I just acquired my first Multicam. Its a MG204. I'm slowly learning my way around the machine. What has me stumped is using multiple tools. I put an HSD cat30 10hp spindle on the carriage. I had hoped to just do manual tool changes. I'd put a rack ATC but the X axis is not long enough to accommodate it without giving up process area.
I assumed Multicam would be like AXYZ or Centroid or Mach3. You could qualify multiple tools before you ran a job. When the new tool came up in the G-code, the machine would stop and ask for the tool. You'd pop in the new toolholder and tool and away you go without having to qualify the tool length.
I'm sure I could write my post processor to stop and ask for the tool when it's needed. I just can't find a way to qualify tools without an ATC.
With the AXYZ machines I had, you could qualify up to 16 tools -- forgotten at shut down but still quite useful. With Centroid, it would remember the tool data indefinitely. You could store hundreds off tool measurements.
Is there a way for the Multicam OS to store tool lengths without an ATC. If it does, does it stay stored in the memory after a shutdown.
Thanks for your help.
Richard Rew