Automatic reset of Run parameters

[[Mi...]]

While setting up AutoRun on our floor model Duramax CMMs running Calypso 2017 or newer, the operators immediately asked if we can make the programs reset the Run parameters after run.

Most times " All characteristics" is ran, but often mini plans and individual characteristics are ran, and the CMM is shared between multiple operators, so they have to check because they don't know what the last run was.

It would simplify use and training if we could train them that if they want the full program, they just have to click run without checking what run parameter was set last time. CMM's in my facility are used by people with almost zero training, so the goal is to make them as simple to the user as possible.

Is this possible? We have PCM available if it must be done that way.

Thank you.

[[Cl...]]

Copy the program, re-name it min-plan and load that one into autorun.
Then go in to define run parameters and activate the min-plan.

You now have two of the same program, but one runs only the min-plan(s), the other All Characteristics.

[[Mi...]]

That's not a great solution as we've spent the last year getting rid of extra program copies with shorter runs because when changes happen you had to edit that many more programs, and changes happen often.

For the record, we have around 50 CMMs in this facility, each with a few dozen programs for different steps in the process, and 2 CMM programmers. Single programs with different runs makes FAR more sense for our use case.

That also doesn't solve when individual features are being checked from the current selection menu even if we were to make a separate program for each mini-plan.

That's why we want to find a way to auto reset the run parameters if that is possible.

[[Ri...]]

If you are running Mini-Plans, it will show you what Mini-Plan you currently have selected.

I would strongly advise against operators defining run parameters, you are slowly getting away from what AutoRun was designed to do.

[[Mi...]]

Yes I'm aware of mini plans and choose run on icons, they are good and we are using both extensively. That does not solve my question about automatically resetting to all characteristics after run.

Users NEED to be able to run individual features and we are not setting up 100+ mini plans for all the possible combinations of things that may need to be checked in their own for each part and operation, many of our programs end up with 30-40+ minute run times. Not to mention the list would become as long and even more cumbersome than the operator just selecting individual features from the current selection list. So that's what current selection is for and we use it constantly.

1 feature/item being out on a setup they need to quickly be able to check just that feature, not the whole program, not a miniplan - not call me out to make them a miniplan, because the features required are different everyday. This is a many times a day occurance and we can't get rid of it.

I'm looking for a way to reset to all characteristics after run regardless of what is ran, because current selection is a tool that we use, and must use in our process. Just trying to eliminate one step for the operators. Even miniplans has been an issue if the next operator doesn't check what the previous run was and needs the whole program resulting in wasted time on CMMs that often have lineups of parts to run.

If that can't be done that can't be done, that's fine they can learn to check, but suggesting what should and shouldn't be done because is not helpful as you don't know our process or what's in my power to change about said process, I am just a programmer, not a manager.

[[Ma...]]

Could you not have 2 icons of the same measurement plan side by side?
The first icon will be used for "All Characteristics"only and the 2nd can be used for mini-plans and special selections.

We have Autorun setup like this for similar circumstances.

[[Th...]]

To the best of my knowledge, the *specific* thing you're asking can't be done, at least not from within Calypso. PCM isn't something I have any experience with, so I'll wait to see if one of the regulars here who do use it happen to see this topic. I suppose it might be possible to have someone write an external monitor program that watches Autorun and does some kind of automatic selection wizardry, but that's way outside the scope of this forum.

Looking at the PCM documentation, setCF looks promising, but without a license I can't even experiment offline.

[[Is...]]

If you have PCM then you have many options, Maybe this could give you an idea to build your own solution:

You could put conditions in the characteristics and manage them with different PCM files, or teach users how to switch ON/OFF the measuring options with only one file.

MES_OP1 = 1				// Measure 1                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP2 = 1				// Measure 2                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP3 = 1				// Measure 3                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP4 = 1				// Measure 4                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OPn = 1				// Measure n               			Select Yes=1, No=0

To reset the default values you could replace the file at the end of the program execution

 copyFile(DefaultPCM,ModifiedPCM) 

You could combine this with miniplan options (all miniplan execute the complete program and the options are set according to selection)

if getRunID() == "Short Version 1" then
MES_OP1 = 1				// Measure 1                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP2 = 0				// Measure 2                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP3 = 0				// Measure 3                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP4 = 0				// Measure 4                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OPn = 1				// Measure n               			Select Yes=1, No=0
endif

if getRunID() == "Short Version 2" then
MES_OP1 = 1				// Measure 1                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP2 = 1			        // Measure 2                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP3 = 0				// Measure 3                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OP4 = 0				// Measure 4                			Select Yes=1, No=0
MES_OPn = 1				// Measure n               			Select Yes=1, No=0
endif

if getRunID() == "PCM file input" then   //This is not necessary, just set the miniplan option to have a proper name

endif 

[[Mi...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

That's been our work around too but its cumbersome because some of the CMMs(we have 40+ Duramax's alone) have 50+ part numbers on them with 10 or more operations for each, and many operations having separate programs for First off, Last off, and sometimes mid tool life checks that have different tolerances requiring different programs, and we are trying to set it up so AutoRun works exactly the same on those CMMs as the ones with only 10 part numbers. But 1 part number could be 40 programs as it is, without doubling the icons for mini plans and current selection.

