The engine to select tools is quite complex and provides a unpaired flexibility.
The restrictions are Boolean conditions that are verified. If accepted (true), the tool passes that restriction and can be considered a candidate to a determined operation.
Lately, by request of a company with a IP4000, IP4500 and IP5000 machine and Sinumerik control, and because the possible collisions that depend on the machining diameter/arrangement of tooling, a new restriction was added to the tool table. This restriction verifies if the machining diameter matches the value set by the customer. If it does the tool is a candidate to be used, if not, the tool is discarded.
On the example below the following premises where matched:
- For facing until 125mm of diameter use the tool with offset ‘D8’
- For larger diameters, the same tool will be used, but located differently and using the offset ‘D58’
To achieve this flexibility the user must create two tools: The D8 that is suitable to machine until 125mm and the D58 that is able to machine more, therefor without the diameter restriction. Also since the D8 has the restriction, it should have a higher priority for example 1, while the D58 should have, for example 2.
And on the tool definition, the diameter restriction can be easily set as:
For the D58, and since we do not want to add any diameter restriction, the setting can be left empty.
On version 5.4.3.9, for drills, also a maximum diameter restriction was added. More information on the tool management settings: Tool management – Definitions