Centroid Community CNC Support Forum

I know the OAK has i/o expansion capabilities but can it operate a 16 tool umbrella changer on a mill without a PLC ADD1616 ?

It depends on what control signals the umbrella changer needs to operate. The Oak had 16 inputs and 7 SPST and 2 SPDT outputs. You can customize the PLC program to read and act on any of the inputs and generate any of the outputs. Is there an online manual for the changer that you can post a link to?

I have a 91' Hurco BMC 20 and have been looking for years and have not found anything specific to changer function. It moves left/right via pneumatics, rotates cw/ccw using a geneva motor to index, etc. Not sure how it calls for and keeps track of tool positions.
I thought I saw somewhere that Centroid has a couple "standard" tool changer programs? I can not see any thing special about my changer function, accept that newer umbrella designs seem to have the Z axis move to accept/release the tool and mine moves the umbrella up and down to accept/release the tool. I would want to lock the umbrella up/down motion and just move the Z like the more common arraignments today.
Anyone have experience with this type of changer and Oak board?

I have a 91' Hurco BMC 20 and have been looking for years and have not found anything specific to changer function. It moves left/right via pneumatics, rotates cw/ccw using a geneva motor to index, etc. Not sure how it calls for and keeps track of tool positions.
I thought I saw somewhere that Centroid has a couple "standard" tool changer programs? I can not see any thing special about my changer function, accept that newer umbrella designs seem to have the Z axis move to accept/release the tool and mine moves the umbrella up and down to accept/release the tool. I would want to lock the umbrella up/down motion and just move the Z like the more common arrangements today.
Anyone have experience with this type of changer and Oak board?

You will be struggling to make it all fit without a PLCADD1616, but if you really have to, you might be able to make it work.

Assuming that you don't need mist coolant, don't allow resetting spindle drive faults, and use single-coil (spring-return) solenoids for the two pneumatic motions of the carousel (as well as the tool unclamp), you could have:
OUT1 - NoFaultOut (part of E-stop loop)
OUT2 - Lube
OUT3 - Flood (coolant)
OUT4 - Carousel In
OUT5 - Carousel Down
OUT6 - Spindle Orient
OUT7 - Spindle Run
OUT8 - Spindle Direction
OUT9 - Tool Unclamp

If you only need to run your spindle forward (no tapping), then you can free up one additional output.

On the input side, there are probably sensors and signals for:
Carousel In
Carousel Out
Carousel Up
Carousel Down
Tool Clamped
Tool Unclamped
Spindle Oriented
Tool Counter (typically a single prox sensor which detects the Geneva cam going around)

Since you should have six limit switches, a low lube signal, spindle drive fault, and E-stop, there would normally be just seven inputs available for the above eight items. But again, you could decide that monitoring low lube is not important, or you could just assume that the carousel has returned out to its parked position a couple seconds after you see it leave the in/extended position.

So in short, you can probably make it work.

Or you could just spend another $445 and do it right.

Now that is the kind of intel I am looking for. You guys are Awesome. Thanks.