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« on: March 19, 2011, 07:28:36 AM »
As a full time industrial user of mills lathes and mill turns the idea of using a screen like this is ridiculous, it's over complicated and cluttered. That makes it dangerous, a run screen should be just the buttons you need to run the program, setting up should be done on a second screen.
All I would want on a run screen is a g-code listing, cycle start, cycle stop, single block, optional stop, feed override, speed override, a button to offsets page and E-stop that's it, clean clear and simple anything else can be on a set up screen.
A CNC machine can be operated in one of two modes, set up mode and production mode, in set up mode you can have all the buttons and flashing lights you want as a trained setter is in the process of setting the job up for production. In production mode an operator is using the machine and all he/she needs to know is how to start the process and how to stop it if something goes wrong or needs changing. The setting side of the machine and control is locked away from the operator.
Now, in the hobby market there are no rules because the CNC machine is probably never going to go in to production mode and the operator is the setter, in most cases the machine is used rarely and the user has had no formal training so every time the machine is used it's a learning experience and that is why they feel that every DRO, button and LED should be on one screen that way they don't have to look for them.
That is how I see things, I am sure you all have your own way of working and I am not saying who is right or wrong just don't try to mix hobby and professional systems as they require totally different screen layouts.
Graham
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