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I am completely lost.

Ron L
My company recently purchased an OPTI 321 running 2018 software. We do not have a touch probe on our machine. It is being used in vision only.

I am not a QC inspector and I've only ever programmed a machine using M codes.

I was sent to the 3 day class and then had 8 more hours of instruction here on our machine. I'm still completely lost.

I have been working on this machine for weeks and have yet to make a program that runs.

I bought the training manual that came with the labs when I took the course but the icons in the manual do not match my machine.

Is there an online tutorital or video that I could watch to walk me through the basics? I need something geared at a user who has NEVER used anything like this before.

Thank you!
  • Start with getting more into detail as far as what you're lost with. I'm lost.

    Is not finding icons is what is holding you back?
    Never learn PcDmis from icons, learn it from the menu drop downs first then shortcuts. Icons are user customize-able, you'll pull your hair out if you depend on icon layouts everyone has a different layout that works best for them.

    Some of the training provided from Hexagon 'should' be enough to get started.
  • What's your biggest struggles? What kind of parts are you trying to measure? Can you copy in some code for us to view what you are trying to do?
  • Thanks for the responses guys.

    Most of our parts are flat plates with holes drilled in them. They SHOULD be very easy parts to program.

    What I did was create a program with my trainer. We ran it and everything worked fine.

    I took the program that I knew worked and tried to manually edit it make a new program. Since all my parts are measured off the same corner with the same alignment I thought I could just edit the numbers and have a new alignment for my new part. This did not work.

    Also I am using a vision only machine. Is it realistic to think that I can write an entire working program just using a DXF file and not an actual part?

    Thanks!
  • Thanks for the responses guys.

    Most of our parts are flat plates with holes drilled in them. They SHOULD be very easy parts to program.

    What I did was create a program with my trainer. We ran it and everything worked fine.

    I took the program that I knew worked and tried to manually edit it make a new program. Since all my parts are measured off the same corner with the same alignment I thought I could just edit the numbers and have a new alignment for my new part. This did not work.

    Also I am using a vision only machine. Is it realistic to think that I can write an entire working program just using a DXF file and not an actual part?

    Thanks!

    If the parts you are measuring have the same manual and DCC alignments, and all you are doing in modifying the feature after the alignment, then yes, it should work. However, if you are messing with alignments, then that is where things can get tricky.

    With vision, you can program off a DXF, however, you still have to tell the machine where the part is on my plate. This requires a manual alignment.

    Maybe post some code?


  • Also I am using a vision only machine. Is it realistic to think that I can write an entire working program just using a DXF file and not an actual part?



    Anything is possible if you have the time!

    Anyways, it's not probable to have a perfectly good, working program, first try, without any CMM involvement. You have to adjust lighting parameters, focus, and the like.
    It's do-able, don't get me wrong.

    I've never used DXF with PC-DMIS, however I'm under the impression it's basically 2D CAD with point data.
    Using this, you can program in every single feature you want to check, have your alignments all set up, the whole nine.

    HOWEVER, you will still have to stick the part on the machine and verify it runs through correctly before you can consider it a "finished" part.
    9/10 times, even IF you create a perfectly good, working program, first try, you'll have to adjust the focus, lighting, and filtering, as this is impossible without prior knowledge of how the camera will "see" the part.

    It's not so much different from using a touch probe, once you get around the fact that there's not a physical tip.
    Get everything programmed on your DXF as best as you can, chuck it in the CMM and hope for the best. (Obviously, run it slow first!)

    As mentioned above, you will need a manual alignment in the beginning to tell the machine where the part is. From there, using the DXF nominals, it should be able to take points/scans effectively
  • Using just a .dxf and not an actual part is h3LL. Or at least it is for me. At least OFFline. I know.... lots of variables there. I don't like CAD=PART at all, but when forced to do 2D profiles? I've no choice.
    Maybe am off my mind here, but the Hex Vision team FINALLY fixed it in 2018R2. But back to .dxf......
    Adventure seekers might do well to follow this path:
    C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hexagon\PC-DMIS\2018 R2\CAD\MycronaDemoPart.dxf
    Have fun with THIS insanity. Please kick the tires on this and report back. As Bfire asked me? Try a blob. Try lots of anything with this. OFFline. Then try on actual machine. (I know there is no actual part)
    But hopefully you'll enjoy the exercise and report back on how it all worked out. Sunglasses
  • Thanks for the responses folks. I've been programming with this thing for a couple of weeks now and while I AM making progress I'm still not able to make a 100% working program.

