Multiple tool libraries sharing central custom tools?

[William Grizwald]

Is there a way to have a central network location of all custom tool profle definitions that can be read from multiple tool libraries in different folders?

 

It seems that MC likes the tool profile MCX files to reside in the same folder as the library itself. I'd like keep the profile in one place for all the libraries to point to.

 

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Bill

[bogusmill]

We have the tools files and tool libraries on a network server. So if I need to run the VF-2 I will have access to the library with the current tools. Other wise VF-2 library will be what was in the tool changer the last time I ran it which might be 4 months ago. We do have a problem if the network is down, and sometimes the library comes up slowly but otherwise it works pretty well. If it were my call I would have tools and libraries on local PC's and backed up on the server every night. So no net outage problems, but I can access current libraries when I switch machines.

[William Grizwald]

bogusmill,

 

It's not the library itself. Yes, those we keep on the network with the Machine Def pointing to it. They get found no problem. The problem is the MCX tool profile (custom file) that is called from that library. I'd like to have only one file that multiple tools can call from multiple library. I thought I had it working yesterday but today it pops up a window asking for the file location. I point to it - save it - then it still can't find it during backplot.

 

Maybe a network issue? I'll check with IS and see...

 

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Bill

[William Grizwald]

OK. A quick test found that an older version of this part file opens and backplots the same custom tools just fine. It's only this file. The question now is: What setting could have changed to make it ignor the selected custom tool file? Hmmm...

 

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Bill

[Jeremy Haage from MCAM NorthWest]

I've encountered problems with this when the custom tool file does not reside in the standard tool library location (ie. c:mcamxmilltools). It seems to lose the location/path of the custom file if it doesn't reside in that default tools folder. I haven't really come up with any workaround other than to save the custom tool file into that local directory on each PC. I did submit this to QC so I believe it's in the queue for an enhancement/fix.

[William Grizwald]

Jeremy,

 

Thanks for the feedback. I searched thru some old threads here and found this one from "gcode":

 

"I have a library of about 60 custom tools complete with toolholder and the quill of the machines (really big horizontals with a W axis)

I keep them on a folder on the network so all the programmers have access to them.

I kept loosing the path to the files, so I moved all my tool libraries into that folder and made it my default tool folder. That solved the problem" -Gcode

 

I hope they fix this issue soon. We are trying to create a large enterprize wide system for dozens of machines with hundreds of tools and holders in fixed pockets. I can't see keeping this data on local drives!

 

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Bill

[Tim Johnson]

What I do is create files of my undefined tool profiles on seperate levels and then merge the files in as I need them. In my tool library I save them showing the level they were drawn in. It's a work around but the profiles are on the server that way.

[William Grizwald]

Tim,

 

What you suggest does work...

 

Our case is there are several programmers working on many machines. The largest are 14 gantrys with 120-240 pkts each. We have many others, some of which use multiple tool pkt configurations for the same machines depending on the parts run. Some are even hand loads.

 

We're trying to keep an interactive matrix of the tools. Many of the same tools are used in different machines. If a new process is implemented we need the ability to update all areas that use those tools.

 

I've had several demos for various tool management software but no one here wants to cut a check let alone implement such a change. I envisioned a tie-in to the toolcrib as well since I've worked in that environment in the past.

 

For now, everyone just copies the network folder to their local and moves on.

 

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Bill