Looking for some advice on what approach to take for tool table numbering when you have a lot of drill bits and reamers.

I have several sets of drilling operations that require different sized drill bits, 135 deg and flat bottom, reamer and blind hole lap.

Since Mach4 has 99 tool entries (256?) what approach would you take to numbering each?

Would it be better to have a macro change the same 4 tools entries each time you run?

If you can have more than 99 tools and T1010 sets tool ten what is the syntax for tool 215?

TIA

RT

Generally tool numbers make sense for tools that stay in a holder that repeats for tool length, such as TTS or Cat40.  We have a about 50 holders and have identified those tools that never come out of the holder unless broken or to be sharpened.  Those tools have a tiny dab of red anti-tamper paint on the joint. If it isn't broken you can trust the tool length to being the same.  For drills that are only used occasionally we have reserved a few numbers in a range and any tool in that range must have the length set before it can be used.

Hi Gary, thanks for that,

I have a stop on each tool and so have a repeatable tool length when inserted into a collet.

RT