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Using the CoastOne Press Brake Control

How do I set up and operate the CoastOne press brake control system and machine?

The CoastOne Press Brake is controlled via the touch screen Home page that displays when you power up the machine. Here is the Home page for the TC15-2D – Cone C-Series control:

 

From here setup and operation can be continued with the buttons in the bar at the bottom. The different buttons lead to parameter settings for:

  • Tooling
  • Material thickness
  • Material type
  • Punch
  • Die
  • Individual jobs (for bend info and 2D simulation) Note that for a job you can have multiple bends, and the job page lets you navigate to each bend, so you can control the settings for each.
  • Manual mode for jogging the axes and re-referencing the machine
  • Alarms, machine issues
  • Global settings
  • USB stick programs and settings upload

What is Auto mode?

The following button in the bottom bar activates Auto mode:

 

 

If the button is active, Auto mode is active and the servo motors are active.

A half light/half dark color in the button indicates semi-auto mode, which can result if:

  • the machine is not referenced
  • the machine has an alarm

What is Manual mode?

The following button in the bottom bar activates Manual mode:

 

 

On the manual mode page, you can reference the machine, jog the axes, and perform service operations.

A light/dark color on the button indicates if manual mode is active and the servo motors are ON.

A possible cause for this button being inactive the machine has an alarm.

The following buttons for jogging appear on the manual mode page:

 

 

The axis being jogged can be selected with these above buttons. The buttons are visible depending on if the axis actually exists.

  • Y-axis, upper tool/beam.
  • X-axis, back gauge horizontal, back and forward.
  • R axis, back gauge vertical.
  • Z1/Z2 axis, back gauge finger left/right.
  • ΔX-axis, right side back gauge finger proportional to the main X-axis.
  • S1/S2-axis, servo-driven sheet followers.

You can do a reference run via the Reference Run button:

 

 

 

When the reference run is done, the reference symbol is shown in the upper bar of the screen as well as the axis positions.

The Y-axis position in the upper beam means the distance from the punch tip into the material surface. This value is proportional to the selected tools and the material thickness in the program menu page.

The X- and ΔX-axis position means the distance from the back gauge fingertip to the bend line.

The R-axis position means the distance from the lower surface of the back gauge fingertip to the upper surface of the selected die.

The Z1/Z2-axis position means the distance from the back gauge fingertip’s left edge to the left edge of the die holder.

The S1/S2-axis position means the distance to the horizontal plane.

Note: Some of the axis positions are proportional to the currently selected tools and material thickness.

With buttons shown blow selected, an axis can be jogged manually:

 

 

 

 

 

With the ++/– buttons, an axis can be jogged continuously, ++ being the positive direction (upwards, backward, rightward).

A Y-axis jog with — requires that the pedal also be pressed. To avoid a safety device error where the pedal is being pressed without downwards movement, first press the button on the screen, then press the pedal.

When jogging the Y-axis upwards with the ++ button, do not push the pedal for the same reason mentioned just above.

The 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 axes can be jogged step by step.

If the 0.1 button is kept pressed for 1s, the axis moves continuously at a slow speed.

The following button activates the Parking function:

 

 

During the parking function, the Y-axis can be run down with limited force, for example, if tools are being fixed or the bottom dead point has to be checked for special cases like hemming tools. The pedal has to be pressed simultaneously. The parking force can be adjusted from the Settings page 1.

When the parking function is being used, the Y-axis must be lifted with the button on the lower bar (see below).

How do I lift the upper tool?

You can raise the upper tool by pushing this button in the bottom bar of the Home page:

 

 

Note that if the servo motors are OFF, this button is inactive.

Can I view all warnings and alarms?

