
12.2.5 Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, Center or End, and Angle.........................................................67

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12.2.6 To draw an arc by specifying two points and an included angle...............................................68
12.2.7 Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, Center, Length ............................................................................68
12.2.8 Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, End, Direction/Radius................................................................68
12.3 Circle Tool......................................................................................................................................................69
12.3.1 To draw a circle by specifying its center and radius....................................................................69
12.3.2 Draw a Circle Tangent to Other Objects .....................................................................................70
12.3.3 To draw a circle tangent to existing objects .................................................................................70
12.4 Rectangle Tool ...............................................................................................................................................71
12.4.1 To draw a rectangle.............................................................................................................................71
13 Dimension Tools................................................................................................................................................72
13.1 Create Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions...........................................................................................72
13.1.1 To create a horizontal or vertical dimension................................................................................72
13.2 Create Aligned Dimensions........................................................................................................................72
13.2.1 To create an aligned dimension........................................................................................................73
13.3 Dimension Arcs .............................................................................................................................................73
13.3.1 To dimension an angle between two lines.....................................................................................73
13.3.2 To dimension an angle encompassed by an arc............................................................................74
13.4 Create Radial Dimensions...........................................................................................................................74
13.4.1 To create a radial dimension.............................................................................................................75
13.5 Create Diameter Dimensions ....................................................................................................................75
13.5.1 To create a diameter dimension ......................................................................................................75
13.6 Scale Dimensions...........................................................................................................................................76
13.6.1 To resize the scale of the dimension text......................................................................................76
14 Tools .....................................................................................................................................................................77
14.1 Help ..................................................................................................................................................................77
14.2 Layer Bar .........................................................................................................................................................77
14.3 Distance...........................................................................................................................................................77
14.3.1 To calculate the distance between two points and their angle.................................................77
14.4 Object Snap Setting.......................................................................................................................................78
14.5 Cursor Options .............................................................................................................................................78
14.6 About CNC Scan CAD ...............................................................................................................................79
15 Troubleshooting.................................................................................................................................................80
16 Index......................................................................................................................................................................81

Preface
UM10138_0712A 8 Tormach® CNC Scanner

Preface
Tormach® CNC Scanner 9 UM10138_0712A
1Preface
1.1 Introduction
Tormach CNC Scanner is a high resolution 2D dimensional scanning system. CNC Scanner includes 3
modules:
Optical centering Module
High Resolution 2D dimensional Scanner
Tormach Scan CAD –2D drafting and measuring software.
CNC Scanner is designed to be used with a Tormach PCNC or any other machine that uses Artsoft’s
Mach3 PC-based motion control software and an R8, Morse Taper #3, or other ¾” spindle collet.
1.2 The CNC Scanner Concept
CNC Scanner is designed as an affordable measuring and reverse engineering tool to expand the utility
of the PCNC milling machine. It combines an affordable digital USB microscope with simple software
control for analyzing 2D and 2.5D objects.
CNC Scanner can be used for:
Locating work offsets
Accurate measurement of small or difficult-to-measure dimensions
Reverse engineering parts
Simple qualitative metrology
Recreating 2D designs
1.3 Performance Expectations
As with any precision tool, accuracy is a combination of equipment resolution, careful setup, and
technique. With this understanding, we believe the following accuracies are representative of what can
be achieved with the CNC Scanner, although this will vary greatly depending on the details of each
situation.
Optical Centering ±.005” for X and Y positioning
CNC Scanner: ±.001”
1.4 Requirements
CNC Mill controlled by Mach3 (such as Tormach® PCNC or similar)
20 GB Storage Drive (minimum)

What’s in the Box
UM10138_0712A 10 Tormach® CNC Scanner
2What’s in the Box
2.1 Packing List
Hardware:
USB Microscope
o(Includes Software Driver CD-ROM)
TTS Mount
O-Rings (x2)
Set Screws (x4)
Storage Case
Software:
Tormach CNC Scanner CD-ROM
o(Includes install for both CNC Scanner Plug-ins and Tormach CNC Scan CAD)
Dongle Key
o(if license was purchased)
2.2 Assembling the Scope
To set up the scope:
1. Pull USB cord through the TTS mount
2. Secure the Scope to the mount with O rings
3. Loosely attach the 4 set screws
2.3 Installing the USB Microscope Software Driver
Plug the camera into the computer. Insert the Software driver CD-Rom into the computer and
follow the on screen instructions to install the driver. On some machines the on screen
instructions may not work due to Windows configuration settings. In this case use the Windows
New Hardware Found Screen to install the driver.

