Multi-gang Fixture

[[Da...]]

We are programming for a fixture with one hundred identical locations/parts. We started with a CAD model of the fixture populated with parts. The parts will be scanned at both sides of the fixture. Is it possible to duplicate the features for each location without extracting them from each part? Like a copy and paste function? I think the way we are approaching it is not very efficient, extracting features for each location on both sides(x 100!) Thanks, Dan @ Airsquared

[[Ga...]]

My first thought would be to do some patterning, but hard to tell what the best option is without knowing the details. Can you provide a pic?

[[Ia...]]

Hey Daniel, have you ever heard of Calypso's AutoRun?

If for whatever reason you decide not to use AutoRun, there is a pattern feature.

You can use the help icon to learn more about these.

[[Br...]]

You want to utilize Calypso's autorun interface for this. You will write a program for one part, then you can palletize this program for your fixture.

[[Ro...]]

Autorun is where its at!
As a bonus, you can run 1 piece, you can run all 100, or you can run any number of pieces in any location you want.
if you find that hole #87 is always an issue, you can just mark that spot out.
It takes a bit to get used to autorun, but once you got it down its pretty simple.

You will need another program for your fixture tho, just a simple program (plane, line circle) to locate "hole #1" of your fixture and the palletizing will just be offsets from that location.

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Hey Roberto, You don't need to worry about where the part is relative to the fixture as far as the alignment for the fixture program. Here's a rough list of steps.

1 - Create fixture program. All it needs is a base alignment. I typically run the program so the CNC alignment is updated. (If I move the fixture to a different location or rotate it [as long as i'm only using the -Z probe]. I do a manual alignment in the new position, which is followed by the cnc iteration.
2 - Put part in first position on fixture and do a manual alignment. The position is now married to the fixture alignment. So whenever I move the fixture and run the fixture program, the part alignment will move with it.
3 - Set up the pallet program choosing the fixture alignment(cnc) for the pallet alignment and the part program alignment (NOT CNC) for the part alignment.
4 - all set.

[[Da...]]

Thanks for all the replies. The Autorun feature is baffling us. It seems as if we need to close all the open programs to get it to work. We have some time to work with it today, I will post the results. Oh, unfortunately I can't post any pics due to company privacy rules.

[[Ro...]]

You can get around the company privacy rules by not telling anybody you're posting, at all.
Easier to ask for forgiveness (after you've solved all their problems) than permission.

[[Ia...]]

I have attached the only documentation on autorun I have (never used autorun, and these documents have all come from this forum). Maybe you can get some use out of them.

Essentially, you just want to write one program for one part, then give it an x and y offset for the spacing between nests in autorun. You'll be able to decide exactly what nests you want measured, which may come in handy considering your fixture is for 100 parts.

Rough Autorun Tutorial.pdfAutorun- Detailed.pdf

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

You have to close any open programs before you can start AutoRun.

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

I like the Detailed doc. Didn't read through all of it, but it certainly appears to be very thorough.

ALSO FOR ALL. If you embed pictures in the icons, use a photo editing program to reduce the size of the picture to its' smallest, legible size. Desktops/Layers full of pictures taken using a bazillion megapixels will take a long time to open. I like to save that picture in the program folder so if I move the program to another location, the picture will move too.

[[Ro...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Crop the picture so its as square as possible, Autorun defaults its icon into squares.
Save the picture inside your inspection folder as "inspict.bmp", then when you load the program into autorun the picture will automatically load.

[[Cl...]]

For the pic, I open it in Paint Brush and reduce the (.jpg) size by 50%. That usually makes it just the right size.

[[Da...]]

We made a simple manual program of a single location fixture and followed Tom's pdf to load the fixture(cnc) and the measurement plan. We are still having some issues with Autorun. The CNC parameter button is grayed out and the pallet icon is bordered in red. We are missing something and it is probably obvious to veteran Autorun users. When entering a new pallet, we select the fixture program file? After we do this, we open pallet parameters and the fixture program is under the part alignment header. Tom's pdf shows the fixture program under the pallet alignment header and the part program under the part alignment header. After exiting, we can't seem to do much of anything else. Help...

[[To...]]

Make sure pallet icon is selected and then CNC icon should be accessible.

[[To...]]

When measuring multiple parts this way do you get 10 reports or do you get 1 report with 10 parts?

[[Ca...]]

You'll see 10 separate printouts, but be sure to tick "Use Custom Printout", or you'll only get the last part run.

I've run up to 100 parts at once. No problem.

[[Jo...]]

I have a fixture for 100 small parts that I can let run off shift. It runs about 3 hours. When I come in the next day I can review the "bad" parts because they will be highlighted red in the pallet diagram. I can either rerun that part only or discard it.

[[Da...]]

Got It! Finally. We could not get good files from our shared drive, they were corrupted when we search from Auto run. SEP, Somebody else's problem. We managed to copy the files to the desktop and import them from there. Made the one location fixture run all day, no problem. We even linked to another desk so we could do in process checks for the machine shop. Faster switching between frequently used programs, We love it! The save was weird, though. It saved all the linked desks as one file? I will delete the links and resave tonight. Thanks for the Help, everyone here was helpful and encouraging. I wish my co workers were like you.

[[Ia...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

This forum is by FAR where I learned the most about Calypso. Not training, not coworkers that used to program 14 years ago, but this forum. The regulars here are truly amazing.

[[Cl...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Yes sir, you are correct!

[[Me...]]

Heres an Autorun guide I made at my last job.

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

Daniel, I replied to your PM yesterday but it is still in my outbox. Just wanted you to know I wasn't ignoring you.

[[Gr...]]

We have a part here that we EDM 7 at a time on a fixture.
Due to certain constraints we have the parts on a round fixture.
1 part is centered on the fixture with the remaining six set up equally spaced in a Ø6.00 BC around part 1.
I do OK with the AutoRun until the setup of the pallet.
Everything seems to be set up to columns and rows not arrayed.
Any thoughts or ideas on how to do a pallet (fixture) for something like this?

[[To...]]

Please sign in to view this quote.

In the pallet settings, you can untick "Regular" which will change the part alignment option to "LOS" (must be something meaningful in German). You would create a base alignment for each part in the 7 different postions,i.e. align pos1, align pos2, etc.