Tool Change Command not Executing

Mill
1

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with my Tormach PCNC 440 running PathPilot, and I’m hoping someone can help. I was in the middle of testing a program that had been running fine until it hit a tool change. Instead of moving to the tool change position, the machine just stopped right above the part. I tried stepping through the commands, but it never moved to the tool change position in the Z-axis, and I didn’t get the usual blue bar across the screen prompting for a tool change.

To troubleshoot:

• I loaded a previously proven program that ran fine before, and even that one is failing to execute the tool change.

• I verified that the M6 commands are present in the G-code and confirmed my Tool Change Mode settings in PathPilot are correct.

• I checked the G30 position settings, and they seem fine.

• I recently updated PathPilot, and the issue started around that time. I rolled back to the previous version I had, but the problem persists.

Additional context:

This all started when I was installing an ATC. It was giving me some issues which I’m working through with Tormach’s tech support, so I decided to disable the ATC in the settings and go back to manual tool change mode. However, I left all the connections from the ATC in place, so I’m not sure if that’s contributing. The ATC install is what prompted the software update.

Has anyone experienced something similar or have suggestions on what else I could check? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Edgar

2

Tormach ATC or a 3rd party? Is the tool you were changing to or from shown as being ‘in’ the ATC?

3

Roy,

It’s a Tormach ATC, and no the tool I was going to was not show as being on in the ATC. The ATC is complete empty of tools. Both physically and in Pathpilot.

4

I haven’t run my 440 in a while, which has an ATC, and I’ve loaded tools manually even with the ATC enabled.

As long as the tool number being called is in the PP tool table with length, it should use the ATC to load the tool or prompt you to load it. You should be able to enable the ATC checkbox in the options but not use the ATC or load tools in it (carousel empty and PP representation of empty carousel) and it should manually stop each time and call for you to load tools as required by the program.

Do you have a probe (tool 99)?

What happens if you try and run the built-in probe routines without putting tool 99 in the tool selector?

5

The issue is not just related to the ATC. Even when I disable the ATC in the settings tab and select manual as the tool change method, the machine still won’t move to its upper Z location to load a tool manually

6

Two suggestions:

  1. Post the segment of code with your tool change in it so we can see that
  2. Completely unplug the ATC and try again. You said the problem started after installing it and updating PP so you rolled back the update but didn’t unplug the ATC. I wouldn’t think it would matter but for the sake of diagnosing, it’s good to revert entirely to the previously functioning state.