MA-400HA Tool Changing Question

[bjhall06]

Is there any way to maintain a specific order that the tools are put into the pods?

Right now we have approx 21 tools loaded to run one production part. We try to keep the tools in order by rearranging them back in order twice a week. When the machine faults out in mid cycle or a tool is changed through the spindle side the tools get out of order again.

We've seen up to 20-30 second cycle time increses when the tools are in order because some of the tools are so quick that when they are done, the magazine is still cycling around if the next tool is on the opposite side of the magazine.

Is there any way at all to setup the machine to place the tool back in the same pod it was removed from?

Or what about a program that automatically puts the tools back in order? What I usually do is say if the tools are like this:

spindle - tool 5
pod 1 - tool 1
pod 2 - tool 4
pod 3 - tool 2
pod 4 - tool 3

Then I would tool change to tool 2, then 4 (to put tool 2 in pod 2) next tool change to 3 (to put tool 4 in pod 4) etc etc. I didn't know if ther was some sort of parameter that recognizes which tool is in which pod.

Pretty much, whichever tool is in the spindle, I'll change to whichever tool is in the pod it needs to be in an so forth until the tools are back in order.

Sorry if this is confusing I tried explaining it best I could.

[txcncman]

Can be done on Fadal. I do not know about Okuma. Did you check the manual?

Are you using pre-stage tool routines so that the next tool is called while the current tool is doing its work? Unless you have a very short machining time on a tool, usually the machine should be able to pre-stage the next tool in time.

[bjhall06]

I haven't found anything in the manual from changing to from a random-memory tool change.

And yes all tools are prestage as soon as a tool change is complete. Some of the tools are single points so their cycle is very fast.

[Algirdas]

the magazine is still cycling around if the next tool is on the opposite side of the magazine.
can You tell a little bit more? I don't understand. Okuma machine does exactly as commanded. It seems, magazine is preparing the pot for next toll to go to spindle.
2. There is a parameter to set the control to lock tool pot position
3. Okuma tool change system is fast because tool out of spindle returns to the pot of the tool going to spindle.
It is wrong to say "mixed" in my opinion. Tools are never mixed on Okuma. Don't care about the pot number. Always have toll set into spindle with correct number and You always will get required tool to spindle.

[bjhall06]

the magazine is still cycling around if the next tool is on the opposite side of the magazine.
can You tell a little bit more? I don't understand. Okuma machine does exactly as commanded. It seems, magazine is preparing the pot for next toll to go to spindle.
2. There is a parameter to set the control to lock tool pot position
3. Okuma tool change system is fast because tool out of spindle returns to the pot of the tool going to spindle.
It is wrong to say "mixed" in my opinion. Tools are never mixed on Okuma. Don't care about the pot number. Always have toll set into spindle with correct number and You always will get required tool to spindle.

Sorry I guess I didnt word it the best. Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

Say tool 1 is the first tool and it is a quick single point tool. So the coding will look similar to

T1 M6
T2

in order to pre stage tool 2. Well if tool 2 is in pod 30 and tool 1 came out of pod 1, by the time tool 1 is finished there is still a few seconds until tool 2 is changed. Where as if tool 2 was in pod 2 the the pre stage would be complete by the time tool 1 is complete.

It doesn't sound like it would save much time but with multiple single point tools i've seen keeping the tools in order save over 20 seconds of cycle time.

Like I said, I try to check the order once or twice a week but typically they get out of order pretty quick which results in slower cycle times (depending on how far out of order they are).

By mixed, I mean the tools are out of order as they are in the program. If the program runs tools 1-10 in numerical order and the tools are actually in a random order in the magazine (Say tools 1, 8, 4, 5, 2, 3, 9, etc) then I was refering to that as mixed.

"2. There is a parameter to set the control to lock tool pot position" - could you explain what this does?

[Algirdas]

yeah, I understood now. You have quick tool, which You want to put back to magazine without long magazine indexing.
You have several solutions there.
The tool locked to pot parameter will not help. (Sorry, I thought You want to have all tools always at the same pots, as other brand machines do)
There are better solutions:
1. Tool type. If You set the tool as large ( or "big"? check manual how it is exactly) with two empty adjacent pockets (=pots in magazine) the tool will be locked to that pot. You need to take care about tool speed control in parameters. There is group of parameters, which defines reduction of tool arm rotation speed for selected tool types. You define quick tool and tool after it as large tools and they are locked to pots. Disadvantage: You loose three tool pots as adjacent to two L tools.
2. some kind like tool type. Don't remember exactly. There is possibility to lock regular tool to pot. If you need to change it fast, and large tools (with reduced ATC speed) are used also.
3. maybe it's possible to control "ready" magazine pot via variable
~~~~~~
why tools are mixed?
if no restricted pots in magazine, if tools are set in order (by tool set function from operator side) ... tools will not be mixed in magazine. The position will cycle in order ... You just place the quick tool and tools next to it as adjacent.
the machine faults out in mid cycle or a tool is changed through the spindle side the tools get out of order again.
looks like a human (operator) fault?