Installing CNC Scanner/Tormach Scan CAD
Tormach® CNC Scanner 11 UM10138_0712A
3Installing CNC Scanner/Tormach Scan CAD
3.1 Running the Set Up Wizard
Follow the directions on the screen to install the
software as shown in Figure 1. This will install both
CNC Scanner and Tormach Scan CAD.
3.2 Using CNC Scanner for the first time
Depending on your specific configuration of Mach3,
you may have configure the CNC Scanner plug-ins
prior to first use. To do so, take the following steps:
1. Start Mach3.
2. Choose Config  Config Plugins from the pulldown menu ( Figure 2).
3. Ensure that the plugin topstools is enabled (displays Green Check Mark next to the name). If
a Red X appears instead, click on the box to enable and switch to a Green Check Mark. See
Figure 3.
Figure 3. Enabling the topstools Plug-ins for CNC Scanner and Scope
Figure 2. Config Plugins Menu in Mach3
Figure 1. Tormach CNC Scanner Setup
Wizard

Installing CNC Scanner/Tormach Scan CAD
UM10138_0712A 12 Tormach® CNC Scanner
4. Click OK.
5. The CNC Scope and CNC Scan plug-ins should now appear under the Plugin Control menu,
as shown in Figure 4. You may have to restart Mach3 before the new plug-in settings take
effect.
Figure 4. Accessing CNC Scope and CNC Scanner in the Plugin
Control Menu

CNC SCOPE
Tormach® CNC Scanner 13 UM10138_0712A
4CNC SCOPE
4.1 Using CNC Scope
To use CNC Scope choose Plugin Control  Tormach CNC Scope from the pulldown menu.
4.2 Working with CNC Scope
The CNC Scope window is shown below.
1. Image Window. Displays the current image of the scope. The center is indicated by the
crosshairs.
2. Close-up Window. Magnified view of current image near the crosshairs
3. Set Axis to Zero. Changes the corresponding X,Y, or Z DRO to a value of “0”. This is
helpful for establishing program reference points.
4. Take Snapshot. Saves the current image as a bitmap (.bmp) file.
Figure 5. CNC Scope Operators Screen

CNC SCOPE
UM10138_0712A 14 Tormach® CNC Scanner
5. Camera Settings. Adjusts camera settings (See section 5.4).
6. Quit. Exits CNC Scope.
7. Record Scope Setting. You can save up to three scope settings that can be recalled later.
8. Adjust Crosshair Size. Changes the size of the crosshair circle. This is helpful for centering
over a hole.
9. Pan Crosshairs. Moves Crosshairs with respect to center of image.
4.3 Centering the Scope
If you intend to use CNC Scope as an optical centering device the following procedure is
recommended for the most accurate results.
1. Using the machine, drill a hole in a piece of stock with a good sharp drill bit (a .25 drill bit works
well). Then set the X and Y coordinates to zero.
2. Mount the camera into the camera housing, using the bands provided.
3. Insert the 4 set screws into the 4 locations on the camera housing.
4. Using an Allen wrench, tighten or loosen the screws until the camera appears to be centered in
the camera housing.
5. Mount the camera housing in the machine spindle.
6. Make sure the machine is at the zero coordinate for X and Y, then start the CNC Scope Plug-in
within the Mach 3 control software.
7. Move the Z axis of the machine close to the surface of the material that you drilled a hole into,
and focus the camera using the focus wheel.
8. Using the set screws in the side of the housing adjust the screws in or out to place the red
crosshairs as close to the center of the hole as you can.
9. Using the CNC Scope software, increase or decrease the diameter of the circle on the
crosshairs to closely match the drilled holes diameter.
10. Using your hand slowly rotate the machine spindle while watching the screen. If it appears that
the red circle rotates concentrically around the edge of the drilled hole, then the camera is
centered; otherwise continue to adjust the screws until the circles are concentric.
To test your centering, move the machine away from the drilled hole. Then, by using the machine jog
controls or MDI interface move the crosshairs back over the drilled hole until you think it is over center
and check your X and Y position. If it is close to zero, the scope is centered. If it is not very close, go
back to step 4.
Please be aware that any further focusing or refocusing of the scope after completing the alignment
procedure can have an adverse effect on its performance as an Optical Centering device. For the most
accurate results, the centering procedure should be repeated for each instance.1
1CNC Scanner Design Analysis

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Tormach® CNC Scanner 15 UM10138_0712A
5CNC Scanner
5.1 Before You Begin
Take care in the following preparations. The following recommendations will increase you chance for a
successful scan
Place the object that you wish to scan on a flat surface. A flat plate resting on top of vise works
well. Plate glass works well for small objects.
If possible, place the object on top of a contrasting background. White paper works well.
Make sure the object will remain still and cannot move while the scan is in progress. In general,
this is a problem with lightweight and/or small objects. Larger objects can be held directly in the
vise. Double-sided tape is also helpful. Putty can be used as well.
The scope does not need to be centered for accurate scanning; however, it is helpful if the
scope is rotated within the spindle so the image axes are aligned with the machine axes –that is,
horizontal movement in the image corresponds to X motion of the machine and vertical
movement corresponds to Y motion of the machine.
Ensure the scope is positioned at a safe distance above the object.
Make sure that the complete area that you wish to scan resides within the work envelope of the
machine. If this is not the case, you will trip a limit switch and the scan will be lost.
5.2 Starting a Scan
To start a scan choose Tormach CNC Scan
from the PlugIn Control menu.
5.3 Planning a Scan
When you open CNC Scanner, the Scan Setup
window is displayed as shown in Figure 6.
5.3.1 Naming the Scan File
Type a name for the scan and chose Create
File. The raw scan data is saved in the
directory indicated as: filename.tsi.
5.3.2 Determine the Scan Area
Here, you must specify an area to be scanned. Choose a width and depth that defines a rectangular box
around the area of interest (See Figure 7).
Figure 6. Planning the Scan Menu

