Creating a Machine Instruction Activity

You can create a machine instruction activity to use a parallel or a peripheral axis machine in a simulation.

Before you begin: Each machine instruction is specific to a machine. If you change the machine assigned to the Manufacturing Cell, no warning is issued. When you edit a machine instruction after changing the assigned machine, warnings are issued.
  • The related spindle can only contain one Degree Of Freedom (DOF).
  • The tool path is transformed to the machining plane of the turrets to perform turning operations.
  • For a milling operation outside the machining plane, define the proper machine instruction activity to bring the milling tool path to a proper plane.
  • For mill-turn machines:
    • Machine instruction activities are supported by spindles only.
    • When several spindles exist, select the appropriate one before defining the machine instruction activity.
  1. From Programming, click Machine Instruction and an item in the Activities Process Tree.
    The Machine Instruction dialog box is displayed.
  2. Optional: Edit the proposed name.
  3. Optional: Enter a comment.
  4. In the Strategy Parameters tab, under Axis Control define one axis to lock and one or more to keep free.
    1. Select the check box on the left of the axis.
    2. Select Free or Lock in the list on the right.

      Free and Lock options are not available for robots.

  5. Specify the joint values (Degree Of Freedom).
    1. Use the slider bar to define values between the minimum and maximum travel limits. The joint values are displayed graphically as bars. The limits are displayed on these graphical bars. When a value exceeds a limit, the bar becomes red and the text in the bar shows by how much the limit has been exceeded. Joint movements within limits appear in green.
    2. Select Begin or End, and select a plane or a point in the work area to define the axis start or end reference.

      Notes: When selecting:
      • Two points to define an angular Degree Of Freedom make sure they do not lie on the axis of the angularDegree Of Freedom.
      • Two planes to define a linear Degree Of Freedom make sure they are parallel to each other, and not parallel to the axis of the linear Degree Of Freedom.
      • Two planes to define the angular Degree Of Freedom, do not select planes parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis of angular Degree Of Freedom
      • A point and a plane to define a linear Degree Of Freedom, do not select a plane parallel to the axis of linear Degree Of Freedom.
      • A point and a plane to define an angular Degree Of Freedom, do not select a plane perpendicular to the axis of angular Degree Of Freedom and make sure the point does not lie on the axis of the angular Degree Of Freedom.

    3. Optional: Define offsets on those references.
    The component of the machine for which you have defined the Degree Of Freedom moves from the Begin location (selected element+offset) to the End location (selected element+offset). The joint values in the slider and the text box are updated with the new value.
  6. Optional: Define the linear and angular steps for the increment or decrement functions.
  7. Select a Home position from the list.
  8. Click PP word syntaxes tab and define PP instructions as explained in Inserting Post-Processor Instructions.
  9. Click OK.
    A Machine Instruction is inserted in the Activities Process Tree.