PROFESSIONAL ENGRAVING SYSTEMS Color Touchscreen Users Manual For all rotary engraving systems equipped with the color touchscreen For use with VCS release version 121-127
GENERAL INFORMATION The touch screen is what you will use to control your Xenetech Engraver. The screen is controlled by the touch of your fingertips. If preferred, a stylus or the eraser end of a pencil may be used. Refrain from using sharp pointed objects on the touch screen as it could easily damage the screen. Looking at the touch screen you will see a wide variety of menu choices as well as menus. This section will cover all aspects of the touch screen. 1 2 3 4 5 6 13 7 8 9 11 12 1. Menu Bar There are four menu bars along the top of the touchscreen. Each has their own specific menu options. To access any menu from the menu bar, simply touch the desired menu choice. 2. Last Job Repeat As long as the Xenetech engraver is actively connected to VCS, the last job that was ran on the engraving machine will remain in memory and can be recalled with this button. 3. Return to Mechanical Home This will move the X and Y-axis back to its known mechanical home location. Note: This will not mechanical home the system and should not be used as such. 4. Return to Temp Home This will move the X and Y-axis back to its known temp home position, providing one exists in memory. If there is none, then this button will be grayed out. 5. VCS Connection Status The small computer icon indicates whether you have an active VCS connection. The blue computer icon indicates that the VCS connection is active. Loss of connection will be indicated by a red computer with a small red circle with a line drawn through it. 6. Micro Jog When activated, the jogging speed will be reduced by ½ and diagonal direction will be suspended, making it easier to fine-tune a position. 7. Cylindrical Attachment Engaged/Disengaged This will indicate whether or not your cylindrical attachment is plugged in and ready for use. A grey icon indicates that the cylindrical attachment is not attached. A red icon indicates that the cylindrical attachment is attached and ready for use. 8. Pointer Offset Indicator Touching this icon will turn the pointer offset on and off (providing one has been previously set). A grey icon indicates that the pointer offset is turned off. A red icon indicates that the pointer offset is turned on. 10 1
9. Braille Offset Indicator Touching this icon will turn the braille offset on and off (providing one has been previously set). A grey icon indicates that the braille offset is turned off. A red icon indicates that the braille offset is turned on. 10. Z Axis UP/DOWN Directional This directional indicator will move the Z-axis up and down. Using the center as a marker, pressing above center will move the table up and pressing below the center point will move the table down. Not only that, but the farther you move your finger from center, the faster the Z- axis will travel. 11. X and Y Axis Directional This directional indicator will move the motion system left, right, forward and backward. Using the center as a center point, pressing the directional indicator in any direction (diagonals included) will move the motion system in that direction. Not only that, but the farther you move your finger from center, the faster the motion system will travel. 12. Status Bar During a job, this will display information such as the name of the job, the time that has elapsed and the current power and speed. 13. Menu Options Under each file menu there are various menu options. Each option will open up a new screen with choices and options of their own. At the top right hand corner of each menu there is a Return button. Touching this button will confirm a given menu choice and return you to the main menu. WHEN CONFIRMING CERTAIN MENU OPTIONS, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NEED TO MOVE TO PERFORM THE REQUESTED OPERATION. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT BEFORE YOU CONFIRM THESE CHOICES TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU REMOVE ANY MATERIALS THAT MIGHT OBSTRUCT THE MOVEMENT OF THE MOTION SYSTEM UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE PLUNGER AND/OR THE DIAMOND TIP WHEN THE MOTION SYSTEM AND/OR WORK TABLE IS IN MOTION. Player Screen The following screen is what you will see when you send a job from the computer to the engraver. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 11 10 9 7 1. Preview Screen A preview of the layout that is in queue will be displayed in this window. Touch anywhere in the preview screen and you can zoom in on specific parts of the layout. (See Zoom Screen for more information) 2
