Manual Tool Change with ATC - Ideas?

[ashesman]

I have my custom tool change up and running with the Enhanced ATC setup. So, I can set tool bins and fetch and put back tools. All seems to be working well.

I also have a manual tool change method where I can replace the tool in the spindle as I please. Particularly useful for fitting a probe or my Haimer without putting it through the tool rack which can be rough on it.

How do you work around making sure that the tool/bin is managed correctly for manual changes? I run the manual tool change through a macro so could prompt for input "what tool is fitted?", but not sure how that would be applied. M107 could be used to set the new tool I think. Variables #17001... can be used to alter the bin numbers.

Also, how do you put away the tool in the spindle? In my old controller I could do T0 M6 and put away the current tool, leaving the spindle empty. T0 M6 fails with a warning like "no bin for tool" (sorry, I didn't note down the actual message).

Edit: I found this document that explains a lot https://www.centroidcnc.com/downloads/U ... ctions.pdf.

[BrianL]

I don't know how Centroid handles it, but a lot of other machines, say you have a 12 station toolchanger, you call up any hand loaded tools as T13, T14, etc. the machine knows that means it waits for you to complete a manual tool change and then hit cycle start again. You can revert back to the tool changer by calling tool 1 thru 12, pretty sure you have to manually unload the last manual tool first though..

[cncsnw]

As BrianL suggests, it can be done, but you need to do the macro programming yourself.

If I recall correctly, you have 10 tools in your ATC (five in each of two racks).

You would want to set Parameter 161 to something larger than 10, then make your M6 macro recognize that only T1-T5 and T6-T10 are in your tool racks, and any higher-numbered tool must be loaded by hand.

You would have separate code paths for:
- Changing from one ATC tool to another ATC tool (what you have already)
- Changing from an ATC tool to a manual tool (put away in rack, then prompt operator to load)
- Changing from a manual tool to an ATC tool (prompt operator to unload, then pick up from rack)
- Changing from one manual tool to another manual tool (just prompt operator to exchange)

In the manual-to-ATC and ATC-to-manual scenarios, you need to take some care to get the spindle oriented, racks extended, travel limits adjusted, etc. at the right times.

If you have "Enhanced ATC" enabled (P160 != 0) then CNC12 will not permit changing to T0. The Enhanced ATC feature set does not provide for an explicit "empty spindle" condition.

Using "Enhanced ATC" is not required. You could probably do everything you need to do with P160 = 0. You just would not be able to assign tool numbers greater than T10 to ATC rack positions.

With Enhanced ATC enabled, and with the manual-load features proposed here, you could just call a change to some tool greater than T10 when you want to leave the spindle empty, then decline to put anything in the spindle.

[ashesman]

I do have Enhanced ATC enabled. It is all working and managing tools from the tool library correctly with auto tool changes. The ATC reset function allows you to set the number of the tool in the spindle and where it should go. I want to use the tool library and not be stuck with just 10 tool slots.
It is one of the few upgrades the Centroid has over my old controller. I currently also have a mechanically working manual ATC procedure.

I hadn't really considered the situation of changing a tool manually mid program, I don't think I will either.

I am not sure why Centroid have decided that there cant be no tool in the spindle! Seems like a normal situation to me. Complete setup a machine with all the tools in your program in the racks, nothing in the spindle. Then manually fit your referencing tool into the spindle, do the part zero setup, take it it back out again. Program starts and fetches the first tool from the spindle. Same as putting it away when finished the program and returning to no tool in the spindle so there is no sharp tool sticking down that could injure someone or get damaged. But maybe that only seems useful to me?

Of course you could do that by allocating one bin as "no tool" and leave it empty, then fetch that tool when you want an empty spindle, but a waste of a rack!

I think I will do something like make tool 1 (or 200, or 99, whatever I decide) always mean empty spindle. So if T1 is selected, it will put the current tool away and not fetch another. At least that only wastes one tool library item rather than an actual rack bin. And if another tool is selected while T1 is in, don't put it away and fetch the new tool. If T1 is used in a program, no big deal as no tool will be selected.

When a manual tool change is done, I will prompt for what the tool number is in. You can then enter a tool number. If it has a bin allocated then it will be put there next tool change. A double up for allocated bins is already checked in the ATC. If you enter 1 as the manual tool change number then it means you left no tool in the spindle.

I notice that on init you can get the tool number in the spindle to read T-- so there must be some recognition that no tool can be in the spindle. The default ATC macro checks for no tool in the spindle and doesn't do a put back if none fitted, so it has been considered. I might do some tests this weekend with -1 as the tool number and see what happens.

Really just having T0 mean no tool would have been so much nicer!