    Let me start with some very basic questions:

    In class I was taught to select two points on the lower edge of the part and then create a line between those two points. Next would be to create an alignment for line 1.

    Couldn't I accomplish the same thing by creating an auto line and then an alignment?

    I'm measuring flat parts with holes in them. I know I need a manual and a DCC alignment. What are the minimum features needed to make these alignments?

    I'm headed back to the machine to work on it now. I'll upload some code later. Maybe you can let me know if I'm doing this right?

    Thanks!





  • Thanks for the responses folks. I've been programming with this thing for a couple of weeks now and while I AM making progress I'm still not able to make a 100% working program.

    Let me start with some very basic questions:

    In class I was taught to select two points on the lower edge of the part and then create a line between those two points. Next would be to create an alignment for line 1.

    Couldn't I accomplish the same thing by creating an auto line and then an alignment?

    I'm measuring flat parts with holes in them. I know I need a manual and a DCC alignment. What are the minimum features needed to make these alignments?

    I'm headed back to the machine to work on it now. I'll upload some code later. Maybe you can let me know if I'm doing this right?

    Thanks!




    To answer your first question, yes. However, in manual mode it is easier to just do 2 points and create a line rather than an auto line. You use auto line in DCC.

    You need to control all 6 degrees of freedom when creating an alignment. It really depends on your part. So if you have a flat part, you alignment could look like this: 

    PNT1       =FEAT/VISION/SURFACE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
PNT2       =FEAT/VISION/SURFACE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<-2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<-2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<-2,-2,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
PNT3       =FEAT/VISION/SURFACE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<-2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<-2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<-2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
PNT4       =FEAT/VISION/SURFACE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<2,2,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
PLN1       =FEAT/PLANE,CARTESIAN,TRIANGLE,NO
            THEO/<0,0,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<0,0,0>,<0,0,1>
            CONSTR/PLANE,BF,PNT1,PNT2,PNT3,PNT4,,
            OUTLIER_REMOVAL/OFF,3
            FILTER/OFF,WAVELENGTH=0
ALN1       =ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:STARTUP,LIST=YES
              ALIGNMENT/LEVEL,ZPLUS,PLN1
              ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,PLN1
            ALIGNMENT/END
PNT5       =FEAT/VISION/EDGE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<-2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<-2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<-2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
PNT6       =FEAT/VISION/EDGE POINT/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN
            THEO/<2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            ACTL/<2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            TARG/<2,-5,0>,<0,1,0>,<0,0,1>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
LINE1      =FEAT/LINE,CARTESIAN,UNBOUNDED,NO
            THEO/<-2,-5,0>,<1,0,0>
            ACTL/<-2,-5,0>,<1,0,0>
            CONSTR/LINE,BF,2D,PNT5,PNT6,,
            OUTLIER_REMOVAL/OFF,3
            FILTER/OFF,WAVELENGTH=0
ALN2       =ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:ALN1,LIST=YES
              ALIGNMENT/LEVEL,ZPLUS,PLN1
              ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,PLN1
              ALIGNMENT/ROTATE,XPLUS,TO,LINE1,ABOUT,ZPLUS
            ALIGNMENT/END
CIR1       =FEAT/VISION/CIRCLE/DEFAULT,CARTESIAN,IN,LEAST_SQR
            THEO/<0,0,0>,<0,0,1>,2,0,0
            ACTL/<0,0,0>,<0,0,1>,2,0,0
            TARG/<0,0,0>,<0,0,1>
            ANGLE VEC=<1,0,0>
            SHOW FEATURE PARAMETERS=NO
            SHOW_VISION_PARAMETERS=NO
ALN3       =ALIGNMENT/START,RECALL:ALN2,LIST=YES
              ALIGNMENT/LEVEL,ZPLUS,PLN1
              ALIGNMENT/TRANS,ZAXIS,PLN1
              ALIGNMENT/ROTATE,XPLUS,TO,LINE1,ABOUT,ZPLUS
              ALIGNMENT/TRANS,XAXIS,CIR1
              ALIGNMENT/TRANS,YAXIS,CIR1
            ALIGNMENT/END


    But it really depends on your part. You can't just go off of one feature and expect the program to run. You need to constrain the part and tell the machine "where" your part is on your machine. That is where the manual alignment comes in, then duplicate it with your DCC alignment.
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