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I posted this in the Enhancements forum, but perhaps someone has figured out how to do this (short of modelling the tool rack):
Our tool changer is not a chain, but a 326 tool rack. As such, you're never quite sure where the tool is, but on average it takes 40 seconds for the selection vehicle to take a tool from the tool changer arm, put it back in its clip, grab the next tool, and then place the tool in the ATC arm.
I would like to have this 40 second operation considered when calculating cutting time. For example, if I am face milling a part and the face mill operation takes 3 minutes, the tool change to the next tool takes maybe 5 seconds because the next tool is already in the arm. However, if I next have to spot drill 2 holes and that operation takes 10 seconds, the machine suffers 'tool starvation' in that the vehicle is still in the process of putting the face mill away and going for the next tool. Therefore, that tool change takes 5 seconds + 40 seconds - 10 seconds that the spot drill was actually machining, or 35 seconds. This can't be accomplished by a simple dwell, because the machine is doing some machining while this return/preselection operation occurs.
Regards
Peter Brown
Jarvis Products Corp
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