This is the manual of Studio 1.0.2, an earlier version. The manual of the latest version
Documentation 1.0.2 User manual
Machines and power
The machines in Studio, how to switch between them, and how a machine is powered on and homed before it works.
Machines
Each machine keeps its own world: its position, its workpiece, its tools and offsets, its temperatures and its running hours. The machine in your window is the one that runs; the others wait as they were saved. In 1.0 one machine runs at a time.
Switching machines
- Click the machine in the top bar, or press Ctrl+Shift+M (File > Switch machine…).
- Type to find a machine, choose it with ↑ ↓, and press Enter. Result: Studio saves the machine you leave and starts again with the other one. That machine starts cold: power it on and home it.
You cannot switch while a program runs. The list also shows the Practice machines that AI clients use in the background; View (read-only) shows them in AI activity.
The machine library
File > Machine library…, or a click on the brand mark, shows your machines with their state, workpiece and tool, and the machine models. Click the brand mark again to go back.
For the selected machine:
- Open: switch to it.
- Rename…: give it a name of your own.
- Copy as a new machine…: a new machine with this one's world as it was last saved.
- Show its folder: its world on disk.
- Factory reset… (two clicks within 5 s): the machine as it came (see Starting a machine afresh).
New machine… adds a machine of the model in its factory state. New machines, copies and factory resets need the Technician level. The Real MC-1 row is a place held for later: in 1.0 a real machine is connected from the command line (see A real machine).
Power and homing
Powering on
The twin has the MC-1's power chain: the main switch QF1 gives the controller 24 V, and Power on closes the contactor KM1, which gives the drives 48 V and powers the spindle drive. The E-stop opens KM1.
- Go to the step Power.
- If the main switch is off, click Main switch on.
- If the key reads Pressed, the E-stop is pressed: click it, or press F1, to release it.
- Click Power on (F2). Result: the panel shows 48 V on and each drive Ready. The next step is Home.
Homing
Click Home (F3). Z goes up first, then X and Y together, each to the switch at its end of the travel; at real time this takes about 20 s.
Result: Homed: X Y Z, and the soft limits are on. Until the machine is homed after a power-on, the controller is in ALARM:11, and the tool setter, the probe and Go to zero wait.
Soft limits and the travel
The MC-1 travels 200 mm in X, 150 mm in Y and 80 mm in Z. After homing, each axis's machine coordinate is 0 at its home end: X runs from −200 to 0, Y from −150 to 0 and Z from −80 to 0, with 0 at the top of Z.
- A jog that would go past a limit is not done (error:15). A held jog stops just short of it.
- A program line that would go past a limit stops the program with ALARM:2. The position is kept: Reset, Unlock, then check the program and the work zero.
- An axis that hits a limit switch raises ALARM:1: Reset, Unlock, jog off the switch, then Home.