Remote programming CAD/CAM system for Morbidelli in-line machines

FLOWSET program is an advanced CAD/CAM system used for remote programming of Morbidelli in-line machines and it is continually upgraded to suit all new machine developments and to add and improve its performances.

The program works under Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP environment.

It easily requires to make a drawing, containing the holes to be machined, to position the machine heads on the holes of the drawing, just matching spindles with holes, in order to obtain: a part-program ready to be executed on the machine; various print outs describing the machine setup (tools and heads) to be used.

The heads and groups positioning occurs by drag, for every face of the panel where the holes are, in a graphic helped way, without the necessity to input any numeric value, but allowing only the movements physically possible on the machine.

Besides groups and heads, all other moving parts of the machine may be graphically positioned, i.e. the back stops, the top clamps.

An archive visualization function shows a graphic list of all the drawings in the selected directory, for an easy search and information on the drawing files.

The program works with MAXIMA, FM400 and ZENITH machines, and may operate with a boring system composed by maximum 5 machines of the same type in the line.

Configuration and tooling import procedures, for the machines where available, provide the program with all the necessary machine information of the boring system, reading it directly, by diskette, from the data found in the numerical controls.

The user-friendly internal CAD environment gives the ability to easily draw all kind of holes in the various faces of the panel.

This simple CAD environment, effective and accessible even to those not used to computer programs, is equipped with hundreds of commands: these include Zooms, Grid, Osnap and Edit commands.

A dimensioning environment gives the ability to easily dimension all drawing entities.

A transparent view shows also the holes laying on the other faces, useful to verify the relative position between holes in the various faces of the panel.

An advanced Macro Programming procedure allows to create customized complex entities as well as to execute repetitive drawing operations.

Undo and Redo commands give the ability, when an error occurs, to restore the drawing at the condition before the error.

Any positioning is checked by the procedure, and warnings are sent to the operator when a collision between the machine parts is found, when positioning limits exceed the allowed values, when a tool is not suitable or not available.

The program allows verification of fingers, top clamps and side mobile guides position, and manages the dowel groups, units made to operating with dowels and glue.

It is possible to rotate the panel when flowing from one to another machine of the boring system.

On every hole/spindle matching the drawing status results upgraded, showing information about the holes already matched, and hence to be processed on the machine, and the holes still to be matched.

The part-program generation, for the machine where available, occurs only when, in the positioning executed, no collisions between the various machine parts and no incompatibility with the available tools are found.

The program allows working with machines having a double back-stop, heads having any shape and rear/front special heads.

Many commands environment allow manual assignment of groups and back-stops positioning values, heads rotation, changing at once the heads assembled on the groups.

Positioning, tooling and requested tools print-outs makes the machine setup very easy and fast.

The procedure computes the optimal positioning of the back-stops, with the ability to manually modify the value set.

The transmission to the machine can be obtained by an RS232 serial line or by networking.

The procedure allows a direct link to AutoCAD 14, 2000, LT and LT2000, the import of ASCII files, the import/export of DXF files.

Recommended configuration

• computer with Pentium processor
• more than 64 Mbyte ram
• 100 Mbyte available disk space
• SVGA card and monitor

Main features

• user-friendly CAD environment with many commands
• various Zoom types and various Osnap functions, to immediate identification of main points of an entity
• ability to draw in exploded view
• easy dimensioning of any entity, on screen and in printed format
• Undo and Redo commands, useful to recover errors
• Macro programming to create customized complex entities as well as to execute repetitive drawing operations
• realization of parametric drawings
• blocks of entities may be inserted in any drawing
• working with MAXIMA, FM400, ZENITH Morbidelli machines
• ability to be used with 5 machines of the same type in the boring system
• graphic positioning of the moving parts of the machine
• automatic computing of the back-stop position
• management of machines having two back-stops
• management of special heads (rear and front) and heads having any shape
• heads rotation
• management of dowel groups and injector units (dowel and glue)
• automatic computing of the needed tools
• the automatic collision control ensures the execution on the machine of the requested machining
• fingers and side mobile guides control
• hole/spindle matching differentiate management for the various stops of a machine and for all machines in the boring system
• machine parameters and tooling read directly from the NC, by diskette, for the machine where available
• part-program visualization
• import and export of files in DXF format
• import of graphic files in ASCII format, for connection with other environments, as Drill-Mate, Cut-Rite, ABCcam, CabinetWare, CabinetVision, Imos, Argo, Easycut and other.
• part-programs created by an ASCII post-processor
• transmission to the machine by RS232 serial line or networking
• more graphic print-outs of the drawing, the positioning and the tooling
• utility procedures for the management of files
• on-line manual, with searching ability
• direct link to AutoCAD 14, 2000, LT, LT2000
• colors and toolbar customizable
• remote diagnosis, by creation of a service disk to be sent to the technical service center
• networking capability