2. Draw Extents This feature will draw a box around the extents of the layout in queue. A box around the text means that the feature is turned on. If you have a Gift Engraver or another one of our systems fitted with a diode attachment, you can use this button to run through the job. The cutter will not drop down to the material; instead, the diode will trace out the job. This will give you a preview of where exactly everything will mark on the material. Text alone without the box means that the feature is turned off. 3. Pointer Offset Off/On This feature is for rotary systems that have been equipped with a diode pointer. By turning this ON, the diode moves to the position of the cutter. You can then run the job in queue and see exactly where the engraving will take place. A filled in box means that the pointer offset feature is turned ON. An empty box means the pointer offset feature is turned OFF. 4. Braille Offset Off/On This feature is for systems that have been outfitted with a Braille insertion tool. When this feature is turned on, the Braille insertion tool moves into the position of the cutter. A filled in box means that the braille offset feature is turned ON. An empty box means the braille offset feature is turned OFF. 5. Z Axis On/Off You can turn the Z axis off so that the cutter will not drop into the material. If your system does not have a diode pointer attachment, you can use this to run through a job and see where the system will engrave on the material. A filled in box means that the Z axis is turned ON. An empty box means that the Z axis is turned OFF. 6. Spindle Motor Off/On/Auto Touch to cycle the spindle motor between OFF, ON and AUTO. An empty box means that the spindle motor is turned OFF. A filled box means the spindle motor is turned ON. A partially shaded box means the spindle motor is set to AUTO. If your engraving system has a Motor Speed Control attached, then it must be set to AUTO in order for this feature to work. 7. Character/Line/Plate Buttons Before you begin running the layout in queue, you can move the engraving system to a specific location by using the forward and reverse buttons. Further, you can move by character, line, plate or batch. Touching this button will set the engraver to move by character. Touching this button will set the engraver to move by line. 3
Touching this button will set the engraver to move by plate. Touching this button will set the engraver to move by batch. 8. Controller Buttons These buttons control the movement of the engraver once you have set the engraving system to move by character, line, plate or batch. will advance the engraver forward. will advance the engraving system backward. will start the layout that is loaded in queue. will cancel the layout in queue and return to the home screen. 9. Engraver Speed Control These will control the speed of the engraver. This value is the current XY speed in inches per second. Press this button to increase the XY speed. Press this button to decrease the XY speed. 10. Z Axis Control The Z axis adjustment has been disabled in this menu. 11. Job Timer This is a job timer that will start once the play button has been pressed. RUN SCREEN While the engraver is running a job, the touchscreen will display the run screen. Below is an explanation of the functionality of the run screen. 1 7 2 6 4 5 3 1. Preview Screen A preview of the layout that is in queue will be displayed in this window. Touch anywhere in the preview screen and you can zoom in on specific parts of the layout. (See Zoom Screen for more information) 2. Emergency Stop Pressing this will immediately stop the engraving system. This should only be used in the case of an emergency. 4
3. Character/Line/Plate Buttons Touching any of these buttons while the system is engraving will initiate a pause. The timing for the pause is based on the button that is pressed. Touching this button will pause the engraver on the next cutter up. Touching this button will pause the engraver after the current line is engraved. Touching this button will pause the engraver after the current plate has been engraved. Touching this button will pause the engraver after the current batch plate has been engraved. 4. Controller Buttons These buttons control the movement of the engraver once you have set the engraving system to move by character, line, plate or batch. This button has been disabled for this screen. Touching this button will automatically pause the engraver on the next cutter up. This pause will bypass any pauses initiated from the character, line, plate or batch buttons on the touchscreen. This button will only be enabled if the current layout being run has been paused. 5. Engraver Speed Control These will control the speed of the engraver. This value is the current XY speed in inches per second. Press this button to increase the XY speed. Press this button to decrease the XY speed. 6. Z Axis Control - The Z axis adjustment has been disabled in this menu. 7. Job Timer This is a timer that keeps track of the run time for the current layout being engraved. 5
