Need Help!- Can I fast forward to a point in my program?

[Doubleddaved]

Thanks for the help in my previous post.
My next question is:
I'm running a 3 part main program,
1st part --- spotting
2nd part--- drilling
3rd part---- reaming
With each part I'm calling up a subroutine to do it's specific job,(spot,drill,ream)
There are a lot of hole locations in these subroutines ( x y)that I use,anywhere from 20 to 1000 holes.So I don't normally finish these during my shift.Aside from leaving the machine on single block all night until the next day is there a way that I can fast forward to my last hole location where I left off the day before?
Thanks
Dave

[thetrillionaire]

When you leave for the night, find the line you're on and insert an N-command onto the line (like N1000). Then you can use that number to find where you were in the program

[cam1]

Hmmm, not that easy, when you re-home the machine, you will still have your G54, but typically you need to first exectute the first block that introduces the process,tool length offset etc, after that you can jump to the block wher you left off.
Even if you did not turn the machine off, you typically cannot just jump to any block and execute from there.

regards

[deanrach]

See Setting 36 (Program Restart) in your HAAS manual.

[gar]

080313-2018 EST USA

Doubleddaved:

If you use some sort of looping function to process the many holes, then you may not have a way to start midway in the loop. Restart does not solve that problem.

However, there are special ways that you could write the program and accomplish what you want.

How much money can you save by restarting at the desired point vs just leaving the machine in feedhold all night. This is a function of the design costs to develop a generalized program for your needs, and the value or lack of risk to leaving the machine on all night.

(edit) Here is a reference that might be useful to you. By my use of the tool change routine as structured here it is possible to restart at any tool change position by simply putting the cursor at the desired tool change and push START. Just make sure the tool is clear of the part before you start, and there is a clear X Y path to where the tool wiil go down in Z.
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12545
(end edit)

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[dapoling]

To do what you want, you need one program and use program restart.
Is there some reason you need these split into different sub programs?

[Doubleddaved]

No I'm only using one sub program I just call it out once for each operation.

[dapoling]

To do what you want you will need to put all code into one program, as this will not start inside a sub program.

This being do to the sub program is called up from the main program and starting inside a sub program will not know what main program to return to at the M99.

[Wiseco]

Have you consider lights out machining? If you have a machine with an automatic tool changer, you should consider this option, at least, to finish the part you have start in the day.

[gar]

080318-1452 EST USA

dapoling:

Have you experimentally proven that you can not put a restart point in a subroutine?

It would be true that if you wanted to restart at a line in a subroutine that was called more than once, then the restart point would occur in the first call to that subroutine, and you could not restart on the desired line in the third call to the routine.

With minor edits to the main program and an appropriately written main program you could restart on the nth call of the subroutine.

I have not experimentally tried this, but with an assumption of what HAAS is doing this would be my conclusion based on HAAS's meager description on restart.

.

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[Geof]

Originally Posted by gar ...dapoling: Have you experimentally proven that you can not put a restart point in a subroutine?.....

He mentioned subprogram. Haas differentiates between subroutines at the bottom of a program that use the M97 P1000 to call line N1000 at the bottom of the calling program, and M98 P10000 to call program O10000.

It is possible to Restart at any line in a subroutine and the machine will return to the call line for an L count or to the line below for a single call when Setting 36 is ON.

I do not know what would happen with Setting 36 OFF.

[gar]

080318-1644 EST USA

The first post referenced subroutine, and I did not catch the change later to sub program. Obvious since HAAS uses the cursor location for the restart point it is not possible to restart into an external subroutine.

I believe from some other post under Okuma that they use a format for a restart command with a line number and an added field to indicate how many calls to the subroutine and maybe loop count before restarting. This might also allow restarting in a drip feed operation. No indication of the existence of this capability in HAAS.

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