Managing tools

The best way to organize your total tool stock is to use the Administrated Tool Board (ATB) – a practical piece of equipment that can store up to 30 tools!

(a) The Administrated Tool Board (side view); (b) The Administrated Tool Board (top view)

By adding tools to the virtual ATB, you can store your tool stock in DentalCNC. This is required before you can equip the virtual tool magazine.

For each of the 30 positions in the virtual ATB, DentalCNC displays a tool card which is empty by default.

An empty tool card

1. To add a tool to the desired position, select the following icon on the corresponding tool card:
• DentalCNC displays a list of all tools that are available for your machine.


List of all available tools

Not every tool is usable with every machine. When you add tools to the virtual ATB, you can only select the available tools for the connected machine.

2. Select the tool that matches the tool in the corresponding position in your physical ATB. To identify the tool types, use their match codes. If you don't use the physical ATB, you need to find your own way of organizing your physical tool stock.

You need to keep track of which physical tools correspond to the tools in the virtual ATB. This is important as DentalCNC stores individual parameters like the remaining tool life for each tool.

• DentalCNC displays the match code and the remaining tool life of the selected tool in the tool card.


A tool card showing tool data

3. (Optional) After adding all tools to the virtual ATB, move the tools which are required for your next job to the virtual tool magazine.

Before every job, you have to make sure that the correct tools have been loaded into the virtual tool magazine in DentalCNC and into the tool magazine of your machine. The positions of the tools in the machine and in the application must match.

NOTICE! If the positions of the tools in the tool magazine do not match the tool positions in the virtual tool magazine in DentalCNC, the machine will use the wrong tools and machining will fail.

1. Make sure that you have added all required tools to the virtual ATB.
2. Select and hold on the desired tool card and drag it to the correct position in the virtual tool magazine.


Moving a tool card from the virtual ATB to the virtual tool magazine

• DentalCNC displays the tool card at its new position in the virtual tool magazine. The match code on the original tool card in the virtual ATB is displayed in gray.


(a) Successfully moved tool card; (b) A grey tool card in the virtual ATB

What is a backup tool?Tools are designed for specific machining steps. DentalCNC automatically loads the correct tool for each step from the tool magazine of your machine. In case the tool life expires during machining or if the tools breaks, DentalCNC can automatically load a backup tool from the tool magazine to continue machining. The tool that is used by default is called the 'primary tool'. A tool that can replace a primary tool is called the 'backup tool'. Primary tools and their backup tools have the same tool match code.

To add backup tools, simply add more copies of the corresponding tool to the virtual tool magazine.

1. For each backup tool that you want to add, add 1 copy of the corresponding tool to the virtual ATB.
2. Move the copies to the virtual tool magazine.
   

   (a) Adding 2 copies of the same tool to the virtual ATB; (b) Moving the 2 copies to the virtual tool magazine

3. Load the physical tools into the corresponding tool magazine position in your machine.
• The virtual tool magazine contains multiple copies of the same tool type. In the virtual tool magazine which displays in the Machining view, you can see which tool is the primary tool and which is the backup tool.
  

  Indicators for primary and backup tool

If you put a tool that was in the tool magazine of your machine back into the physical ATB, you should also update the virtual tool magazine and virtual ATB in DentalCNC accordingly.

• To move a tool from the virtual tool magazine to the virtual ATB, select the following icon on the corresponding tool card:
• DentalCNC removes the selected tool card from the virtual tool magazine. The tool card displays at its original position in the virtual ATB.

Keeping track of tool life values is one of the major functions of DentalCNC.

The formula is:

Maximum tool life — Operating time = Remaining tool life

You can manually enter the maximum tool life for each tool type in the Tool list in the DentalCNC settings.

The remaining tool life in hours displays on the corresponding tool card as a decimal value (e.g., 7,5 means 7 hours and 30 minutes are left). In addition, a red circle shows the used up tool life as a percentage of the maximum tool life:

• If the circle is empty, the tool has not been used yet and the remaining tool life is 100 % of the maximum tool life.
• The more the red circle is filled, the less tool life remains.
• If the circle is completely filled, the tool should be replaced at the latest.

It is not a good idea to wait until the remaining tool life is 0 before exchanging a tool, unless you have specified a backup tool. As tools continuously wear out during machining, a tool with a tool life close to 0 might break before the job is finished.



Tool cards with different remaining tool life values

When tools are worn and you want to exchange them, you need to reset the remaining tool life in DentalCNC. You can do this by simply selecting an icon. There is no need to remove the tool and reactivate it.

1. To reset the tool life, select the following icon on the desired tool card in the tool magazine:
2. Confirm the security prompt.
• DentalCNC resets the tool life to the default value for the corresponding tool type.

If a certain tool is no longer part of your tool stock (and you don't plan to replace it soon), you should remove it from the virtual ATB in DentalCNC.

1. If required, move the tool from the virtual tool magazine to the virtual ATB.
2. On the corresponding tool card, select the following icon:
• DentalCNC replaces the tool card with an empty tool card. You can add a new tool to the now empty position.

You can equip the tool magazine of your machine in two ways:

• By manual insertion into the tool magazine This is the fastest way. It is described in the documentation for your machine.
• About the spindle You insert a tool into the collet chuck and the spindle places the tool in the tool magazine. This option takes more time, but might be more convenient for some. It is described below.

You can equip the tool magazine via the spindle as follows:

1. Make sure that you have added all required tools to the virtual tool magazine.
2. In the upper right corner of the Tool management view, select the following icon:
• The Equip tool magazine window opens. All tools in the virtual tool magazine are listed and are deactivated by default.


The window for equipping the tool magazine via the spindle

3. Activate all tools that you want to equip via the spindle. Deactivate the tools that you do not want to equip.

Tools will be equipped in the order of their position numbers.

4. (Optional) While you are equipping the tool magazine via the spindle, the machine will automatically remove all tools that are blocking the relevant tool magazine positions. You will have to manually remove them from the collet chuck of the spindle. If you want to avoid this, manually remove all tools from the relevant tool magazine positions of the machine.
5. To start equipping the tool magazine, select the following icon:
• The following happens:
1. The current dialog window closes.
2. The spindle moves to the first selected tool position and checks if there is a tool in this position. If there is, it picks the tool up.
3. The spindle moves to the tool change position.
4. If your machine is equipped with an automatic working chamber door, the door automatically opens.
5. A dialog window opens. DentalCNC prompts you to confirm the opening of the collet chuck.

6. CAUTION!Wear gloves.

7. Open the working chamber door.
8. If there is a tool in the collet chuck of the spindle, hold it in place.


 

9. Confirm the current message.
• The collet chuck opens.
10. If present, remove the tool from the collet chuck.
11. Insert the tool into the collet chuck and hold it in place. Be sure to insert the tool until the tool ring reaches the tip of the collet chuck.


 

12. Confirm the current message.

• The collet chuck closes. You can release the tool.

13. If your machine is equipped with a manual working chamber door, close the door.
14. Confirm the current message.
• The following happens:
1. If your machine is equipped with an automatic working chamber door, the door automatically closes.
2. The spindle deposits the tool in the tool magazine.
3. If there is at least 1 more tool to equip, the process is repeated. Otherwise, the Equip tool magazine window closes.