Sodick Technology Selector Mastercam

What does it do?

The purpose of this utility is to support the unique requirement of some Sodick EDMs.
This utility facilitates the selection of the Machining Technology to include in your NC file.
Installation

Show Data Details Options

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Interface Details:

Database selection -

Displays the name of the currently selected database (.stech file).

The Browse for Folder button allows for selecting a folder that contains .stech files.
All .stech files in the folder will be loaded into the Combo Box.
(If you hover the mouse over the database name the full path to the file will be displayed).

Database ID -
Displays the Control & Machine IDs that were assigned to the current database.
*Even though this shows Combo Boxes, there will only be one Control & Machine ID in each.

Output Units –

Units: ALL data within a .stech database are stored as Metric.

This units dropdown allows the user to select desired the output units.

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Work Settings –
This section allows for selecting the desired Machining Technology for the current job.
You work topdown through all of the Work Settings dropdown options.
*Select each and every dropdown as you work down through the list.
If the Data Details (see next page) is empty, you’ve skipped making a selection in a dropdown.

Once the last item (Nozzle Position) is selected, you’ve have “drilled down” to a set of pass records for
the selected settings. The ‘Finish (Ry)’ and ‘Strategy’ dropdowns are filled in with the possible pass
selection(s). You can then select the desired pass set by selecting the ‘Surface Finish (Ry)’, which
equates to a set of passes or by selecting the desired ‘Strategy’.
*The (2) items in the Selector groupbox are “linked”.
The user can select from either one and the data in the other dropdown will be updated to match.
Either way, the user ends up with the Technology data for the selected Work Settings and the number
off passes for the current Strategy.

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Data Details –
This sub-form displays the Technology “details” of the currently selected Strategy.
The bottom pane on the form contains the NC file Header Data.
The button (lower-left corner) copies this NC Header Data to the Windows clipboard.
Also see Options.

Offsets –
This grid displays the Wire Offsets for the currently selected pass set record.

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Options –
Click on the ! options button to display the configuration 

When the user clicks the OK (green check button) on the Main form, the NC file Header Data is written
out to a SodickHeaderData.txt file in the folder specified here.
*This allows for the option of having the Post Processor (.PST) read in this external file when wirepaths
are posted.
The “Add semicolon to Header Data” option will cause the utility to append a “;” character on each line
of the Header Data.

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Options (continued) –
A right-click on the ! options button will display this dialog 

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This form allows the user to create a .stech database for their Sodick EDM using the DAT files from
their machine. (See: Getting the DAT files from the machine control).

The”Control type” selector is to specify the basic family of the EDM.

Some controls have 4 DAT files and some have 5.
Some controls utilize the additional parameters: ‘PC’ and ‘SK’

The 1st entry in this dropdown selects the control type that does not use ‘PC’ and ‘SK’.
The 2nd entry in this dropdown selects the control type that does use ‘PC’ and ‘SK’.
The 3rd entry in this dropdown selects the control type that uses ‘PC’, ‘SK’ and ‘BSA’ values.

These settings are user preference.

“Database name” is the name that will be given to the .stech file that is created.
(The .stech file will be placed in to the same folder as the DAT files).
The “Machine” and “Control” names are just user preference ‘ID’s for the database.

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DAT files
Here you select the DAT files from the EDM control to be used to create a new (.stech) database.

Browse to the folder that contains the Sodick DAT files.

All DAT files found in the folder will be loaded into the dropdowns.
It is highly recommended to place only one “set” of DAT files in this folder when creating a database.
This will lessen the chance of mixing up the DAT files that makes up a “set”.

Once all fields on this form have valid entries the Apply button will be enabled.
When the Apply button is clicked, the new (.stech) database will be created.
*This process can take a minute or two to complete.*

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Getting the DAT files from the machine control

On the Sodick EDM…
1> Create a Backup Disk.
This will place the DAT files in the Control onto the floppy.
2> Copy the desired DAT files from the floppy to a folder on your computer.
On the floppy there should be 2 folders (0006 and 0009) that contain the DAT files.
The 0006 folder contains these files 
For a non ‘WS’ machine control For a ‘WS’ machine control
 MSG_cond_s.dat MSG_wscond_s.dat
 MENU_cond_s.dat MENU_wscond_s.dat
 COND_cond_s.dat COND_wscond_s.dat
MEMO_wscond_s.dat (see note *)
The 0009 folder contains this file 
 AIC.dat
* This utility release does not yet use the ‘memo_*.dat’ file..

3> Create a .stech database for this utility that contains the data from this DAT file “set”.

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Installation –

This utility does not have an installer.

You install it “manually”, by extracting these files to a folder 
Sodick Technology Selector.EXE
Sodick Technology Selector.PDF
System.Data.SQLite.DLL
The Sodick .STECH database files can also be placed in this folder if you wish or placed
wherever is convenient for you.
*On startup you tell the utility where your .STECH file is when you select it and this utility
remembers it from then on.

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Initial Startup –
The first time you start Sodick Technology Selector.exe, you should see these two dialogs 

The main Sodick Technology Selection dialog and since there is no “previous” database selected the
Browse for Folder is also shown, requesting you to select a folder where the database (.stech file)
resides.

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You want to browse to that folder and the .stech files in the folder should appear in the Database
dropdown on the main dialog. Then just go down thru the Work Settings until the green check (OK)
button is enabled. Once you click it the utility will remember the database for next time it runs and it
will also create a “Sodick Header Data.txt” file (This .txt file is created each time the OK button is clicked)

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The main dialog and data details dialog stack in this orientation by default 
When you move the main dialog the data details pane follows it.

It is possible to “tear-off” the data details dialog and position it independently of the main dialog.
Just grab the title bar of the data details window and reposition as you do any window.

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If you wish you can re-connect the window link by moving the data details window’s upper-left corner
close to the lower-left corner of the main dialog and it will attach back onto the main window.

Revision History –
15-Jan-2010 (Version: 13.0.0.1)
Initial BETA release

15-Apr-2010 (Version: 13.0.0.2)

Added AIC and SFCC output options

13-June-2012 (Version: 15.0.1.2)

Rebuilt with the .NET 4 Framework (X6)

11-May-2016 (Version: 16.0.1.2)

Altered to work on systems running a languages that use a character other than the “.” for the decimal
separator. (Such as a language that use the “,” as the separator).
These were “internal” changes. This utility outputs “.” for the decimal separator.

CNC Software, Inc.

671 Old Post Rd.
Tolland, CT 06084
www.mastercam.com

wire@mastercam.com

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