Rapid Change ATC¶

Rapid Change ATC changes tools automatically with a RapidChange magazine. The spindle turns slowly to screw the collet nut off into an empty slot, then screws the next tool on and measures it.

Only one tool changer plugin can be enabled at a time. See Tool changer plugins.

The spindle spins during tool changes

Keep hands and clothing clear whenever a tool change may start.

Turn it on¶

Open Settings > Plugins.
Disable any other tool changer.
Enable Rapid Change ATC.
Home the machine.
Open the Plugins tab in the console area and press RapidChangeATC.

The plugin now controls the tool buttons on the main screen.

Press Save on each tab after you change something.

Magazine¶

Magazine Settings¶

Collet Size: ER11, ER16, ER20, ER25 or ER32.
Number of Slots: how many slots your magazine has.
Model: Basic, Pro or Premium.
Orientation: whether the slots run along X or Y.
Direction: whether slot 2 is on the − or + side of slot 1.
Slot Distance (mm): the distance between slot centres.

Slot 1 Position¶

Jog the spindle over slot 1.
Press Grab current to store X and Y.
Set Z, the height where the collet nut engages. The easiest way is Auto Detect below.

Sensor Zones and Auto Detect¶

Zone 1 and Zone 2 are the heights where the magazine's IR sensor checks that a tool is really there.

To fill in Z, Zone 1 and Zone 2 automatically:

Set Tool Sensor / IR Port to the input your IR sensor is wired to.
Put a collet, nut and bit in the spindle.
Jog over slot 1 and lower the spindle until the nut blocks the IR beam. Keep the nut centred in the slot. The IR light next to Auto Detect turns red.
Press Auto Detect.

If the IR light doesn't work with your input, open Setting these by hand (no Auto Detect) and follow its steps. Always creep up to the point where the beam clears, in small steps.

Tool Change Motion¶

Z-Retreat (mm): how far the spindle lifts between moves.
Load Plunges and Unload Plunges: how many times the spindle pushes down to screw the nut on or off.
Load RPM and Unload RPM: spindle speed while doing it.
Delay before ATC start (s): a pause before the tool change begins.
Spindle At-Speed: waits for the spindle to report that it is up to speed. Your controller and spindle drive must support it.

If a red warning says your controller's minimum spindle speed is higher than your load and unload speeds, lower that minimum first. Otherwise the spindle turns too fast and can damage the collet or the magazine.

Options¶

Show G-Code Commands on Terminal shows the command the plugin sends, so you can copy it into your own program or post-processor.

TLS¶

Tool Setter Location: jog the tip of a known bit over the tool setter and press Grab current.
Starting Z-Probe (mm): the machine height where measuring starts. Keep it above your longest tool.
Seek Distance (mm) and Seek Feedrate (mm/min): how far and how fast it searches for the tool setter.

Manual¶

Manual Tool Position is where the spindle parks when you ask for a tool number higher than your number of slots, for example a large surfacing bit. You then change that tool by hand. Jog there and press Grab current.

Tools outside the slots keep their offsets

A tool doesn't need a slot to use its TLS offsets and stored TLO. The tool number is looked up as a slot first, then as a Tool ID. See How a tool number finds its tool.

Probe Tool¶

Turn on Enable Probe Tool to add a probe tool button (T99) to the main screen. Load Probe G-code and Unload Probe G-code run when the probe is put in or taken out.

Events¶

Add your own G-code to run at each step:

Pre Tool Change and Post Tool Change: before and after every tool change, for example to turn coolant off and back on.
Pre TLS: just before measuring, for example M64 P1 to switch on a wired tool setter.
Post TLS: just after measuring, for example M65 P1 to switch it off.
Abort Event: when a tool change is aborted.

The Post Tool Change code runs once the new tool is loaded and measured and the spindle has left the magazine and tool setter at safe Z, before the machine goes back to where the tool change started. Use it for steps like picking up a dust shoe. It runs the same way for a tool change you start by hand, not only during a job. Post TLS still runs at the tool setter, right after measuring.

Change a tool¶

Press a tool button on the main screen, or run M6 T2 (for tool 2). A job that reaches a tool change does the same. The machine puts the current tool away, picks up the new one and measures it, then goes back to where it was before the change at safe height. The spindle starts there, not above the tool setter.

If you set Z0 before any tool was measured, the change first measures the tool that is still in the spindle, so your Z0 carries over. A tool that hasn't been measured since power-up is measured for you when you start a job. See Measuring after power-up and Set Z0 before or after TLS.

If a tool doesn't come off or go on, you see Unload Failed or Load Failed. Remove or fit the bit by hand, then press Continue, or press Abort to stop.

For a tool number above your slot count, the spindle goes to the Manual Tool Position and asks you to swap the bit (Manual Unload / Manual Load).

You can also type these in the console:

$TLS: measure the tool that is in the spindle.
$SLOT3: move over slot 3. Use it to check your slot positions.

Troubleshooting¶

The spindle runs too fast during tool changes. Check your controller's minimum spindle speed and your spindle drive's own minimum. See the FAQ.
Tool changes fail right away with Spindle At-Speed on. Your firmware or spindle drive doesn't support it. Update the firmware or turn it off. See the FAQ.
Auto Detect fails. Check Tool Sensor / IR Port, and that the IR light turns red when the nut blocks the beam. If it doesn't, set the values by hand.
The plugin won't enable. Another tool changer is enabled. Disable it first.
No Save button. See the FAQ.