6.1 Mill APL - Jogging

Mill APL - Jogging

 

To jog the APL axes you need to make them visible in the Position screen. Axes Position Display.
  1. Press [Position].
  2. Press [ALTER] 
  3. Select the AU, AW and AV [1] axis.
  4. Press [ALTER] [2] to close the pop up window.
  5. To jog an APL axis. Type [AU] , [AW] or [AV] and then press [Handle Jog] .

 

6.2 Mill APL - Setup

Mill APL - Template

 

The Template page allows to setup the grid patter and part information to run the APL.

Press [CURRENT COMMANDS] , Devices, arrow down to Automatic Part Loader and navigate Template. Template Display

  1. Part Type - Enter 0 for a Slug/Puck or 1 for a Bar.
  2. Number of Rows- Enter the number of rows you want to use on the table.
  3. Numbers of Columns - Enter the number of columns you want to use on the table.
  4. Distance Between Rows - Enter the incremental distance between the rows.
  5. Distance Between Columns- Enter the incremental distance between the columns.
  6. Press the [Right] arrow to go to the next page.

 

Mill APL - Load Part

The Load Part page allows to setup APL Ram pick up and load position.

Press [CURRENT COMMANDS] , Devices, arrow down to Automatic Part Loader and navigate to Load Part.Load Part Display

Note: The door state and workholding state is commanded in the APL template. Do not command door or workholding states in the part program.

  1. Gripper 1 Clamp Type - Enter 0 for OD or 1 for ID clamping.
  2. Gripper 1 Clamp Delay - Enter the number of seconds to delay after the jaws have been commanded to move.For the next operations the following commands are available:
    • Press [ATC FWD] or [ATC REV] to index the tool changer.
    • Press [Insert] to move to above table.
    • Press [F2] to set the reference position.
    • Press [F3] to clamp/unclamp gripper #1.
    • Press [F4] to rotate the gripper arm.

  3. Initial Pickup Location - This field is used to set the initial pickup location, follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  4. Ready Location - This field is used to set the position of grippers, follow the on screen instructions to set the values. This location is dependent on the machine and the part. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  5. Internal Axes Location for Load - This field is used to set the Table Axes to a safe location for the APL to load the part. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  6. Vise Load Location - This field is used to set the APL position to load the part into the vise. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  7. Alignment - This field is used to set the gripper location to clear the clamped part. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.

Mill APL - Unload Part

The Unload Part page allows to setup APL Ram pick up and drop position.

Press [CURRENT COMMANDS] , Devices, arrow down to Automatic Part Loader and navigate to Unload Part.Unload Part Display

  1. Gripper 2 Clamp Type - Enter 0 for OD or 1 for ID clamping.
  2. Gripper 2 Clamp Delay - Enter the number of seconds to delay after the jaws have been commanded to move.For the next operations the following commands are available:
    • Press [ATC FWD] or [ATC REV] to index the tool changer.
    • Press [Insert] to move to above table.
    • Press [F2] to set the reference position.
    • Press [F3] to clamp/unclamp gripper #1.
    • Press [F4] to rotate the gripper arm.

  3. Gripper Rotate Delay - Enter the number the seconds to delay after commanding the gripper to rotate.
  4. Internal Axes Location for Unload - This field is used to set the Mill Table Axes to a safe location for the APL to unload the part. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  5. Vise Pick Up Location - This field is used to set the APL position to unload the part from the vise. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  6. Alignment - This field is used to set the gripper location to clear the workholding. Follow the on screen instructions to set the values.
  7. Table Drop Off Location - This field is used to set the initial drop off location, follow the on screen instructions to set the values.

APL Mode - Save/Load/ New Job

The Run Job tab allows you to load/run and save a job. It also shows the current APL mode status.

This tab shows the current job that the APL is running.

NOTE:  The Job file name will turn red if the job is not saved.

How to Save the current Job Once you have completed filling in the values on the Template, Load Bar and Load Part tabs.

  • Type in the desired job name on the input bar.
  • Press [F3] . Select the location where you want to save the file.
  • Press [Enter] to save the file.

NOTE: The job file is a XML file.

How to Load a Job To load a previous job:

  • Press [F4] to load a job.
  • Find and highlight the job XML file you wish to load.
  • Press [Enter] to load the file.

How to Start a New Job To start a new job:

  • Press [F2] .
  • A popup window will show “Are you sure you want to clear?
  • Press [Y] .

NOTE: This will reset the values in the Template, Load Part, Unload Part etc. back to factory values.

  • Current Part- This field can be updated so that the sequence will start at this point.
  • Next Part - This counter shows the next part.
  • Completed Parts - This counter shows the amount of completed parts. This field can be reset with [ORIGIN] .
  • Total Parts - This field can be changed. The sequence will run until total parts = completed parts. This would allow of running of a partial table.
  • Rapid Override - This shows the current rapid override status.
  • Slow Rapid Distance - When the APL is this distance from picking up or dropping off a part (either from table or spindle) the speed will drop to the Slow Rapid Override setting.
  • Slow Rapid Override - When the APL is the Slow rapid distance from picking up or dropping off a part (either from table or spindle) the speed will drop to this setting.
  • Current State - This shows the APL current state.
  • Press [Insert] to turn ON/OFF the APL Mode. When the machine is in APL Mode the control will load the next part when the machine executes an M299 code.
  • The APL Mode overlay and APL Mode icon appear on the screen when the machine is in APL mode.

6.3 Mill APL - Recovery

Mill APL - Recovery

If the Automatic Part Loader cycles get interrupted you must enter [RECOVER] mode to correct or complete the cycle.

Press the [RECOVER] , the recovery page will display the Chuck, Gripper, status.

Automatic Part Loader Recovery Display:

  1. APL Functions 
  2. APL status 
  3. Message Box 

[F2] Clamp Raw Gripper. This will clamp the raw gripper.

[F3] Clamp Finish Gripper. This will clamp the finish gripper.

[F4] Clamp/Unclamp E-Vise. This will clamp/unclamp the E-Vise.

[Origin] Automatic Recovery. This will attempt to recover the APL automatically.

[Q] Exit Recovery. This will exit the APL recovery display.

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