OK guys,
I have two machines, one is a Kitamura HX500i and the other is a Makino A51. I need to run a warmup program for the axis and the spindle for atleast 30 minutes prior to production to ensure all the axis and the spindle is warmed up enough to produce parts with consistency. We have seen as much as .003" change in dimensions from running a part with the machine "cold" and after running a warm-up program for a period of time. We have a down time of approx 4 hours between 2nd and 1st shift (2am to 6am) and want to try to get a macro program to start a program at a set time (lets say 0500 hrs everyday).

I was thinking of maybe having the operator start a program at the end of 2nd shift, or incorporate a macro to start the warm up if the machine sits for a set period of time waiting (i.e. when the operator leaves at the end of 2nd shift with the pallet #2 ready to go, it goes in normally, but when that done, the machine will just sit waiting on the pallet ready button to be pressed for the pallet #1 to go back in, but as the operator has gone for the day and pallet #1 still has finished parts so dont want to rerun over it, the machine just sits waiting).


Is this possible? What variables would I look at?


Thanks,
Jake