Help with Makino FNC 74 tool changer...

[Sump Cleaner]

Does anyone have any ideas for this? Eveything works for this toolchanger except for the M57 code to assign the tool numbers to the pots. As soon as you assign the numbers, the machine alarms out after the first two tools are read. Any ideas to make this work?

[lgreeves]

Is there a program in the 8000 range to reset pots? I ran an FNC74 six years age with a 30 tool changer. It would randomly replace the tools into pots but knew where it put them. We had a program that we ran to reset the variables to correct the pot to tool sequence.

[Sump Cleaner]

Actually, I can't find an 8000 series program. There is a O2222 that I think contains the code to do this. The program looks like this;

O2222;
M57;
T1;
T2;
T3;
T4;
...etc...
M30;

This is the part that I don't think is working right. When we fire up the machine, we home out the changer and then the display on the side of the controller has the tool number flashing. If yoy go into MDI, you enter T__ and the number updates and stops flashing but when you flip the switch to read the pot number, it says 00. Now when you run the O2222 program, it will onl read the first few lines and the machine alarms out. Not the controller, but the machine and we can't get past this.

The one thing we noticed is that when you manually rotate the carousel, the pot number deos not update with this. Is this normal with this control?

Also do you know off hand what the pot/tool setting program should be or the order of operations from start-up we should be following?

Any help is much appreciated... we are getting desperate!!!

Thanks,

Jon

[lgreeves]

What happens when you call a tool from MDI? Does the machine go looking for it?
Does the switch on the side of the control show tool in spindle on one position then pot ready on the next position?

[Sump Cleaner]

If we call a tool from MDI (T1; <insert> <start>), The tool number is registered into the readout when the switch is turned to spindle. This only happens after the machine has errored out and the spindle display is flashing.
Now if it is entered again (T2; <insert> <start>), the machine errors out (I am expecting it to rotate the carousel to the T2 position.) If we enter (T2 M6; <insert> <start>), the machine executes the tool change to the point where the arm rotates 180° but then it errors out. All of this time if you change the selector to pot it says 00. It's like the machine thinks that T0 is in all of the pots.

As for the switch... When it is changed to spindle it does show the tool number in the spindle. When it is changed to pot it only shows 00, but I think it is suppose to show the tool number that is in the ready pot. I was thinking that it was suppose to show the pot number but upon reading the instructions (which are pretty pathetic) I now think it is the tool number.

[lgreeves]

What are the error messages?

Try this...reset your machine, in MDI command T99; insert start then command T1 insert start. Your first T command tell the machine what tool is in the spindle. Makino will use T99 as a spindle tool.

[Sump Cleaner]

This is part of the problem. I'm not sure what the error messages are. There is a machine error light/button on the controller that comes on. When you hit this button it clears the alarm. When the machine is in alarm, there is nothing in the controller under Message/Alarm or Message/Operator. There is a set of 8 LED lights in the side of the machine which are numbered 7 to 0 (I assume they are suppose to represent bits) that are suppose to be for diagnostics but we havent found any where in the manual how to decipher these.

If we try what you said, the flashing display will turn to 99 when the selector is turned to spindle. If you enter a T1 after, it alarms out.

[lgreeves]

You need manuals too decode the LEDs on the side of the machine. I'm sure Makino would be willing to help you out with this. Plus you will get faster results.

[steedspeed]

Run the M57 program to tell the machine which tools are in the carousel. Once that is done go into mdi and tell the machine which tool is in the spindle by simply typing T1 or whatever the tool # is. it will work as long as you pick a number other than what is in the M57 prog. If you are using 6M control then you need to tell the machine which tool that is in the spindle at the start of every program as every time the machine sees an M30 or M02 it will forget what is in the spindle. At the start of all my FNC 74 programs I have to have T1 or whichever tool was in there at the end of the program. Once it reads that it will continue to work. They are odd that way but they are also an awesome machine!