LINK Systems Microlink - Manual (Page 16)

MicroLink: Operator Interface Terminal
Manual Revision 1.0 4/20/99 5-2
soft key. The Change Limit soft key allows you to
enter a new number for the limit. The Change
Count soft key allows you to enter a new number
for the current count. The Change Setting soft
key will switch the state between on and off.
The counter information can be stored and
recalled on a per job basis. This option must be
enabled on the OIT configuration screen (see
Chapter 4). The default option does not store the
counter information, but the counter quantities are
reset when a new job is recalled. This is the best
choice for the majority of applications.
A description of the usage of each counter is
found in the following sections. The “Inc Scrap”
soft key is described in the scrap counter section
(Section 5.1.4).
5.1.1 Part Counter
This counter is used to track the total number of
parts to be made. For instance, if a manufacturer
needs to produce 10,000 parts of a particular type,
then the part limit should be set to 10,000.
5.1.2 Batch Counter
This counter is used to track the number of parts
in the current batch. This is typically a smaller
number than the part counter. It might correspond
to the number of parts required to fill a parts bin
before a new one must be used. Continuing with
the earlier example, if the parts bin holds 1000
parts, then the
“Batch” limit should be set to 1000.
5.1.3 Quality Counter
This counter is used to track the number of press
strokes that occur before performing a quality
check. The manufacturer in this example may
want to perform a quality check every 250 parts,
so the
“Quality” limit should be set to 250. After
250 parts (press strokes) a stop output is asserted
and the display tells the operator that it is time to
perform a quality check. The operator
acknowledges the reason for the stop and resets
the
“Quality” counter, typically after performing
the quality check. Then the operator can begin
production again.
5.1.4 Scrap Counter
This special counter tracks the number of bad
parts and it requires direct input from the
operator. The MicroLink system counts parts
based on a
“Top of Stroke” input. Each time this
input is activated the system increases the
counters by one, even if the press has made a bad
part (scrap). The
“Scrap” counter works with the
Inc Scrap soft key. If a stroke does not produce a
good part, then the operator should press the Inc
Scrap soft key. This will not only increase the
“Scrap” counter, it will also decrease the “Part”
and “Batch” counters if they are “On” . These
counters are decreased because they track the
number of good parts, so the scrap part will be
subtracted from the total count. Each time the
Inc
Scrap soft key is pressed the appropriate counters
are changed by one, so the key should be pressed
once for each bad part that was formed.
5.1.5 Stroke Counter
This is the total number of strokes that the press
has made since the most recent initialization of
the counter. This counter provides an indication of
how much the press has been used, which can be
an important part of preventive maintenance
tracking. Generally, this counter is reset only if
the press itself has been completely rebuilt.
Therefore, the operator can not reset the
“Stroke”
counter in this screen. It can only be reset in the
OIT configuration screen.
5.2 Job Storage and Recall
One of the primary advantages of a flexible
operator interface terminal, such as the MicroLink
system, is the ease of entering and viewing set up
information. The logical extension of entering the
information is the ability to store the information
for repeated usage. The MicroLink system
provides information storage for up to 250 jobs,
as well as general system configuration
information. The ability to store set up
information on a job by job basis is a vital feature
for any intelligent
production equipment because it saves time
during job changeovers. It also reduces the
likelihood of entering incorrect values because the