Has anyone done a tool changer routine that has a hot swap of the tool in the carasel. For example when the tool change occurs the requested tool is brought up and the swap is made then the old tool goes back to the hole the new tool came out of and the tool number is reset to refect the acutal tool loaded back into that slot.

Looking for an example of the hotswap part to model my carasel code after.

(;-) TP

I think Scott (Poppabear) has one that works that way.

Graham.

Hi Terry - I'm intrigued - why would you want to do this? - not saying there isn't good reason - just can't think of what it is! Also - how can a tool be put into the slot that the current tool came out of - what would put it there?

Cheers

Ian

Terry,

   Yes  I have one like this, it uses a swap arm, It is mainly run by a PLC that Mach3 controls, the tool changes at the swap is about 2-3 seconds, then Mach goes back to machining while the Carrasel rotates to the next tool needed.

The way I did it was named my pots as variables in an array, that would update with the value of the new tool at swap time.

I cannot release my code since I use it for my commercial machines, but it can be done.

scott

****I guess I did not asnwer your question(;-) THe tool changer has an arm that has a rotary arm attatched at the end, THe arm at the end has a center pivot and an extention on opposite sides that holds the tools. At tool change the changer rotates to the new tool pocket and the arm picks it up. the other side is empty to receive the old tool. At tool change the arm swings over to the spindle and receives the old tool , then the arm rotates and places the new tool into postion. THen the arm moves back to the carasel and put the old tool back into the pocket where the new tool came from.*******

Stirling the reason for hot swapping is to allow the tool chager to work at max efficentcy. Instead of having to rotate back to each tool location every time to return the tool to its original location, you simple put the old tool back where the new tool came from. THe mechanics are simple. And the code for the tool change I can figure out.

BUT I need to figure out the programimg side of MACH "VB" how to have mach do the swap in the tool table to reflect that change so it stays correct and current after a hot swap. Not being a programer I get lost in LOGIC (;-) and require help from time to time creating an original piece. Once I see it I can modify a piece of code to what I need but the creative logic goes right over my head.


*** Bear so you store the tool array at the plc level and do the swapping there?? Can I assume that you download the tool pocket info to the plc before the job starts?? In my situation each job may require a total reloading of the carasel for the job.

what I want to try to do  is to see if MACH Brains can do the total job without a PLC. AS a test.

Just fishing for info NOT secrets(;-)  TP

(;-) TP

OK Terry - thanks for the explanation. Seems to me what you need to code is an indirection table. In VB this could be coded as an array. The array index could represent the tool and the number in each array cell represents the carousel slot where that tool is. You start with the same number in the cell as its index. So array[1]=1 etc. which means tool 1 is in slot 1 etc.

As you move along and you want to change the tool in a slot you just change its slot number. So for example you may decide array[1]=5 which means tool 1 is now in slot 5 etc etc.

The rest of your code stays the same its just you have have the extra code to update and index via your "tool-slot indirection table".

Any good?

Ian

Hi IAN, you said WHAT?   NO I think I get the idea, let me think about this. I will have to draw out a flow table of the operations and see if I can follow it there.

Also the mach tool table is loaded with all 150 tools available. Itwould need to load the carousel from this table assgning a pocket for each tool required for the job. The carousel will hold 30 tools, not all pockets are needed for each job

SO at load time for the program I need to load up the carousel pockets with the tools  assigning each pocket# a tool #. then the redirectontable takes over and controls which tool is in what pocket and keeps tabs of the swapouts as it goes.  ??

SO what is also needed is code to load the indirection table at the beginning ?

Thanks (;-) TP

Your big problem is going to be keeping the values between changes. Remember, every time VB runs a button or a macro it starts a NEW VB process. So anything you stored in an array the last time a tool changed is lost, VB starts a new array.

You could define a series of Mach DROs, one for each tool pocket. Then any time your code runs it looks at each DRO to find the one holding the tool number it wants, then it sets that DRO to the number of the tool its about to put in that pocket.

DROs and LEDs are maintained by mach for each screenset. The macros will see the DROs that belong to the current screen when they run. Watch out for weird things happening if you should run one of those macros from a wizard screen! Also an issue when a macropump is running, it shares its DROs and KEDs with the current screen, so running a wizard or screenset that is not coordinated with the macropump is also risky.

I have been beating on Brian to fix this so there would be one Vb context started up every time a screen loads, then every button call would simply be a subroutine call in that context. He agrees its a worthy change, but it looks like a major change. I will keep pressing him.

ron ginger

I guess I am going to have to drag out the VB for dummies book again(;-)

So I gues I can't just assign 30 variables as tool slot# and populate the vars with tool#s then as each tool cycle takes place update the vars accordinly.?


Or perhaps set up a page inside of mach with 30 tool slots and dros then populate the dros and have them persistant dros to hold the info they update the dros at tool change??? Just have to watch out for duplicate DROs. (;-) Right RON?

Told ya I was a VB dummy(;-) TP

Yes, I use an Array in the M6 this loads values into registers in the PLC which keeps the values all the time, the M6 loads them the last values from the PLC and any changed values are sent back out to the plc, the plc does all the work.

scott