Hello,

I have a question on the amount of allowable comments in a Citizen M32 lathe program. I've been programming for years but am new with Citizen machines. Our shop has about 350 CNC machines and about 40 Swiss lathes. The shop has begun to implement a standardized format for program numbering and program headers in an effort to more clearly document our CNC programs as part of our ISO 9001 certification and just to organize things in general. Previously we would have numerous machines with the same program numbers for different parts and some with no information at all in the program to identify what it is used for. We've begun to use a unified numbering system and have put a few lines of comments in the beginning of our CNC programs to identify the customer, part number, revision level, etc.

When attempting to put more than one comment in a program for our Citizen Gen 3 M32 programs, it seems as if this is not allowed. Searching through the manuals, I can't find a clear definition on the rules regarding program comments. In the main program of my first machine, I started the program with it's beginning "O" number and then the one comment next to it (that's seen on the screen) in parentheses. If i put four more lines of info, it will input the program but when it scans it before putting it into the program list, it errors out with "File System Error 7(prog number). Stripping the lines of comments out and just leaving the one comment on the "O" first line, it takes the program fine. There appears to be plenty of memory in the controller, just doesn't like the comments. When loading a bar load program with the first comment line and three lines of comments below it, it loads the program fine but when you display the program on the list screen, it doesn't have any content, just the first line and the three lines of comments, nothing else. It shows that it has the correct size in the program character size parameter in the list but doesn't list the rest of the program, Apparently the whole thing loaded, but the comments are all that is recognized. Stripping the comments other than the first line comment, allows the program to be recognized and used.

If I try to put a program in another Citizen such as an older B2-12 with the extra comments, the comments are displayed fine with no errors, perhaps it is because the other Citizens are Fanuc controllers and this M32 is a Mitsubishi controller (Cincom System M6D).

Does anyone know the rules regarding comment usage in a M3-32 machine? Do the older Mitsubishi controllers have a rule regarding comment usage (limiting it to just the first comment in the opening line? Is it just the M32 series? Is there a format that would allow extra comment to be used? Anyone familiar with these controls? Useful info anywhere? I've searched and haven't been able to locate much on this. The manual doesn't seem to have any info the comment aspect of the program.

Thanks, any info would help,

Tom