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Ever since I switched to a KFlop, running my own custom CNC application, back in January of this year, my machine has run *almost* flawlessly. The annoying thing is, on those *very* rare occasions that it does something unexpected, it ALWAYS turns out to be something I've done wrong - either mis-setting an offset, an error in the G-code, or some other operator error. It's kind of annoying having an inanimate object periodically point out my inadequacies.... :-)
The KFlop really has made an incredible difference on my machine. Previously, using Mach3, first with the parallel port, later with a series of SmoothSteppers, both USB and EtherNet, I was absolutely plagued by unexpected events, many downright frightening. On occasion, the spindle or coolant would turn themselves off, or even on, when there was no command to do so. I can tell you for a fact, it's quite exciting to have the spindle suddenly turn itself on in the middle of as tool change! Other times it would do un-commanded rapid moves - very often doing a rapid on the quill, driving the tool at 250IPM into the workpiece. When doing probing, it would sometimes probe the wrong axis, or probe the right axis, but in the wrong direction. On a few occasions, it even tried to probe multiple axes at the same time! It literally got to the point where I dreaded having to turn on the machine, because I never knew what it was going to do, and I had a mountain of broken tools and ruined work to show for it.
Since switching to the KFLop, I have not had one, single, solitary unexplained event that was the KFlops fault. About once a week, something unexpected may happen, but in ever case, once I review what I've done, and what went "wrong", I realize the mistake was entirely mine. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to go out to the shop, turn on the machine, and KNOW it will do exactly what it's told to do, first time, every time, without fail.
Regards,
Ray L.
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