Help with auto tool changer

Hello,
Im looking for some help and advice on how to incorporate my ATC.
Below is a diagram from the machine manual, plus a video of the tool changing sequence on an identical machine that I found on YouTube.

I'm new to LinuxCNC so I don't have experience on what to use for what.
I've found topics where a Carousel script is used, and others where Classic Ladder is used. I don't know much about any of those yet, but I'd appreciate advice on where to start and how you would do it.

Later I'd also like to have tool touch-off as in the YouTube-video. So the solution I chose can be integrated with that as well later on.


SW = switch
P = proximity sensor
EV = pneumatic solenoid valve
M1 is a stepper motor

hi
lots of switches to be controlled
so What is your hardware
you need to get every switch to the control Linuxcnc
do you got a Mesa Board on the mashine 7i76?
then it is no problem to connect via a simple Remap M6
you just right a ngc Gcode file that got the logic and makes the moves

pl7i92 wrote:

hi
lots of switches to be controlled
so What is your hardware
you need to get every switch to the control Linuxcnc
do you got a Mesa Board on the mashine 7i76?
then it is no problem to connect via a simple Remap M6
you just right a ngc Gcode file that got the logic and makes the moves

Yes I have the 7i92 plus 7i76.

pl7i92 wrote:

hi
lots of switches to be controlled
so What is your hardware
you need to get every switch to the control Linuxcnc
do you got a Mesa Board on the mashine 7i76?
then it is no problem to connect via a simple Remap M6
you just right a ngc Gcode file that got the logic and makes the moves

And that is basically what the Carousel script does?
So I can use that script as a template?

Yes the carousell makes this things
from the image it is not clear as it is a real carousell that is driven by M1
as you got a real mashine can you provide a side view to the toolsystem
also there is a graycode like switch system to encode the position of the carousell
but you got a pneumatic system as well behind to insert the tool
you might be forced to go you own way IT is offen as in your system better to go for a simple IF...Then ngc
linuxcnc.org/docs/html/man/man9/carousel.9.html

The only moving parts are the arm and its hand.

Solenoid valve EV3 to EV6 control the arm moving up/down and the hand in/out pneumatically. Proximity sensors P1-P2 tell when the arm is up/down. Switch SW12-SW13 tell the positions in/out for the hand/hook.

EV1 releases the tool holder from the spindle hydraulically. Not sure what EV2 does yet.

"Utensili" 1-6 show the position of the tool slots. Each slot has got a switch to indicate if the is a tool present, SW6-SW11.

SW1-SW5 tell the position of the tool slots when the arm is rotating.

P3 tells if there is a tool in the spindle.

A couple of photos attached. In the photos the arm is in the up position , and the arm in the in position

Hi,

your ATC looks like one that needs active locking of tools in the slots (sw6 - sw11). As the arm takes only one tool at time, tool preloading information from linuxcnc is useless for your atc.

But as a tool does not change its parameters as long as it is inside a tool holder, you better look for a bigger picture.

If I had such an atc I would organize my tools and the atc like this:
Suppose you have about 100 tool holders.
So you need a database with the tool parameters, no matter whether the tool is in your cabinet or your atc.
Your atc can hold 6 tools, so you need to tell the database, whether a tool is in the atc or not.
At work we measure the tool parameters optically outside the machine - so no need for a tool touch-off ...
I would create a kind of blackbox for the atc with tool-number and tool-change-signal as hal input and tool-changed as hal-output.

I suppose, sw12 and sw1 is default position for the arm.
So when linuxcnc requests a tool-change for given tool, the atc must find the matching slot for the tool number.
The arm needs to position the slot (by controlling M1?).
The arm grabs the tool (sw13) and the atc needs to release the tool of the selected slot (sw6 - sw11).
The arm moves down (sw5).
The arm moves the tool away from the slot (sw12).
Now M1 changes the arm rotation to match spindle position.
The arm moves toward the spindle (sw13).
Spindle needs to unlock (EV2)
The arm pulls the tool into the spindle (sw1) and the spindle needs to lock the tool (EV1).
The arm then retires (sw12) and hal-signal "tool-changed" could reflect end of tool changing sequence.

Same sequence backwards for moving the tool from spindle into atc with the difference, that the atc locks the tool when selected switch (sw6-sw11) triggers.

I guess neither database, nor carussel does already provide what you need. So little work is required.
Its possible to solve all with linuxcnc tools, but you have to do it on yourself.

Control of M1 depends on whether you have switches or sensors for the arm rotation or if you have to program rotation based on step-calculations.
Pneumatic activation could be realized by relais and/or electrical valves - both can be controlled by hal pins.

Read hal-intro and manual of hal-compile - that should give you a good starting point.
hal_manualtoolchange is a good source too.

Hi,
Newbie here, I have a custom program for homing and Tool Change in C/C++.
I want to replace the existing homing and Tool change to integrate my homing and tool change program with LinuxCNC .
I don't know how to approach this problem so need some help to figure it out.

Thanks and Regards
Abhishek

Hello Abhishek,
I'm pretty new here myself but you can look on my latest answer in this thread:
forum.linuxcnc.org/40-subroutines-and-ng...tx-remap-with-o-code
for a starting point on how to do a toolchange in linuxcnc. If you know how to do a remap, it's all a question of writing o- g- and m-codes and you are pretty much done.
Regards
Mark