ZOOM SCREEN Touch the layout preview while in the player screen and you can zoom in on parts of the layout in queue. Below is an explanation of the controls available in the zoom screen. 1 While in zoom mode, touch the screen anywhere and that point will become the new center point for the view. 1. These are the zoom control buttons. Will zoom out from center. Will zoom in from center. Will cancel this screen and move back to the player screen. ONE FINAL NOTE A few of the menus you will encounter look like the one below. Let s take a moment to go over the three different types of positions to help familiarize you with each. Current Offset For whichever menu option you are in, if you have an offset already in memory it will be displayed here. Pressing under Current Offset, will move the X, Y-axis to that position. Absolute Position This is the current position of the X, Y and Z-axis. You will note as you move any of the three axis these values will change to represent the current position. Pressing under Absolute Position will move the X and Y-axis to the mechanical home position. Relative Position This value is the difference between the Absolute Position and the Current Offset. 6
THE MAIN MENU JOBS When your engraver is connected to VCS, you will be able to view jobs that are in the outbox folder on the computer. The up and down arrows will scroll one page at a time in that arrows direction. To open a folder, select it and press. To run any job, select it and press If there is no active connection with VCS, this option will not be available. Press to return to the main menu. MECHANICAL HOME Mechanical Home will send the motion system back to its set mechanical limits. There, it will test each limit switch by physically contacting them before moving out to its home position. When pressing Mechanical Home from the main screen, you will be presented with a confirmation screen. Upon confirmation, you will have the option to cancel as the system moves toward the home position. TEMP HOME A temporary home position will allow you to set a position out on the table that will be reported to be a 0.000 position for the X and the Y-axis. This home position will remain constant until you either mechanical home or restart the system. To set a temp home position, use the directional indicators to move the motion system to its desired position then press. Press to return to the main menu. JOB OFFSETS Your engraver has six programmable offsets. Three of the more common offsets are already named for you. Keep in mind that these are only named and there are no offsets programmed, that will be up to you to set, as you should so wish. To set or change an offset: 1. Press the Job Offsets button on the touch screen 2. Select the offset which you want to set 3. Move the X, Y and Z axis to the desired position 4. Press 5. When finished press to return to the main screen 7
To move to a predetermined offset: 1. Press the Job Offsets button on the touch screen 2. Select the offset which you want to move to 3. Press 4. Press to return to the main screen MOVE X/Y You can use Move X/Y to move either axis to a specific distance from your current position. 1. Press either Goto X or Goto Y depending on which axis you wish to move. The decimal does not move so when setting the location you will need to keep that in mind as you enter in values. 2. Use the number pad to type in the distance that you wish to travel in that axis. For example, if you want to move.5 inches you would need to type 500. 3. Once you type in the distance, press the to move the motion system to that location. 4. Press to return to the main screen. REPORT POSITION If you would like to have an offset automatically transferred to the Xenetech software you can use report position. This works by moving the X, Y and Z axis to the desired location. Next simply press on the touch screen. When you choose File To Engraver in the XGW software, press and the X and Y will be automatically transferred. Press return to the main screen. to 8
THE SETTINGS MENU AUTO START With auto start off, you will have to press the play button in order for a job to start. With auto start turned on, the jobs will automatically start once downloaded. Caution should be used when using this feature as the machine will start automatically. AUTO HOME With auto home turned on, the system will mechanical home itself before running a job. This should be turned off if you use temp home positions or job offsets. Press to return to the main screen. UNITS The measurements on the touch screen can be changed from standard measurement (inches) to metric (meters). Simply touch the unit of measure that you wish to use on the touch screen and press when finished. FILE OFFSETS With File Offsets, you can use the offsets from the Xenetech software or you can use your own predetermined offsets. With File Offsets turned ON, the system will use whatever offsets are sent over from the Xenetech software. With File Offsets turned OFF, the system will ignore all offsets sent over from the Xenetech software. Instead, it will only use the offsets that are set in this menu. To change an offset value, simply press it and use the and keys to raise and lower the selected value. Press when finished. 9