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UM10138_0712A 16 Tormach® CNC Scanner
5.3.3 Choose a desired resolution
Desired resolution is analogous to a ± dimension tolerance in a technical drawing.
Choosing a smaller tolerance will result in a more accurate scan but also results in longer scan times and
larger file sizes. For example, you may choose ±0.001” resolution for a precision mechanical
connection; however, ±0.005” might be okay for recreating a cast surface and ±0.015” might be just fine
for purely aesthetic recreation.
5.3.4 Choose Units
You can choose either Inches or Millimeters. This information will be embedded in the .tsi image.
5.3.5 Pixels / Resolution
This is the minimum number of pixels needed to determine the presence of a feature –for example an
edge. This is used by CNC Scanner during mosaic assembly. The default value is 3.5.
You can experiment with adjusting this value. Increasing this value allows you to increase the working
distance of the camera; however, it will also start to blur edges and reduce the accuracy you can achieve
from measurements in the scan.
Width (X Axis)
Depth
(Y Axis)
Figure 7. Determining Width and Depth of Scan area

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Tormach® CNC Scanner 17 UM10138_0712A
5.3.6 Usable Field of View
The percentage of each photograph used to assemble the mosaic image. A larger percentage results in
faster scan times as the entire image is used for mosaic assembly; if a small percentage is used, the area
between photographs overlaps. See Figure 8. For example, if a 50% field of view is used, the mosaic
will consist of 4x the amount of photographs compared to a 100% field of view; a 10% field of view is
100x. 2
5.4 CNC Scope Camera Settings
Click on the camera icon, shown in Figure 9, to bring up the camera settings screen (Figure 10).
5.4.1 Brightness
The overall intensity of reflected light in an image. Lower brightness will be darker and higher
brightness will be lighter.
2CNC Scanner Design Analysis
Figure 9. Camera
Settings Function
Figure 8. Comparison of 100% FOV vs. 50% FOV

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UM10138_0712A 18 Tormach® CNC Scanner
5.4.2 Contrast
The amount of gradient between the darkest pixels and lightest pixels in the image. Higher contrast will
lighten the lightest pixels and darken the darkest pixels.
5.4.3 Gamma
Signal correction between Scope and Display monitor.
5.4.4 Hue
The distinguishing attribute of color.
This is what makes red different than
blue, for example. When moving this
slider, think about moving around a
color wheel from 180⁰to -180⁰.
5.4.5 Saturation
The amount of grey in a color. Lower
saturation has more grey, higher
saturation has less grey.
5.4.6 Sharpness
The clarity of detail in an image. Higher
sharpness means more abrupt
transitions between different colors.
5.4.7 Snapshot Size
Options will depend on Hardware.
5.4.8 USB Bandwidth
The rate of data transfer between from
the scope in Mb/s. Choose the highest
rate possible; however, it may be
necessary to reduce bandwidth if you
notice problems with the function of
other USB devices, such as the Tormach
Jog Shuttle. This is dependent on the
performance of the control computer.
5.4.9 Exposure
Total amount of light collected during
image capture. Higher exposure
improves images taken in low light, but
too much can “washout” features.
5.4.10 White Balance
Adjusts images for the differences in spectral composition of white light originating from different
sources (i.e., LEDS, sunlight, florescent tubes, etc.)
Figure 10. Camera Settings Menu

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5.5 Picking a Start Point
The next step is to pick the start point for the scan. This point corresponds to the lower left hand
corner of the image. To do so, simply position the crosshair cursor over the start point of the scan by
moving the X and Y axes of the machine. You can use the arrows shown in the lower left of Figure 11,
or the standard machine controls. When you are over the start point, click “set start point”.
CNC Scanner assigns the start point a value of (X0.050,
Y0.050). This assures that the area directly around the start
point is included in the scan Figure 12.
Figure 11. Establishing the Start Point
Figure 12. Setting the start point for a
scan.

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UM10138_0712A 20 Tormach® CNC Scanner
You can use the arrows on the screen to jog the X and Y axis in discrete step amount specified in the
box. See Figure 13. To use the previously stored start point, choose “Go To Previous Start Point”.
5.6 Establishing Image Scale
After you have selected the Start Point for the image, you must choose a scaling method. Click “Next”
to bring up the three ways to assign a scale for a scanned image, as shown in Figure 14: Use Previous
Scale, Scale by Image, and Scale by Motion.
Figure 13. Setting the Start Point
Figure 14. Choosing a Scaling Method