Many times in the course of manufacturing, it is common to find that
there are many tasks that can be simplified and/or automated. On those
machine tools with the SIEMENS 840D sl, users have the option to create
both Custom M-Codes and Custom Cycles Both Custom M-codes and Custom Cycles have a common element. They are
both driven by an underlying sub-program file (*.SPF). Custom M-Codes
and Cycles commissioned by a Machine Tool Builder will be located in the'Cycles' area under 'Manufacturer cycles'. Custom M-Codes and Cycles
written by the end-user of the machine tool should be placed in in the 'Cycles' area under 'User cycles'. The 'Cycles' area under 'NC Data' has a specific hierarchy with a
specific priority. When a Custom M-Code is called from within another
program, the SIEMENS system will first search the 'User cycles' area for
the program. If it is not found it will then search the 'Manufacturer
cycles' area and finally the 'Standard cycles' area. The 'Standard
cycles' area is everything that is native to the core SIEMENS NC system.
This data is 'protected' meaning that any Cycle SPF files deleted will
automatically be recreated by the system. Users should leave this area
alone.  The first task in creating the Custom M-Code is writing the underlying
macro program for the M-Code. In this case we'll create a custom M-Code
that will perform a safe reference return for a 5-Axis CNC Mill. We
start by creating a new SPF program in the 'User cycles' area. We'll
call this program PROG_M280 for our custom M-Code, M280. The naming of Custom Cycle Programs and Custom M-Code Programs is
important. Like all other Sub-Programs, the name may NOT start with a
number. Furthermore, the first two characters in the name must be an
Alpha Character or an Underscore ( _ ).   Once the editor window has opened, we then type in our program. There is
an important requirement for a program that will be used for a Custom
M-Code. The first line that will be executed must be the procedure
declaration. In our example we will type PROC PROG_M280 DISPLOF on the declaration line. The command DISPLOF
will keep the code in the program from being displayed during
execution. Once we have completed the program, we then close the editor.  The next step we must take is to alias our program to the M-Code we wish to use. To do so we must navigate to the UMAC definition file under 'NC Data | Definitions'.
Please note that if the UMAC definition file doesn't exist you may need
to create it. We will need to open this file in the editor and add the
necessary command to alias the program to the desired M-Code.  We add the code 'DEFINE M280 AS PROG_M280' on its own line.  We then close the file in the editor. The system will then prompt us to
activate the definitions in the UMAC definition file. The user should
click on the 'OK' softkey. Once the activation is completed
successfully, the system will generate a message to that effect and our
new M-Code is available to be used in a program or MDI.  
In an upcoming article we'll show the method for creating a basic Custom Cycle. |
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SIEMENS 840D - Creating Custom M-Codes
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