VMCsi- Clearing ATC Fault

The procedure for entering spindle service mode is different depending on PLC version. To locate the PLC version, press

[Diagnostics]->[Version]

Look at the PLC User Program line. If version is

03.xx.xx, this is the "Old PLC"

05.xx.xx or greater, this is the "New PLC"

With the E-Stop disengaged press the reset key, then perform the following

New PLC- hold [Spindle Stop] and press [Feed Stop] 3 times

The FEED STOP will start blinking slowly

With the E-Stop disengaged press the reset key, then perform the following

Old PLC- hold [Spindle Stop] and press [Feed Start] 3 times

The feed start will begin blinking slowly.

The ATC can fault in many different positions, however there are two states that will make a difference on how the fault is corrected. These are

Fault with spindle empty

Fault with tool in spindle.

"Tool in spindle," means that the fingers of the drawtube are capturing the retention knob of the tooling. If the tool is lined up in the spindle and partially/mostly inserted into the spindle, then it is best to treat this situation as if the tool is in the spindle.

The first photo shows what is mean by the arm being in the "up" position (left) and "down" position (right.)

The tools can be removed from the ATC arm by pushing in the gripper on the arm if the arm is in the up position.

If the arm is in the down position, the circled pin on the arm must be pressed down before the gripper can be depressed.

If there is no tool in the spindle, both tools can be removed by the above methods

If there is a tool in the spindle, it cannot be removed by this method.

With the spindle in Service mode, Hold the [Arm] button and tap on the [+] button. This will bring the ATC arm back to the home position.

Once at home position, press [Pot] and [-] to return the pot to the upward position.

If the arm is back in the home position with no tools in the arm, proceed to step 15 (Confirming Spindle Home.)

When the tool is in the spindle, it is important to know if the ATC faulted when inserting the tool into the spindle or removing the tool from the spindle.

If the control faulted inserting the tool, it will be most helpful to move the arm backward [-] to remove the tool.

If the control faulted removing the tool from the spindle, it will be most helpful to move the arm forward [+] to remove the tool.

This video shows the tool being inserted into the spindle. If the control faulted during insertion, go to next step. If not, go to step 10 (Removing Tool from Removal Phase.)

Before moving the arm, it is best practice to put some cardboard and/or rags onto the table of the machine, in case the tool falls from the spindle.

This procedure is best performed with two people. One person will press and hold the Green manual tool change button on the head of the machine.

** The green button must remain pressed until the tool is clear of the spindle.**

While in spindle service mode, the other person will press and hold the [Arm] button, and tap the [-] key to move the arm toward the home position.

Using [Arm] and tapping [-] will reverse the insertion operation, decreasing the chances of dropping the tool from the spindle.

Once the tool is clear of the spindle, remove the tool by pressing on the gripper. If the arm is in the down position, the pin on the arm must be pressed down before the gripper can be depressed. Then the tool can be pulled out.

Once the arm is at home, press and hold [Pot] and [-] to return pot to the up position.

Advance to Step 15 (Confirming Spindle Home) to confirm the arm is at home and pot returned. Then complete.

This video shows the tool being removed from the spindle. If the control faulted during the removal of the tool from the spindle, proceed to next step.

Before moving the arm, it is best practice to put some cardboard and/or rags onto the table of the machine, in case the tool falls from the spindle.

This procedure is best performed with two people. One person will press and hold the Green manual tool change button on the head of the machine.

** The green button must remain pressed until the tool is clear of the spindle.**

While in spindle service mode, the other person will press and hold the [Arm] button, and tap the [+] key to move the arm toward the home position.

Using [Arm] and [+] will advance the arm through the tool change cycle, removing the tool from the spindle. Performing the procedure in this order will minimize the likelihood of dropping the tool onto the table.

Once the tool is clear of the spindle, remove the tool by pressing on the gripper. If the arm is in the down position, the pin on the arm must be pressed down before the gripper can be depressed. Then the tool can be pulled out.

Once the arm is at home, press and hold [Pot] and [-] to return pot to the up position.

After the spindle has been addressed, there is a possibility that the tool still remains in the pot of the ATC.

If the tool remains in the pot, pressing [Pot] and [-] should return the pot to the Up position and out of the way of the arm.

If the Tool remains in the ATC arm, move the arm to a safe location by pressing [Arm] and tapping [+] or [-].

Like the case of the tool in the spindle, it is best to move the opposite direction the arm was moving when it faulted.

If fault happened during insertion, using [Arm]+[-] will back the tool out of the pot.

If fault happened during extraction, then pressing [Arm]+[+] will advance the tool out of the pot.

If the ATC Arm is in the down position, you may need to press the pin to release the gripper on the tool.

Video of ATC Return to home using [Arm] and [+]

Look at the LEDs on the ATC through the window on the front of the ATC. User should check this to verify that ARM is successfully returned to home position.

When ARM returns to home position, only LED in the middle should be active.

When multiple lights (or any single light other than the center one) are lit, the ARM is not at the home position.

Pressing [Reset] key will take the machine out of spindle service mode.

Press [Jog] and [Ref Point] on MCP, lights should be on above keys to indicate they are active.

Press [Mag]+[+] together to reference the magazine. Verify that pot 1 is in the tool change position, and that the GREEN arrow in the first column of the tool table is pointed to tool 1.

Go through Tool list, and call up and reinstall the tools that were manually removed from the ATC during the clearing process.

Verify the tools in the magazine are consistent with the tools in the tool table.

ATC clearing is complete.