General Operation
Axis Directions
Y+ is towards the operator
X+ is towards the in-feed.
Z+ is up and out of the material.
Operators
There are typically two operators at the machine. One loads doors onto the machine, while the other runs the control. They have a list of panels to make which dictate the order of loading and cutting.
Data Input
The operator at the control fills the control queue while the machine is cutting the current door. The data entered starts with a door model and a length. This will then open up options for the appropriate number of windows, all defaulted according to the model data file. The operator can turn on and off windows with quick buttons on the side or individually next to each window option. They can also change the window selection for all windows or for individual windows. If they are running multiple of the same panels in a row, they can increase the quantity. The operator has an option to shift all windows in the Y direction, but this should be needed extremely rarely. The Y positions of the windows is set in the windows data file. After all data is correct, they press the Add button to send it to the queue.
Panel Queue
The queue at the bottom shows the model, length, quantity, and window pattern for each line item entered. When 'Cycle Start' is pressed, the first item is posted and loaded as a gcode file. The line is removed on M30. If the quantity is greater than 1, the quantity is decremented instead of removed.
There is a log file in the Mach4 directory that logs the time and data for each panel generated from the queue.
Generating Without Running
For debugging, it may be useful to generate a file without running it. In that case, the item must be in the queue. Then, press the 'Toolpath' button under the axis DROs. Alternatively, if the control is disabled, 'Cycle Start' can still be pressed. This will cause a file to be generated and loaded, but not started.
Zero Locations
The door model will determine if the centers of the windows are measured from the backstop or from the laser. If from the laser, a workshift will be activated when they start to run. The workshift amount is programmable in the MachMotion parameters.
There are three inputs from the PLC that tell us the door height (Y distance). On program start, the G54 Y offset will be set to the centerline of the panel based on these outputs. During the post phase, if a window is detected to not fit on the door, an alarm will be shown and the process aborted.
Run From Window
In the event that the program is interrupted, the item will not be removed from the queue. There is 'Run From Window' button in the small dashboard on their screen that will open a list of windows in the currently loaded file. The operator can select which window to start from and press 'Cycle Start' to run from that window, so that they do not have to re-run the entire door.
Custom Cut-Out
Sometimes they will need to put a window in a non-standard location on the door. There is a 'Custom Cut-Out' button on their small dashboard on their screen. While custom cut-out is open, the queue will not be used if they press 'Cycle Start'. They must enter the door model here so that the control has the correct cutting information. They can pick any window ID that they want and can put it at any location (inches). The location is measured from the doors standard zero location. There are inputs for the door length, but this is not used except to calculate the centerline of the door when the centerline button is pressed.
Safety Circuit
The machine has gating around the back, a light curtain in the front, an e-stop button near the infeed conveyor, and the e-stop button on the control. All must be clear to run the machine. The operator will need to enter the light curtain for tool changes. The light curtain is armed when the spindle is on or the machine is running a program or homing. The light curtain will disarm during a tool change when all axes are still.
Service Page
The standard MachMotion Mill screen can be access through the MachMotion logo at the top corner of the screen. You return to the CHI screen the same way.