Rockwell Automation 8520 9/Series CNC Lathe - Manual (Page 470)

Tool Control Functions
Chapter 20
20-14
Use the automatic tool management feature to monitor the life of a tool,
determine when the tool should be replaced, and provide a replacement
tool when that tool is requested in a program.
Tool are assigned to selected groups. Instead of calling a specific tool in a
program, the programmer calls a tool group. The control then selects the
first tool assigned to that group. If that tool has exceeded its entered tool
life, then a replacement tool is selected from the next tool number assigned
to that group. If that tool has exceeded its expected tool life, then the next
tool in the group is selected. This continues until no more tools are
available in that tool group. When a group is called that no longer has any
available tools, an error is generated.
The correct tool length and tool radius offsets are assigned independently
for each tool in the group.
This section describes how to set up the tool groups and the information
that must be entered for each tool group. This section described the
manual method of entering this information. Page 20-26 describes a
method of entering all information into the tables by programming.
Assigning Tool Numbers to Groups
Normally tools that are assigned to the same group have similar
characteristics (such as a boring tool or a drilling tool). If one tool in the
group is worn, the control should be allowed to select any tool in the same
group and still be able to cut the same part using the same program.
Your system installer determines in AMP the usable range of tool group
numbers by determining a boundary. Any tool number that is programmed
above this boundary is used as a tool group number (the value of the
boundary is subtracted from the tool number programmed). Any tool
number that is programmed below this boundary is used as a normal tool
number. A maximum of 200 group numbers are available.
Enter different tool length offset numbers, and radius offset numbers into
the tool management table with the tool numbers in each group. When you
select a tool from a group by the control, the tool length and radius offset
numbers are activated with them getting the data for the tools radius,
length’s for each axis, and orientation from the tool offset tables. See
chapter 3 on entering tool data for details.
20.4
Automatic Tool Life
Management
20.4.1
Tool Directory Data