Saving Alignments

[B. Jacobs]

OK guys, Here is one of those stupid questions.
I haven't had to do this yet , but wouldn't you know it, I need to do it now. I have read about the external alignments and am a little confused.
What I need to do is use an alignment I have for a part that gets about 5 operations. I am holding the part the same way as I did on the 1st op but have to check some points that are now there. I don't want to create a new alignment since it is being held the same way as before.
How would I save the alignment from the first operation so I can call it back up?
I hope this would work so I wouldn't have to manually hit the first alignment, but instead go straight to the DCC alignment.
All help would be appriciated

3.5MR2

[Matthew D. Hoedeman]

All you do is, directly AFTER the DCC alignment, do a

INSERT / ALIGNMENT / SAVE

It will prompt you for a name for the alignment, you supply it. IT WILL save the alignment in the same folder/directory as the program is in.

NEXT, make the new program, save it to the SAME location as the first. The first thing you do then (in the new program) is use the drop-down alignment thingie and select the alignment you just saved.

Now, if you used CAD=PART, do it again, it is under OPERATION / GRAPHICS DISPLAY WINDOW, so that THIS program is also set to cad=part. Even if the first has an iterative alignment, I would still do this.

You are now set to program, starting with a new DCC alignment OR programming the points to check.

If you saved the DCC alignment from the first program and you have NOT moved the part, you do not need to run it again. However, if you are putting a more-machined piece back on the machine in the same place, the DCC alignment in the second program is a MUST.

[Paul Sarrach]

You could also use "marked sets" and use only one program.