Machines

#245

Admin panel section: Services → Machines.

Why machines must be set up precisely. The description of machine capabilities and dimensions is the foundation for the automatic generation of sawing and CNC programs. The postprocessor picks a machine for each part, adapts operations to its limitations (part rotation for five-sided machining, replacement of incompatible operations, choosing the optimal shop route), and produces ready files in the format of each of your machines — within seconds after order confirmation. See «CNC program generation system overview».

What it is

The list of equipment physically running in your shop: panel saws, format saws, edgebanders, drilling/dowelling machines, CNC machining centers, routers, sanders. Each entry describes one machine: its capabilities, the dimensions of the workpiece, and limitations. This configuration determines which services the system offers the client in the calculator, how it splits work between machines, and which postprocessors run on order confirmation.

Card fields

Name
A clear model name, e.g. «Felder Kappa 550», «SCM Stefani KD», «Homag BHX 200», «Biesse Rover B». Used in selection lists and program generation logs.
Machine capabilities (checkboxes)
What the machine can do:
  • Cutting — saw a panel (panel saw or CNC with saw/cutting router).
  • Drilling — holes (dowelling machines, CNC).
  • Grooves / dadoes.
  • Edge banding — edge covering.
  • Routing — profile and contour.
  • Curved edge banding — covering curved edges.
The set of capabilities determines which services can be bound to the machine in Services for machines.
Two-sided processing
Both sides at once / only one / per-job choice. Affects program generation speed and production time calculation.
Minimum / maximum part size (X / Y)
Workpiece dimensions in mm. If the part is larger than max or smaller than min — the postprocessor will not offer this machine and routes the part to another suitable one. A critical field: a mistake here yields «a program for a non-existent machine».
Side margins (L / R / T / B)
Zones around the part that the tool cannot enter (table clamps, pressure beams, bite strips). The postprocessor accounts for this when placing operations.
Pre-cut
Ability to trim the edge before bonding — needed for some curved-edge types and thin profiles.
Tool entry/exit on the part side
By default, for standard routing the system enters the cutter off the part and exits off the part — the toolpath starts and ends outside the part boundary (in the air next to it). On some machines (with auto-edge-trim) this is not allowed: the cutter must enter and exit on the part side, on one of its edges. Tick this for such machines — the postprocessor will place lead-in/lead-out points on the part side automatically. No manual toolpath editing at the machine.
Vertical groove
Whether the machine can make a groove through the panel thickness with the saw. If not — the postprocessor automatically substitutes routing.
Cutter overrun beyond the part for through milling, mm
A numeric field: how far the cutter travels beyond the part edge during through milling. The value is taken into account when generating CNC programs for through operations — it produces a clean and predictable machining result where the cutter exits beyond the part.
Active
Disable during repair — the postprocessor will not send programs to this machine, services are routed to the rest.

Program adaptation to your machine

The postprocessor automatically tailors programs to the specifics of each machine:

  • Five-sided machining — the part is split into 2–3 program parts or rotated 90/180/270° to perform all operations.
  • Edge-drilling limits — if the machine has a single seat for edge drills, operations with two different diameters on one side are distributed to other sides or replaced.
  • Reverse routing — for machines with the cutter on the opposite side, the toolpath is reoriented.
  • Edge pre-cut — on machines with both cutters it is integrated into the main program; on single-cutter machines a separate pre-cut program is created.
  • Part orientation — the part is automatically laid with its long side horizontal.

Actions

  • Create machine — all characteristics at first setup.
  • Edit — adjustments after real measurement, tooling replacement, maintenance.
  • Delete — only if all service bindings have been removed and there are no active orders in the queue. Usually it is better to «deactivate» rather than delete — the launch history is preserved.

What matters

  • Measurement precision matters. The declared max_x / max_y often differ from real values: on paper «3050×2150», on the shop floor due to specific clamps «2980×2050». Measure by fact, not by datasheet.
  • Side margins are a common cause of «unexplained scrap». If 25 mm of inaccessible zone actually exists on the left but the system has 0 — the postprocessor will place an operation there, the tool will tear the part.
  • One machine — one logical role. An edgebander that occasionally routes — two logical machines: «X edge» and «X routing», each with its own limits and service bindings.
  • Right after adding a machine — go to Services for machines and bind concrete services. Without it the machine exists but does not enter production.
  • Also immediately describe the tooling — without it the postprocessor cannot make a CNC program for this machine.
  • Supported program file formats: MPR (WoodWOP), BPP (BiesseWorks), XML-KDT (Kitchen Design Technology), SCX (Nanxing). The postprocessor assembles the right one based on the machine model.