Material Control Processes (MCPs)

A Material Control Process (MCP) can be used for PartMaker/Turn, PartMaker/Turn-Mill, and PartMaker/SwissCAM applications.

There are two categories of Material Control Processes:

• Processes that use a turret tool:

  • BF — Bar Feed
  • PSG — Pull with Side Gripper
  • PFG— Pull with Front Gripper
  • RMS — Remove from Main Spindle
  • RSS — Remove from Sub-Spindle

• Processes that do not use a turret tool:

  • TF — Tailstock Forward
  • TR — Tailstock Retract
  • PSS — Pull with Sub-Spindle (called Rechuck in PartMaker/SwissCAM)
  • TPM — Transfer Part from Main to Sub-Spindle

The String Reserved Word <mcp-function> specifies a name of an MCP.

<mcp-function> can have the following values: BF, PSG, PFG, RMS, RSS, TF, TR, PSS, TPM.

The Logical Reserved Word <mat-control-process> is used to determine if the current process is a Material Control Process.

This example checks to see if the current process is the Bar Feed Process:

<if><mat-control-process> <then
<if><eq-string>(<mcp-function>,BF)<then>
...................
<endif>
<endif>

Other reserved words used with MCPs:

• Numeric Reserved Words — <mcp-pull_distance>, <mcp-total-pull>, <catcher-x>, <catcher-z>
• String Reserved Word — <catcher-num>

<mcp-pull_distance> — Specifies the pull distance entered in PartMaker's Material Control Process Parameters dialog. <mcp-total-pull> — Specifies cumulative pull distance. <catcher-x>, <catcher-z>, <catcher-num> are used with Remove MCP (RSS, RMS) for indexing the turret from the gripper to the part release position.