Hi,
I decided to use access to create G-code for my four (so far) CNC routers and I'm haveing trouble envisioning the relationships between the machine, the tool dims and the tool tables in the that exist within the machines.
ToolQty by machine
Onsurd 12
Omni 8
Stile 20
DB_CNC 8
There are tool racks on each in this quantity. When programming I must tell the machine what tool to pickup (physical location like T12 is the 12th position on the Onsurd) and it's related tool number in it's inteternal tool table (like G43H12). G43H is the G-code instruction to go look at this internal table and return the measured tool height. The G43H internal table is up to 99 and stores the tool height of each tool record. Usually the T number and the G43H number are the same so the code would be T12:G43H12 but not always. Sometimes the tool normally in a position is substituted by another tool for a special task and in that case the instruction would be T12:G43H32 where the G43H has been measured and recorded in T32 in the machine tool table.
As an example on the Onsrud the saw tool would normally be 12 and I'd call T12:G43H12. It would pick up the saw and set the height according to the prerecored internal tool number 12. However, I might put a planer tool into fork 12 with it's prerecoreded G43H number of 22 so the code would be T12:G43H22.
I need to write the Access program to recognize the correct tool number and it's corresponding G43H number for each machine.
So, I'm pictureing tbl_Machine>tbl_ToolDims with a lookup table tbl_ToolTable with maybe MachineID, ToolID and G43H number. Is this correct or how would you suggest relating this information?
Ideas/suggestions?