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Get list of tools in table, and in ATC, from controller (on NGC) - already known?

bryan_machine

Diamond
Joined
Jun 16, 2006
Location
Near Seattle
I've now seen or heard a couple of places that folks don't know how to figure out which tools are actually loaded in Haas without some difficult process to inspect the tool changer.

But it turns out you can get a list of what tools the tool table describes, and a list of what tools are loaded into the ATC (with location at the time of query though that of course may change.) At least on the NGC.

(A similar scheme works by dumping the tool table and pocket table on a heidenhain.)

Do most people know this? Are people blocked by the slightly incorrect XML the machine spits out? Should I post the "how to get this to your PC" and "how to transmogrify so you can load it into a spreadsheet" here? (Is it worth a sticky?)

It's not so hard to do with gawk (GNU version of AWK) - which you can download for free....
 
I don't think the control CAN know a proper description of a tool. Even if I used the tool categories, most of my tools would be "Endmill". But is it the 3mm bull, the 1/8" flat, or the #10 threadmill?
 
It won't know that. In my system a tool number is assigned a particular configuration (so T18 is always a 1"dia 2"loc 5-flute endmill.)
All the technique I describe does is show what tool numbers are in the machine's table, AND which tool numbers the ATC thinks are loaded.
It answers the question "do I have a T18 and a T57 in the machine or not?"

If you don't bind tool numbers like I do, it will be much less useful.
 








 
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