The Mounting Location Dialog Box
Introduction
This topic explains how to use the Mounting Location dialog box that displays when mounting tools or adapters from either the loose tools or tool shelf items in the tool crib device tree, moving them from one station to another, or when adding or mounting tools or adapters to milling spindle devices.
Mounting Locations Dynamic Parameters
There are four parameters in the Mounting Location dialog box that define the mounting location of tools or adapters to tool devices in the tool crib: Device, Station, Substation, and Adapter. These parameters dynamically update based on the available stations, currently mounted tool or adapters, and from where you access the dialog box. When the Mounting Location dialog box displays, make all applicable selections from the top to the bottom, as each setting determines what options display for the next parameter. To select a new option from any of the four settings, click the down arrow and click to select an item from the list as explained next.
Note: Some or all of the following parameters display in the Mounting Location dialog box depending on how you access it. If the list for any parameters is blank or only contains a single option, then there is nothing to change for that parameter. Also, for example, when selecting a station, if the station is already full, then it does not display as an option in the Station list.
Device
The Device list displays all available tool devices (turrets or milling spindles) in the tool crib. The device name displays using the name defined in the submachine definition of the Current Settings. Select a device from the list to determine where the selected tool and/or adapter is mounted. Note that the action you are performing determines whether or not you can change the device. If only one device is listed, then you cannot change the device. For example, when mounting a tool from the Loose tools category of a device, you can only mount tools to that device. When mounting a tool or adapter from the tool shelf, you can select any device in the tree. Select the device to determine what stations display in the Station list.
Station
The Station list displays all available stations for the selected device. Turret devices display the number of stations that are defined for the turret in the machine definition, and milling spindle devices display the number of stations based the Tool Changer Stations value defined in the machine definition. Note that when all mounting locations for a specific station are full, that station number is automatically removed from the list. Select a station to determine what substations display in the Substation list.
Substation (Turret Devices)
The Substation list displays all of the available mounting locations for the selected station (of turret devices only). Note that the number of mounting locations defined for each station of the turret in the machine definition determine how many substations display. When there is more than one substation for the selected station, select a substation to which the tool or adapter is mounted. Select a substation to determine what adapter tool mounting points display in the Adapter list.
Adapter
The Adapter list displays all tool mounting points (TMP) when selecting a station (milling spindles) or substation (turrets) that already has an adapter mounted to it. Note that adapters may have one or more tool mounting points, which are defined for the adapter in the Tool Adapter Definition dialog box. If there is more than one TMP, select the location to which you want to mount the tool.