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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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I agree, a conditional DWELL command is needed. What I submitted in August 2005, but don't have an enhancement request number for.
Calculate a Dwell command, but only apply some or all of it if a second command is executed before the dwell time expires.
Example, Preselect a tool, T10 It may take 25 seconds to preselect the tool. A Dwell of 25 is set. If I run and cut something for more than 25 seconds, while the tool is preselecting, then the tool selection should add -0- time to the tape time estimate.
If an M6 is encountered before the machine runs for 25 seconds, say 15 seconds later, the remaining "dwell" time of 10 seconds is added to simulate the machine waiting for the tool selection to finish.
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