Charmilles Robofil 4000

[John Murphy]

We have just bought our first wire machine, (obviously 2nd hand because of the model's age, about 1990).
So far we have successfully transferred programs to and from the machine via floppy. We have the manual, though it was missing all chapter 5 pages which have the G code info, I will have that on Monday morning.
What I would really like to do is learn how to take skim cuts. We have successfully cut around several shapes with one cut only.
We don't know how to get it to go back and take a couple more skim cuts.
Could someone please show me in a short program, what it is in that refers to skim cuts and where it is written in the file for the machine to understand it?
Thank you very much, John

[ltkettch17]

I'm not sure if it's the same in a 4000, I'm used to a 2020.
Basically you have to make a .tec file with your strategy built in. Usually E3, E7, E17, and E10 for medium accuracy/finish. E3, E7, E17, E17, E10 for better accuracy/finish.

In your CMD program call your .tec file with the line TEC,1.TEC.
Then call your first power setting with REX,E501, then run your ISO program, then call REX,E502 for your second power setting and so on.

See below...

ZCL

AUX,22

CCF,RESET.CMD

TEC,K.TEC

CLE,.0002

GOP,1

REX,E501

DRS,SO.ISO

SPG,SO.ISO

GOP,1

REX,E502

SPG,SO.ISO

GOP,1

REX,E503

SPG,SO.ISO

GOP,1

REX,E504

SPG,SO.ISO

[ltkettch17]

One more thing, use E3 if you are dropping a slug, E2, if you are roughing without dropping a slug.

[John Murphy]

Thank you very much. We will get on to it this morning.
Do you have to break the wire at the end of the first pass and start again at the beginning? john

[ltkettch17]

I depends on what you are doing. If you are cutting a pocket and dropping a slug, you don't need to break the wire. If you are cutting a punch, you can cut the wire and re-thread - or just program a bunch of rapid moves back to your start point. You can also program a reverse wire-path with your CAM software, but then your power changes will be in your ISO program instead of your CMD. You'd have to talk to someone at CT or your CAM rep to know exactly how to do that.