Programs/Subroutines
Masso G3 runs RapidChange tool changes from programs and subroutines that your profile generates. The Masso cannot pass a tool number to a tool change routine, so each tool in your Tools list gets its own subroutine, and the Tool Tracker tells each subroutine which tool is in the spindle.
- Subroutines are numbered files, such as
631.nc. Your G-code and the programs call them withM98; you do not run them yourself. - Programs have names, such as
Load Tool 1.nc. You run them from the Masso.
The Macros Control
The Macros control is in the profile's header. Choose All Macros from its list, then Export or Download:
- Export writes the files, unzipped, into a folder you choose. It is offered only when your browser supports it.
- Download saves them as a zip. Unzip it before you copy the files to the Masso.
All Macros is unavailable while the profile has errors: the box under the control lists them.
All Macros needs at least two tools in your Tools list. With fewer, it is unavailable, and the box under the Macros control shows "At least two (2) defined tools are required to generate tool change macros." A new Solo profile starts with two tools: tool 1 in the Solo and tool 2 Manual.
Generate the files again, and replace them on the Masso, every time you change the profile. The files hold the profile's values; the Masso does not read the profile.
All Macros
The download is named after your profile: Subroutines. Its top level holds the subroutines and three programs; the Programs folder inside it holds the programs you run day to day.
| File | Kind | What it does |
|---|---|---|
63n.nc |
Subroutine | Changes to tool n: M98 P631 for tool 1. One for each tool in Tools. Your post processor writes these calls into your G-code. |
| Tool Change Test | Program | Changes to every tool in turn, then back to the first. |
| Tool Tracker Test | Program | Tests each Tool Tracker pair. See Tool Tracker. |
| Show Active Tool | Program | Shows the tool the tracker holds. Also in the programs folder. |
| Load Tool n | Program | Changes to tool n, as 63n.nc does. One for each tool. |
| Unload Current Tool | Program | Unloads the spindle's tool and leaves the spindle empty. |
| Sync Tool n, Sync Empty Spindle | Program | Tell the tracker what is in the spindle. See Tool Tracker. |
A Tool Change
Each 63n.nc, and each Load Tool n, runs these steps:
- It checks that the tracker has been synced. If not, it stops with "Sync current tool - not synced".
- It reads the tool in the spindle from the tracker. If that is the tool asked for, it does nothing.
- It stops the spindle and rises to Z Clearance.
- It unloads the tool in the spindle:
- A tool in the Solo is unscrewed into the Solo. The spindle rises to Z Clearance and moves by the Access Offset. If the next tool is also a Solo tool, it stops with "Swap solo tools, cycle start": swap the tool in the Solo, then press cycle start.
- A manual tool is unloaded by hand at the Manual Position. The message says what to do: "Manual unload, cycle start" when no tool follows, "Manual unload, load, cycle start" when the next tool is also manual (change it now), and "Unload, prep solo, cycle start" when the next tool is a Solo tool (put it in the Solo).
- It loads the new tool:
- A Solo tool is screwed in from the Solo. The spindle then rises to Z Clearance and stops with "Tool loaded? Cycle Start": check the tool, then press cycle start.
- A manual tool is loaded by hand at the Manual Position, with the message "Load manually, cycle start".
- It records the new tool, rises to Z Clearance, moves to the tool setter and calls
Tn M6, so that the Masso measures the tool. See Tool Setter Position. - It returns to your program.
The Masso shows at most 34 characters of a message.
If the tracker reads a tool number that is not in the profile, the subroutine shows "ERROR: Tool n is invalid!" and returns to your program without changing the tool.
If you see "ERROR: Tool n is invalid!", stop the job yourself: your program carries on with the tool that is already in the spindle. Sync the tracker before you run the job again. See Tool Tracker.