NEXT GENERATION PROTOTRAK REDEFINES MACHINE TOOL CONTROLS
Next generation ProtoTRAK redefines machine tool controls, making them independent of operator skills. XYZ Machine Tools’ new RX ProtoTRAK controls, available on mills and lathes, deliver significant programming efficiencies thanks to its new 15.6” touchscreen and the capacity to store defaults of regularly used machining operations.
The new ProtoTRAK control touchscreen puts all of ProtoTRAK’s advantages at the users’ fingertips. New features, such as Enhanced ProtoTRAK Assistance (EPA), provide instant access to in-depth help for users at any point in the programming/operating procedure and are aimed at improving the ease of use of XYZ ProtoTRAK controlled machines.
The EPA system addresses the change in skill sets that businesses are facing, where traditional mechanical skills with limited technology knowledge are being reversed, with the next generation having possibly lower levels of engineering/metal cutting experience, but higher acceptance of computer technology.
Our RMX control includes an Auto Geometry Engine (AGE) with built-in machining strategies that deliver advanced performance benefits. The AGE function is effectively a CAD capability within the control allowing users to overcome issues when data is lacking from drawings by automatically calculating missing dimensions during programming.
Touchscreen capability takes AGE to a new level, with the new “Tap to Guess” feature. Simply tapping the screen where the intersection or tangent point is unknown, the AGE software calculates the dimension data. AGE is also used in both profiles and pockets and enhances the RMX capability to machine pockets with an unlimited number of islands located within their boundaries.
Aligned with pocket machining, a range of machining strategies can be called on with the new RMX ProtoTRAK control and include a new Adaptive Toolpath feature which can drastically reduce cycle times on complex milling cycles; this feature is more commonly found on high-end CAD/CAM systems.
ProtoTRAK RX controls retain the option for a DXF Converter and here the touchscreen technology delivers substantial advantages with the ability to mix DXF and manual programming during program generation, giving the user total flexibility facilitated by the touchscreen.
The latest generation of ProtoTRAK RX controls continue the evolution with new, innovative ways of reducing programming and cycle times yet, maintaining the original concept of ProtoTRAK to make things as simple and easy to use as possible.
“This concept has seen ProtoTRAK controlled machines continue to make up a high proportion of our sales,” says Nigel Atherton, Managing Director of XYZ Machine Tools. “While at the start of the development process, we spoke to customers and asked what they wanted to see from ProtoTRAK, 95 per cent of what was listed has come to fruition in the RX ProtoTRAK controls.”
To see just how the new ProtoTRAK control can assist your productivity simply request a demonstration from PBS Machine Tools to highlight its ease of use.
For more information please contact PBS Machine Tools – Tel: 011 914-3360.
