This article is a reference of the BlueCell® processing station properties as well as for the XML parts file SheetGroup and PartGroup elements produced by Microvellum.
Think of the BlueCell processing station as the configuration mapping function of the BlueCell import, and the XML file as the communication device between Microvellum and the BlueCell. The XML file contains everything that BlueCell needs to know about the Microvellum project and work order to optimize the parts and material.
This reference assumes that you have read and understand the information in the BlueCell Overview and Tutorial articles in the Microvellum Knowledge Network. Create a BlueCell processing station and process a work order with that station. The XML files, as shown in this reference, are created as examples of files produced by such a station.
The XML file contains non-optimized parts and sheet information for import in the BlueCell program. The sections of that XML are displayed in the figures below.
The SheetGroup XML element is populated with all sheet information for the materials selected from the Processing Station. The sample file below contains the material “.6875 Core Liner-PL1 Solid,” which was added to the Sheet Group element.
A new Sheet element is added to the SheetGroup element for each sheet sizes available for any single material as defined in Microvellum.
The PartGroup XML element is populated with all part information for the parts selected from the Processing Station. In the sample file, the Base Bottom was selected, so a new Part element was added to the PartGroup element that contains all the data for that part.
To populate Single Part G-Code and Horizontal or Edgebore Barcodes into the BlueCell parts file, the processing station associates must be set up as described elsewhere in the Microvellum Knowledge Network. Each processing station associate will generate a set of barcodes for the BlueCell XML file. These are added to that file as a string using the pipe character (“|”) as a delimiter in the order of the Associates property “Index.”
If using one Single Part G-Code processing stations and two HBore processing stations, the expected results will look like the following data. See figure 3 for the file output.
.UserText01 = *HBoreBarcodeBottom*
.UserText02 = *HBoreBarcodeLeft*
.UserText03 = *HBoreBarcodeRight*
.UserText04 = *HBoreBarcodeTop*
.UserText05 = *Face5Barcode* | *Face5Barcode*
.UserText06 = *Face6Barcode* |*Face6Barcode*
To populate the BlueCell Parts File with single part G-Code and horizontal barcodes data, processing station associates must be set up. Each processing station associate will generate a set of barcodes for the BlueCell XML file and will be populated using a "|" delimiter in the order of Indexes set to the associates. For more information, see the appropriate section above.
If you are processing with one Single Part G-Code type station and two Horizontal Boring or Edgebore type station, the XML file contains these processing station associate values in the XML fields UserText01 – UserText06 as shown below.
.UserText01 = *HBoreBarcodeBottom*
.UserText02 = *HBoreBarcodeLeft*
.UserText03 = *HBoreBarcodeRight*
.UserText04 = *HBoreBarcodeTop*
.UserText05 = *Face5Barcode*|*Face5Barcode*
.UserText06 = *Face6Barcode*|*Face6Barcode*
BlueCell output units are dependent on the Library Units and Convert to Metric Settings.
If the “Library Units” = Imperial, and “Convert to Metric” = False
Then, the “Output Units” = Imperial
If the “Library Units” = Imperial, and “Convert to Metric” = True
Then, the “Output Units” = Metric
If the “Library Units” = Metric, and “Convert to Metric” = False
Then, the “Output Units” = Metric