Toolbox Release Notes | Build 23.1.0523.641
Face 6/Horizontal Drilling Enhancement
Toolbox Setup->Options->Toolfiles->Double-click specific Toolfile->Integrated Post Processor Settings->Settings
Users will now be able to cut down on file management by producing a singular line of G-Code for both Face 6 Machining and Horizontal Drilling.
- Within the Integrated Post Processor Settings of Toolbox, we’ve modified the existing “Allow Face 6 Border Routes (PTP Only)” IPP setting to merge the two.
- Enabling this setting will allow the creation of a single G-Code file instead of two, but only if users have both Face 6 machining and horizontal drilling. The original functionality has not been removed, but simply added to.
New Material/Template Settings
Toolbox Setup->Options->General
Users have reported sluggish performance in the program when editing their template to incorporate project materials. To remedy this, 2 new settings dictating material/template interactions have been created: Sync All Projects with Template Materials and Sync Current Project.
- Each time a material is modified in the template, the software will immediately sync the changes with all projects.
This will be the default setting.
- The software will sync project materials with the template when a project is opened. No template changes are pushed to the project until then.
This is the recommended setting for users with many spec groups.
New Saw Optimization Slider
Toolbox Setup-Options->Processing Stations->your specific Saw Processing Station->Saw
Our Quality Assurance team noted several reported issues with the yield of the saw optimizer. To address these issues, we’ve modified the existing Saw Optimization interface.
- We’ve introduced a new Optimizer Time Limit (OTL) slider to allow more time for the optimizer to calculate the best results. Users can choose from a range of 15 to 300 seconds.
- The slider was thoroughly tested by our team to determine degrees of improvement. When set to Best Yield, the results were as follows:
- During initial testing, using the previous software build, a work order containing 547 4” x 90” (long, but thin) parts was optimized on 107 sheets of material. With the new OTL feature (using default settings), the same order was completed with only 74 sheets (60 seconds), and again with only 71 sheets (300 seconds), a 30-33% improvement in yield.
- Another work order of 130 square parts (stretchers, backs, bottoms, rails, etc.) was optimized on 24 sheets of material. With the OTL, the machine achieved a 79% improvement in yield, requiring only 5 sheets of material.
- A third work order with 130 Base Bottom/Backs (nearly perfect squares) was optimized on 72 sheets of material, with no significant improvement, a 0% change in yield, even with the OTL.
Based on these results, we conclude that the quantity and complexity of the parts significantly affects the optimization results. We recommend users conduct their own testing to determine how this remediation will impact their optimization results. Overall, the Best Yield setting has produced the highest degree of improvement. For further information, consult our article on Saw Optimization settings.
Overhauled Algorithms (Stay Down, IRIB, 3D Rep, Offset/MCOR)
To resolve a handful of reported issues and improve the general functionality of the program, we’ve rebuilt our offset algorithm. Particularly noteworthy changes are:
- Stay-down nesting is far more stable with the “MCOR” setting enabled.
- 3D representation for various machining has been improved.
- It is now possible to add tabs in a standard or stay-down nest with the “MCOR” setting enabled.