[Lene Madsen]

Hi all. I just got myself a Mori Seiki M-300, A1 with Fanuc 10M-A controller. It has APC type 1. I have never worked with a 2 pallet machine before.

As there are no programs in it's memory and I wasn't provided with any manuals that describe how to program APC I'm a bit confused. Pallet changes by using M60 and M61, that much I figured out. But since the two vices on the pallets aren't exactly alike I need to the machine to operate in different coordinate systems according to which pallet is being used. My question is, how does the machine keep track of this (or do I have to keep track)? Do I just use G54 and G55 (f.ex.) and then always make sure to start on the right pallet when I begin work?

Please if someone can explain how the machine "thinks" it would be a great help

[macroguy]

The machine will not keep tract of the work offsets for the pallets. Its just like saying its suppose to keep tract of where you set G54 last week. When you put a pallet in you do your setup and your work offset, and call that pallet in with your program. Now if you had a much newer machine with the correct control it would associate the program with the pallet. That is what cell systems do all the time. So does M60 call pallet number 1 and M61 call pallet number 2? If so you use which ever one to pull that pallet in that your code is to run on.
You use programs and macro's to tell the machine what to do. Its not going to remember anything you don't tell it to do. Other than basic stuff like Home position etc.
Its the program you write that is going to tell it what you want.

[Lene Madsen]

Thank you for the reply. I ended up figuring out how to do it, and yes you are correct I more or less have to keep track of which pallets use which coordinate system. Although the machine does keep track of which program to run with each pallet, from a setting in the APC.

[macroguy]

I would like to know how you access and use that APC feature you mentioned.

[Lene Madsen]

Via the NC/PC key I can enter a sub menu in which I can input that program 1 should run on pallet A and program 2 on pallet B, or program 67 on A and 53 on B, so forth. Then I have a main program (a third program) and when I call M60/M61 in this program the machine changes pallet and calls the program associated with whichever pallet it changes to.
I can then use G55/G56 etc inside those subprograms. I basically only use my mainprogram to make pallet change and when pallet A is called, the machine jumps to associated program, in which I call the right coordinate system. It does not matter which pallet I start with, as the machine keeps track. I have not found a difference between M60 and M61 (maybe it's the direction the pallet turns).

Does this make sense?