PRIME MOTIONLoading a program
Control does not open files. Programs live in Projects and are loaded from there. A program you are about to run should be one you filed, not one you found.
Getting a program into Projects
- From your own design: Export in the Manufacturing workspace posts the toolpaths into a project named after the design, grouped by tool run. See Posting a program.
- From a file: create a project, tap the upload button, and import from the tablet, an SD card or a USB drive. Prime Motion accepts
.nc,.gcode,.ngc,.ncpand.tapfiles. See Projects and Files and storage.
Loading
In a project:
| Tap | Loads |
|---|---|
| A file | That program alone |
| Run on a tool-run group | That group's files, in run order |
| Run Project | Every file in the project, in run order |
Loading switches to Control and does not move the machine. Run opens the action panel; choosing Start begins the program. You can also load a program again from History, or prepare an interrupted one through Wizards → Job Recovery; selecting or preparing it does not start motion.
While a program is loaded and no job is running, Unload in the command rail removes it.
What loading does
- Reads the program and estimates its time for the active machine. The banner shows the name, line count and estimate, such as Face 1.nc · 129 lines · est. 2m 36s. If the file cannot be read, Run Information shows the error in red.
- Draws the toolpath where the current work zero places it, with the stock if the program declares one.
- Checks every move against the machine and colours the Safety toggle. See The safety colours.
- Fills Run Information with the file, its lines, the estimate and, for a project, the queue.
Before you press Start
- The banner names the program you meant.
- The toolpath sits on your stock in the view. If it is off the bed, or nowhere near where the stock is, work zero is wrong.
- The Safety toggle is not red. Red means a move leaves the machine's travel; find out why.
- The right tool is in the collet. Run Information → Tool shows the program's first tool.
When nothing loads
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| No file loaded — select from Projects | Nothing is loaded; tap the banner to go to Projects |
| Run Information shows the file name and an error in red | The file could not be read; open it on a computer, or post it again |
| Projects is dim | The machine is not ready to work yet; see the homing gate |