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Can someone educate me on "Additional WPC's" Mazatrol Matrix Nexus 2

Chevy427z

Stainless
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
Location
Clinton, North Carolina
Hi folks!

After spending a career in front of Fanuc based machines, I am now tasked with learning the Mazak. I have a few questions and will break them up into separate entries here. First off, the machine is a VTC250D/50 and the controller is a Mazatrol Matrix Nexus 2. I attended Mazak’s school in Cincinatti, but it was very very superficial.

My question is about “additional WPC’s”. How do I use them in my Mazatrol programs? I may be programming wrong, and will try to describe my method here. Say I have two parts (one program), one located at WPC-0, the other at WPC-1. To save time in tool changes I spot drill all my holes (both parts) then drill all holes at both parts, then go on with other ops. I first locate WPC-0, spot drill, then locate WPC-1, spot drill, change tools, while still in WPC-1, drill those holes, the locate WPC-0 and drill those. And so on.

It reads more confusing than it is. Is that the proper method or is there something simpler? If I have, say, 6 ops on each part, I have to go into my program and physically enter all my X,Y, and Z’s of both WPC’s (each time I set the job up). I am thinking that there is an easier way, say, by using those “additional WPC’s” and just referring back to them instead of having to redo (read: insert possible human error) each time. Like you would normally refer back to a G54 and G55 location. Make sense? Sure hope so LOL

I took pictures of the screens with my phone and can upload them if need be. One shows my program, the other shows the "additional WPC" page.

Many thanks!

Mark
 
ahhhhh "prioritize the tools"! That makes sense! Thank you. I appreciate your response. Will look into that.

On a side note, when I went to the school at Mazak we were in a room full of controllers. Had to be 20 different ones. Think they'd have one like mine? LOL nooooo We used a simulator on a PC. It's taken some getting used to, but I am.

Mark
 
The only time I use the additional WPC's is when I wish probe several different parts, or if using a 4th axis and I wish to probe the next index postion without effecting the original datum point. Noramlly only when using the 4th tbh, with multiple parts I'd prefer to WPC-shift then reprobe from there, just remember to shift back to starting point at the end of the program.

If not probing each part however I see little point in using them and prefer using the offset function under the multi options of the common unit, first line of you program. That allows you to shift you program up to 10 times, so say in a fixture plate holding say 6 component, you can set the shift to each part from there, then write your program for one part complete, prioritise your tools, and then the machine will shift and repeat at every part.

I find using the additional wpcs is normally least preferred method as handing the job over to operators can cause them headaches having to reset multiple datum each time, increasing the risk of scrapages.
 
Thank you very much for your responses gents! Makes sense. I'll have to play with it a little. My brain is still thinking that I can access the WPC's the same way I refer to my G54's. The odd thing though, is that in the Maz programs, they are referred to as 0, 1, etc whereas in the "Additional WPC" page, they are reffered to as WPC-A, WPC-B, etc. I am wanting to refer to them once in my program so I don't have to physically input numerous offsets so as to eliminate any human error, which is guaranteed to cause problems.

With regard to "just remember to shift back to starting point at the end of the program." I like to put in safety moves that will return the original offset to home base in case the program is halted halfway through. That's bitten me in the ass more than once when someone else has failed to do that, and then not told anyone :-)

So thank you for the additional info! Will give it a look!

Mark
 
Remember you can still use G54, 55, etc, by going to the work offset page, and this is what I predominantly use over inputting directly to the WPC unit in the program. Reason for this, is when using 4/5 axis you can teach position to G54 whereas you have to manually input the data to a WPC unit. Also I find it makes jumping from Mazatrol to EIA programs on the same job easier as well.

On your WPC unit the second coloumn is 'Add WPC' and the softkeys let you select G54, G55... If you do have multiple WPC's, this keeps everything on one page, rather then searching through large programs and subs for the unit to edit.

Regards
Sean
 








 
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