The Machine Settings menu item

Application

In the Machine Settings menu item of the Settings application, you can define the settings for simulation and program run.

Description of function

To navigate to this function:

Settings Machine Settings Machine Settings

The Unit of Measure area

In the Unit of Measure area you can choose between mm and inch.

  • Metric system: e.g. X = 15.789 (mm), the value is displayed to 3 decimal places
  • Inch system: e.g. X = 0.6216 (inches), the value is displayed to 4 decimal places

If the display in inches is active, the control also displays the feed rate in inches/min. In an inch-based program, you must multiply the feed rate by 10 before entering it.

Channel Settings

The control displays the channel settings separately for the Editor and the Manual and Program Run operating modes.

You can define the following settings:

Setting

Meaning

Active Kinematics

Use the Active Kinematics function to change the kinematics model for the machine and the simulation. This way you can test NC programs that, for example, have been programmed for other machines.

The control offers a selection menu with all available kinematics models. The machine manufacturer defines which kinematics models you can choose.

The control displays the active kinematics model in Machine mode of the Simulation workspace.

Generate tool-usage file

The control uses the tool-usage file to check tool usage.

Tool usage test

You select when the control should generate a tool-usage file:

  • Never
  • The control does not generate a tool-usage file.

  • Once
  • The next time you simulate or run an NC program, the control will generate a tool-usage file once.

  • Always
  • When you simulate or run an NC program, the control will generate a tool-usage file each time.

Traverse Limits

Use the Traverse Limits function to limit the possible traverse path of an axis. You can define traverse limits for each axis (e.g., to protect an indexing head from collision).

The Traverse Limits function consists of a table with the following contents:

Column

Meaning

Axis

The TNC displays each axis of the active kinematics model in a row.

Status

If you have defined one or both limits, the control displays the contents Valid or Invalid.

Lower Limit

You define the lower traverse limit of the axis in this column. You can enter up to four decimal places.

Upper Limit

You define the upper traverse limit of the axis in this column. You can enter up to four decimal places.

The defined traverse limits are valid across power cycles of the control, until you delete all values from the table.

The following general conditions apply to the traverse limit values:

  • The lower limit must be smaller than the upper limit.
  • The upper and lower limit may not both equal 0.

Other conditions apply to traverse limits for modulo axes.

Notes on software limit switches for modulo axes

Notes

 
Notice
Danger of collision!
You can also select any stored kinematics model as the active machine kinematics. The control then executes all manual movements and machining operations using the selected kinematics. All subsequent axis movements pose a risk of collision!
  1. Use the Active Kinematics function for the simulation only
  2. Use the Active Kinematics function for selecting the active machine kinematics only if required
  • In the optional machine parameter enableSelection (no. 205601), the machine manufacturer defines for each kinematics model whether the Active Kinematics function can be selected.
  • Use the +, -, *, /, (, and ) keys for calculations in the numerical input fields.
  • You can open the tool-usage file in the Tables operating mode.
  • Tool usage file

  • If the control generated a tool-usage file for an NC program, the T usage order and Tooling list tables contain data (#93 / #2-03-1).
  • T usage order (#93 / #2-03-1)

  • Tooling list (#93 / #2-03-1)