13 replies to this topic

[Chris Rizzo]

[Mr. Wizzard]

[Neurosis]

I have another question regarding something that has been around for a while.

I would like to be able to start a new part file that automatically loads a tool library created for that specific machine. My reseller told me that this was possible by checking the box shown below. As everyone knows, it does not work.

Can anyone tell me what exactly does this check box do if anything?  And is the only way to have a library automatically load to create a template file?

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[Colin from CNC Software]

Dave,

That button is not used to load tools into your Part file. It is used to load tools automatically onto a Machine for Machine Simulation. This was meant for the EMP Machine Simulation, and is not currently used. I think a template file is your best bet for now.

Thanks,

[BrianCNC]

If I am understanding correctly what you want to do--can't you just link that machine def to the tool library for that machine right under that check box so everytime you load that machine def it loads the tool library for that machine.  I see it is now linked to rich.toodb--link this to haas.tooldb or whatever.

[Neurosis]

Brian Glick @ Vermeer, on 17 February 2012 - 12:36 PM, said:

If I am understanding correctly what you want to do--can't you just link that machine def to the tool library for that machine right under that check box so everytime you load that machine def it loads the tool library for that machine.  I see it is now linked to rich.toodb--link this to haas.tooldb or whatever.

That was what I was asking.  If you read Colin's explanation, apparently that it not what that is intended to do. So no, it does not work.

You have to create a template file with the library pre-loaded.

This would also make a nice enhancement request. I am not the first person that has asked about this. I have seen it come up several times in the past. So far, Colin has been the only one to answer with any certainty.

[BrianCNC]

We link ours up and when we create a new part file it stays linked. First toolpath--hit select tool and it will pull from that machines tool library.

[BrianCNC]

We link ours up and when we create a new part file it stays linked. First toolpath--hit select tool and it will pull from that machines tool library.

Sorry Double post

[Neurosis]

Brian Glick @ Vermeer, on 17 February 2012 - 12:58 PM, said:

We link ours up and when we create a new part file it stays linked. First toolpath--hit select tool and it will pull from that machines tool library.

Sorry Double post

What you are talking about is easy enough to do. You do not even have to check that box for that to happen.


What I am trying to do is have the entire machines library load automatically so that I can see the tools in the operation rather than having to open the library.

[Chris Rizzo]

What about my original question?

I'm so frustrated I'm ready to post about 20 other screenshots of "functions" and buttons that have been dead for 7 years.

[BrianCNC]

I see.  I thought there was something I wasn't understanding because I knew there was no way you did not know how to do that.

Sorry Chris for getting so far off your original topic.

[Colin from CNC Software]

Chris,

We created some functions to check and manipulate string length. I'll see what we can do to implement this functionality in our Generic Posts. (Or at least give you some idea of when we plan to get to it)

For what its worth, we've been working on hooking up more of the Machine Definition functionality in our Generic Posts. We've just finished hooking up a bunch of stuff for Lathe.

Thanks,

[Chris Rizzo]

You the man Colin.  

I should mention why this would be so useful: All Haas machines alarm out with more than 80 characters in a comment. When your working with files deep in a network, the .nc and .mcx file location comments are way more than 80 characters.

Now that I think of it, a nice feature for the stock haas post's would be to truncate at 80 characters automatically!

[Colin from CNC Software]

Thanks For the compliment Chris, but I'm just a small cog in a big machine.

I've taken a copy of the Generic Haas 4X Mill Post and added some code to different comment output post blocks to assemble all the strings for output, then check the string length against the parameter that you enter in the control definition. (I'm also setting the default initialization to '80'. There is also a 'mode' switch that sets if you want to truncate the comment or 'shorten' the comment.

There is a bunch of code to rewrite though to make this happen. I've converted the tool comments as a proof of concept, now I need to convert the rest of the comment output in the header. That will take a couple days, but I'll let you know when it's ready to be tested.

Thanks,