MOTORS This is the toggle to turn the motors on and off. Typically, this is used when plugging in a cylindrical attachment. Remember to always turn the motors off before plugging or unplugging any type of motorized devise. Failure to do so could damage the control board. Press to return to the main screen. POINTER OFFSET For systems equipped with a diode pointer, this is where you will set your initial pointer offset or make adjustments to the current one. Move the X and Y axis to the proper position and press. Press to return to the main screen. To set up and use the pointer offset, refer to our online knowledge base. Point your browser to www.xenetech.com/kb and type pointer in the search bar. BRAILLE OFFSET For systems equipped with an EZ ADA Braille Bracket, this is where you will set your initial braille offset or make adjustments to the current one. Move the X and Y axis to the proper position and press to return to the main screen.. Press This feature requires the EZ Braille Inserter to be installed on your system. To install the inserter and set up the braille offset, refer to our online knowledge base. Point your browser to www.xenetech.com/kb and review the article Installing and using the EZ Braille inserter SPEED MODE Use the touchscreen to make on the fly changes to the XY speed. The speed is updated on the very next cutter up. Standard - When in standard mode, the XY speed sent from the Xenetech software is the maximum speed for that job. With this in mind, use the touchscreen to slow down or speed up the XY speed as needed. FRO (Feed Rate Override) - In FRO mode you have freedom to adjust the XY speed faster than the original XY speed sent from the Xenetech software. Manual - The XY speed sent from the Xenetech software will be ignored. Instead, the engraving speed set at the touchscreen will be used. 10
CNC/HPGL You can create HPGL files and drop then right into the Inbox. Doing so will bypass the Xenetech software altogether. If using this method to engrave, this is where you will make all the necessary changes/adjustments to your engraving speeds as well as the Z axis characteristics. Press to return to the main screen. 11
SERVICE ASSIGN AUX DRIVE When using a cylindrical attachment, it is set to be used as the X axis by default (R as X). You can also set it to mimic the Y axis should you choose. The remaining three buttons are used for troubleshooting. These should never be used unless instructed to do so by a Xenetech customer service representative. JOG ROUND AXIS With a cylindrical attachment connected, use the left and right indicators to jog it to a desired zero position. Once there, press to set the zero position. Press to return to the main screen. If the cylindrical attachment is not plugged in, this menu will not be accessible. CHECK LIMITS Here you can check to make sure that all of the limit switches are working properly. These include: X axis limit switch (LowX) Y axis limit switch (LowY) Z Limit (LowZ) Proximity sensor (ZProx) Press to return to the main screen. MOTOR PHASE TEST This feature will test all of the motors on the system and then give information about temperatures and ratios as well as the controllers buss voltage. Press to return to the main screen. 12
IP ADDRESS This information screen will show the systems current IP address, subnet mask and other connection information. You can also clear the IP address from this menu if the need arises. Press to return to the main screen. RESET MACHINE As implied, this option will restart the engraver. SELF TEST Burn In will run the X, Y and Z axis at the same time in an effort to properly wear in the leadscrew nuts. This is mainly used at the factory for new systems. Self Test #1 is a small job designed to test the letter quality of the engraver. This job requires some type of material be placed on the table before running. This is typically used should problems arise with the engraving machine. Slew what you should use after lubricating the leadscrews. Set the repetitions to 15 and press to start. Make sure that everything is off of the table before beginning as the machine will move to its extents. Press to return to the main screen. 13
CONTACT INFORMATION MAILING ADDRESS Xenetech Global Inc. 12139 Airline Highway Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70817 TELEPHONE 1-800-XENETEC 1-225-752-0225 Fax: 1-225-752-1321 E-MAIL Support - tech@xenetech.com Sales - sales@xenetech.com WEBSITE www.xenetech.com ONLINE KNOWLEDGE BASE www.xenetech.com/kb DISTRIBUTOR INFORMATION Name: Address: Phone: 14