So I've trying to find a better solution, a reset is the best idea we've come up with, because then we could just teach the operators that no matter what machine they are using, these are the steps, and only have 1 icon per program.

[[Mi...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

This looks promising, we have PCM on everything but I'm pretty green with it, our other programmer has 20 years of experience and uses PCM much more than I do, I'll show him this and see what he thinks. Thank you very much

[[Is...]]

one small correction (was in opposite direction):

 copyFile(DefaultPCM,ModifiedPCM) 

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Sorry for interupting your thread.
But I am not able to load the same measurement plan more than one time into my autorun.
How do you do that?

[[Ma...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Are you sure it didn't create a duplicate icon on top of the one you already had and just can't see it?

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Yup! Cause there is a pop-up window telling me I that it is already loaded into auto-run.
I will try again tomorrow.

[[Ri...]]

It will show a number out to the side of it. You can just copy and paste the icon.

[[Mi...]]

We found our solution! To this and a few other things. I came up with this from some existing PCM code, the PCM manual, and a different post on this forum. I hate yet to take the PCM training, it's on the list of things to do.

In addition to resetting the run parameters, I also wanted the two parts of the header data to update automatically, and the characteristics measured to be selected automatically. So the operators only need to know their machine number and what they want to run. This works perfectly. We are doing to an automated data collection eventually so we needed the Machine and run identification to be selected from a predefined list, not typed each time.

This first asks the operator to choose their machine number, and forces them to do so. Then asks them what they intend to run and again forces an answer. Then asks a confirmation at the end.

*OIS here is a shorter mid-life inspection, could be accomplished with mini plans but this is better - I think

Correct=false
Mach=""
RunParameters=""
repeat
                repeat
                               Mach=inquireList("Choose Machine Number", "1","2","3")
							if Mach=="" then
							message("You must enter a machine number!")
								else
							endif
                until Mach<>""
                	repeat
              		  	RunParameters = inquireList("Select Run Parameters", "Firstoff", "Lastoff", "OIS", "Recheck")
              		               	  if RunParameters=="" then
                                                message("You must select a run parameter!")
                                                else
                                                                selectCase RunParameters
                                                                                case  "Firstoff"
                                                                                setCF(readListFile("Complete.txt"))
                                                                                case  "Lastoff"
                                                                                setCF(readListFile("Complete.txt"))
                                                                                case  "OIS"
                                                                                setCF(readListFile("OIS.txt"))
                                                                                case  "Recheck"
                                                                endSelect
                                                endif
                	until RunParameters<>""
		Correct=confirm("You selected " , Mach ," ", RunParameters, "; is this correct?")
   		setRecordHead("procid", Mach)
     		setRecordHead("partnbinc", RunParameters)
until Correct==true

[[Er...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Nothing wrong, just unnecessary long and ineffective.

repeat
	repeat
		m=inquireList("Choose Machine Number", "1","2","3")
	until m <> ""
	repeat
		r=inquireList("Select Run Parameters", "Firstoff", "Lastoff", "OIS", "Recheck")
	until r <> ""
	if r <> "Recheck"
		setCF(readListFile(r+".txt"))
	endif
until confirm("You selected "+m+" "+r+"; is this correct?")
setRecordHead("procid",m)
setRecordHead("partnbinc",r)

//Spice it up a bit ?
executeCode("ICCDialog confirm: '<L>You selected:</L>"+cr()+"<i>Machine:</i>"+cr()+" "+chr(9494)+"    <u><b><c:red><L>"+m+"</L></b></u></c>"+cr()+"<i>Run parameters:</i>"+cr()+" "+chr(9494)+"    <u><b><c:red><L>"+r+"</L></b></u></c>"+cr()+cr()+"Is this correct?' asRichText")

🙄

[[Mi...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

wow... Thanks so much simpler than what I had. I think I understand it all, I will try it and experiment.

Thank you!

[[Mi...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Couple questions and they might be because I'm using 2015 on my offline seat ( 2015 can edit all the way up to 2018 thankfully)


oddly enough:
<u></u> works for underline
<c></c> works for colour

but

<b></b> didn't bold the text, no big deal
<L></L> doesn't seem to do anything that I can tell, what it is?

Is there an option for font size that works? It might make people actually read it if it large.... might.

edit: or is that what <L> does? Going to see if I can get some time on a 2018 or 2019 machine to see what it looks like.

[[Er...]]

<b>bold</b>
<i>italic</i>
<s>large</s>
<L>large</L>
<u>underline</u>
<x>strikeout</x>
<c:colorname>color</c>

[[Mi...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Appreciate it very much. It's disapointing that <L> and <b> don't seem to work on the versions I have available.

Thank you for the much simplified version of the code though, you saved me a lot of time!