Tool Measurement
While Tool Measurement is enabled, a tool is measured during a tool change, after you confirm the new tool is loaded, and whenever you run the Measure Tool macro. Tool 0 is never measured. The spindle moves to the tool setter at X Position and Y Position in Tool Setter Position, then down to Z Start Position. From there it probes down toward the tool setter at Seek Feed, no farther than Seek Dist. Where your controller shows Retract Dist and Set Feed, the spindle then lifts off the tool setter by Retract Dist, and a second probe down at Set Feed takes the measurement. The measured Z is written to the tool table as the current tool's length, and the offset is applied with G43 H[tool], where [tool] is the current tool number.
Your controller's own pages give its exact sequence.
Profile Section
The chip in the section's header switches tool measurement between Enabled and Disabled. A new profile starts with it Enabled. While it is disabled, the section cannot be expanded, and no tool is measured, either during a tool change or by the Measure Tool macro.
It can help to get tool changes working first, with tool measurement disabled, and enable it once they do.
Fields
Your controller shows the fields it uses.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Z Start Position | The MACHINE COORDINATE Z where the spindle starts probing. It may not be above Z Clearance in Manual Position. |
| Seek Dist | The farthest the spindle probes down toward the tool setter. Default 70 mm. |
| Seek Feed | The feed rate of the first probe toward the tool setter. Where Set Feed is not shown, this is the only probe, and it takes the measurement. Default 200 mm/min. |
| Retract Dist | Where shown: how far the spindle lifts off the tool setter between the first and second probes. Default 2 mm. |
| Set Feed | Where shown: the feed rate of the second probe, which takes the measurement. Default 50 mm/min. |
The feed rates are flagged outside 25–1000 mm/min, and Set Feed, where shown, is flagged if it is faster than Seek Feed. Seek Dist is flagged outside 10–125 mm, and Retract Dist, where shown, outside 1–20 mm.