Cell Control Retrofit Features Improved Operator Interface

CNC Engineering has updated its Open Vision cell control retrofit solution. The retrofit packages include an improved operator interface with the ability to control multiple machines and pallets and run on a touchscreen, industrial PC connected via Fanuc HSSB. A Fanuc Powermate i-D control with a Fanuc servo system replaces the existing pallet shuttle hardware. The system eases operation and reduces downtime while improving access to training, service, support and parts, the company says.

The Open Vision Cell Control software package can be customized for a variety of manufacturing cells. A user-friendly HMI is said to enable operators to easily set and view the status of pallets and pallet stations. Pallets can be marked as “ready to load,” and their load priority can be set or changed to alter the order in which they are processed.

Pallet placement has been improved so that any pallet can be moved directly to the machine from any pallet station. Pallet-station functionality can be determined by the operator and set with a mouse click, the company says. Stations can be designated independently as either a pallet station or a workstation.

A “random” configuration setting enables the operator to specify whether a pallet can be moved to any available pallet station rather than to a specific “home” station. This is designed to improve cell control operation speed and increase spindle utilization.

Another configuration setting enables the operator to specify that pallets should be moved directly to any available workstation after removal from the machine. This enables the operator to access the processed pallet more easily and perform any post-machining operations, the company says.

Using the system’s operator panel, the operator can move the shuttle in MPG and Jog modes as well as raise and lower the pallet on the shuttle. These functions provide a way to manually move pallets from station to station, including the load station, without being in Auto mode. They also aid in machine setup.

Using the operator panel’s manual mode, the system’s setup screen enables the user to capture the shuttle’s position with the press of a button. The shuttle position can be established at each of the pallet stations should change be necessary due to mechanical changes or repositioning of stations.