Turn singlr tool pot off

I have a 4020 Fadal with a GE fadal/fanuc controller series 18i. it has a broken tool pot and i need to turn that pot off so its not trying to use it till the new one comes in. Anyone know where i need to start??

if you dont put a tool in it, it wont use it?

GENERALDISARRAY said:

if you dont put a tool in it, it wont use it?

Click to expand...

If it's a random pot tool magazine, there is no telling. On the newer controls with tool management software, you can out a zero in that pot's input and it would never call that pocket. This is what is used for large tool callouts where the pot to either side is left as a zero.

This is what is used for large tool callouts where the pot to either side is left as a zero.

Click to expand...

I was thinking the Fanucs allowed you to lockout opposing pockets for large tool, Kinda like the oversized tool function on Haas.

LockNut said:

If it's a random pot tool magazine, there is no telling. On the newer controls with tool management software, you can out a zero in that pot's input and it would never call that pocket. This is what is used for large tool callouts where the pot to either side is left as a zero.

Click to expand...

How could it possibly use a given tool pocket if you never call it it up?? Random or not it doesn't matter.

I have one machine that won't call tool zero because the magazine encoder is messed up. Been that way 10 years. That pot just never gets used.

LockNut said:

If it's a random pot tool magazine, there is no telling. On the newer controls with tool management software, you can out a zero in that pot's input and it would never call that pocket. This is what is used for large tool callouts where the pot to either side is left as a zero.

Click to expand...

g-coder05 said:

I was thinking the Fanucs allowed you to lockout opposing pockets for large tool, Kinda like the oversized tool function on Haas.

Click to expand...

On a Fanuc equipped machine the machine builder is almost totally in control of how to manage tool pots, large tools, small tools and a zero pot.

For example, older Mori Seiki machines use Txx to designate "normal" tools and T900x to designate large tools. In most cases this leaves an empty pot on either side of the pot holding a T900x designated tool. Mori also included logic to designate small tools (like drills in collet holders) that were called with T100x. If the control noted that a tool was designated with T100x then it was allowed to place those tools in pots adjacent to T900x designated tools. In this way one could have large tools in the magazine and in most cases still use the full capacity of the magazine.

The Fanuc control does not know or care if there is a magazine or toolchanger for that matter. All it does is send the T data and M6 command to the PMC and the machine tool builder's ladder logic deals with what's going to happen.

The only wrinkle in this is when the machine builder opts to use Fanuc's optional tool life management functions rather than create their own. Then when the program calls a tool that has lifed out the backup tool data is sent to the PMC to figure out what pot to call.