incorporating a pallet change in to cycle in Brother

So I am running a job where the fixtures (vise jaws) have a lot of 1/2' holes in them for tool clearance (drills, taps, and back-chamfer).
I would like to incorporate a pallet change in to the program that would allow the operator to unload the vises, then the pallet would swing back in for a fan-cycle, then swing back out for loading.
FYI, I am only running one pallet. Not that it matters, but only one pallet has vises on it right now.
It happens to be pallet#2. So I found the M-codes in the manual. M410 = pallet#2 out, M411 = pallet#1 out.
Surely it is not as simple as:

M410;
M00;
M411;
(fan cycle);
M1;
M410;
M30;

And can this be accomplished with the pallet-ready button rather than the cycle-start button?

I haven't tried anything yet. Figured I would ask before I start messing around.
Yes, I have owned this machine 4 years now . But this is the first job in it other than the one it was purchased for.
I'm still a neophyte!
BrotherFrank? Andy?

Hi Bill. I think this would work but I think you will need to press the regular cycle scrap button for the blow off pallet changes. You will still use the pallet start button to start the program from the beginning. It is possible to add another cycle start button to the front of the machine.

Should be simple with Macro Programming.

Variable = 1 at the beginning of your cutting program
Variable = 2 at the end of your cutting program

Logic check at the beginning. If variable = 2 jump to n9999 run fan cycle.

At end of fan cycle set variable back to 1.

BROTHERFRANK said:

Hi Bill. I think this would work but I think you will need to press the regular cycle scrap button for the blow off pallet changes. You will still use the pallet start button to start the program from the beginning. It is possible to add another cycle start button to the front of the machine.

Click to expand...

I think the very last thing an operator panel needs is a choice between two green buttons, no matter how well labeled. In my shop, I've been putting a lot of effort in taking away any responsibility I can from the operators, and it's made my life so, so much easier.

dstryr said:

Should be simple with Macro Programming.

Variable = 1 at the beginning of your cutting program
Variable = 2 at the end of your cutting program

Logic check at the beginning. If variable = 2 jump to n9999 run fan cycle.

At end of fan cycle set variable back to 1.

Click to expand...

This is how I do it. I'll give you an example for a part that gets machined on the outside, then a sleeve is installed to support some very thin walls while the inside gets machined. This is accomplished via M0 on our Haas, so I refer to this macro setup as "BEFORE M0" and "AFTER M0":


( O0100 PN & REV R650 )
(PALLET 1)
G0 G17 G40 G49 G80 G90

N4001
IF [#850 LT 1] GOTO 1300
IF [#850 GT 2] GOTO 1300
IF [#850 EQ 1] GOTO 1000
IF [#850 EQ 2] GOTO 1100

(BEFORE M0)
N1000 M98 H1

(AFTER M0)
N1100 M98 H2

(END)
N1200 G0 G17 G80 G90 M289
G0 G91 G28 Z0.
G90
M30

N1300 #3000=1 (#850 NOT SET CORRECTLY)
N5000 #3000=2 (SLEEVE INSTALLED)
N5001 #3000=3 (SLEEVE NOT INSTALLED)



(*********************(BEFORE M0)*****************************)
N1
SUB CALLS
or
MACHINING CODE
(******************************************************************)

#850 = 2
GOTO 1200

(***********************(AFTER M0)*****************************)
N2
SUB CALLS
or
MACHINING CODE
(******************************************************************)

#850 = 1
GOTO 1200

That looks good Matt. Where do the N5000 and 5001 alarms come from? Do you also probe to verify the correct part is loaded? It seems probing is the final 'failsafe' necessary.

BROTHERFRANK said:

That looks good Matt. Where do the N5000 and 5001 alarms come from? Do you also probe to verify the correct part is loaded? It seems probing is the final 'failsafe' necessary.

Click to expand...

Good catch Frank. Yes, on this part I'm probing for the presence of the sleeve and alarming if it's not correct, depending on which side of the M0 it's on. I've been implementing more and more probing, to the point that every single program has probing in it to accomplish this or that.

Thanks for the input Matt. I wish I knew what I was looking at! I literally know exactly ZERO about macros.
And I'm not sure I'm smart enough to figure out / learn it? (very NOT tech savvy)
I can do M98/M99 subs, but that is about it.

I got it working with simple M410/M411. But yea, we do have to use cycle-start. I get where you are coming from though on "idiot proofing"! (boy do I ever)
My guy is pretty good, so I'm not to worried. I wouldn't let just anybody run it though! LOL
Beats the snot out of what he was doing:
(we are only running one pallet) run program, manual pallet swap, empty vises, manual pallet swap, change to fan-cycle program, run fan-cycle,
Manual pallet swap, change back to main program, load vises, run program. What a mess!

wheelieking71 said:

Thanks for the input Matt. I wish I knew what I was looking at!

Click to expand...

I started a big long post but decided against it. Email me your part program and your fan program and I'll send you back a program that will do what you want. All you'll have to do is populate two macro registers, which is super easy and I'll include instructions for how to do that as well.