I've got 2 parts, mirrored in Y, on one fixture. The fixture has 3 tooling balls, each with 2 sets of coordinates, one set for each part. Is there a way for me to write both parts into one program without having to pick up the tooling balls more than once?
Yes and no. Yes, you can manually measure as few of them as 1, but in DCC you will have to measure them all twice. IMO, I wouldn't measure the t-balls for the final DCC alignment, I would measure the net pads and locator pins/bushings.
Why? They're left and right hand parts, so measure them separately as right and left hand parts.
They are produced together at the same time and they both go on 1 fixture. I was hoping to program them without having to write 2 separate programs. It would be easier for the program to measure 1 part and then the other before I have to switch the parts out to measure the next set and it looks like I can do that, I just have to dcc the balls more than the one time I was hoping to.
You should be able to measure the tooling balls in DCC or however you typically do your alignment to that fixture-program part 1 then recall that fixture alignment and do the same on second part to keep this to a single program.
I do this all the time, but you will have to do two DCC alignments, how you get to that point is really up to you.
I personally do a manual alignment using the top of the fixture base, an edge of the fixture base, and one of the tooling balls that has values for both parts. Level (plane), rotate (line, edge) and origin to the ball for the LH, then go into DCC and measure the actual part locators for the LH, save that as an external alignment, then do a new Level, rotate, origin alignment for the RH, using the same manual features, still in DCC, and then measure the actual part locators for the RH, save that as an external alignment. Then simply recall those alignments in the check program(s). IF the parts truly are symmetrical, you only have to write ONE program (I always start with the LH), then mirror it for the RH, change the alignment recall, and you are good to go.
Since they're machine on the same setup I would expect them not to move around in relationship to each other. So, I would...
Create a normal part program for the RH part and use the tooling balls to locate that it.
Two things at the end of RH part program:
a. I would create an external alignment with the offsets to the LH part
b. call the LH part program
The LH part program should start with it recalling the external alignment and create a rough alignment to quickly locate it followed with a 'nice' full alignment to lock in the part.
-Or-
Loop your program...ah wait it's a mirrored part never mind.