The following button shows you warnings and alarms:

 

 

This button will blink when you have an active alarm. Clicking the button takes you to the Warning and Alarms page, where you can see the following:

This warns that the Emergency stop button pressed was triggered and the safety circuit is not reset. The Safety circuit can be reset via the blue mechanical button after the cause of the emergency stop has been removed.
This warns that the foot pedal is pressed into position 3. The pedal must be released with the mechanical button in the pedal.
This warns that the back guard is open.
This warns that the side guard is open.
This warns that the EtherCAT is disconnected or there has been a system error. EtherCAT system errors can be reset with the following button if the cause of the alarm has been fixed:
The Troubleshooting page, accessed by this button, contains useful information about system errors, which helps support and service personnel to solve issues. Always check and pass the information from the Troubleshooting page when contacting support/service.
This notifies that periodic greasing of the machine linear components is needed.
This warns that the bend force limit of the active punch has been exceeded.
This warns that the bend force limit of the active die has been exceeded.

What are the parameter controls in the Settings pages?

The following button leads to the Settings pages:

 

 

There are three Settings pages, where you can control global settings. Here we are on the first of the three Settings pages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Page 1 has the following parameter settings:

Y-axis fast closing speed, if fast closing is enabled for the machine.
Y-axis slow closing speed from the speed change point to the material surface, or the whole stroke if fast closing is not enabled.
Y-axis holding time at the bottom dead point.
Y-axis opening speed.
Y-axis manual mode speed.
Y-axis parking force.
Y-axis autocycle stopping modes.

If fast closing is not enabled, with selection“3”, the Y-axis stops at the material surface, and continues to the bottom dead point with the next push of the pedal.

If fast closing is enabled, with selection “2” the Y-axis stops at the speed change point, and with

Selection “3” the Y-axis stops at the speed change point and the material surface.
Y-axis MCP (material clamping point) adjustment. The Y-axis stops at the  material surface (MCP) in the following cases:

·         The program has retraction for the back gauge.

·         The robot commands the Y-axis to move to the MCP.

·         The Y-axis is selected to stop at the material surface with the above-mentioned setting.
Two-hand control mode. This enables the two-hand controller; the left one is so that the movement happens with hand controls until the beam reaches the speed change point, then you must press the pedal to do the bend. The right one is only hand control.

After changing control methods, the reset button must be pressed. The alarm that displays is just

a notification that the control method has been changed.
Unit selection. The Inch selection also converts the material tensile strength into PSI, bend

force into short ton, and punch/die bend force limit into short ton/foot.

Page 2 has the other parameter settings:

Manual and auto mode speeds for back gauge axes.

For S-axes, auto mode speed upwards is calculated automatically from the tool info, the bend angle, and so on. With this setting (arrow up) 100% means exactly that calculated speed. If it appears that the sheet followers rise too fast or too slowly, increasing/decreasing this value this can adjust the rise speed.

S-axes auto mode speed downwards 100% means the max allowed speed. This can be adjusted if a lower speed is wanted.
Basic setting for X dimension when a program is created.
Outer dimension or direct X measure to bend line.
Back gauge positioning in auto mode, by pressing the pedal or the automatic button.

Page 3 contains the materials table:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A material’s ultimate tensile strength (Kg / mm2) affects the calculated bending force and frame deflection compensation. The K-factor affects the X-axis outer dimension correction.

How do I control the Bending program?

The following button in the bottom bar of the Home page leads to the bend info settings:

 

 

Clicking this button brings you to the page, showing the settings for the currently active program:

A USB stick is delivered with the machine, containing bending programs, tools, 2D files, plus parameter backup and frame deflection databases:

 

 

 

When you click this USB button, you are taken to the root in the directory tree and can navigate to the directories containing all these program listings and storage settings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The USB stick can contain additional data than these default folders. Programs and tools can be freely copied from one USB stick to another, or into an office PC, for backup for example.

With the button below, a program listing can be copied into an FTP server:

 

 

 

 

The FTP server is located on the touch screen and can be configured to be seen as an external network location at a PC, which enables direct program transfer between the machine and the PC. This function must be enabled from factory settings, and the network settings have to be configured properly. Refer to the “FTP Server” section in the User Manual for instructions.

The same button that appears at the right side of the bottom bar of the Home page also appears at the top of the Programs page, just to the left of the USB button:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clicking that button lists programs, from USB or FTP. The list can be scrolled with a bar on the right side. The program can be selected by clicking on the name. When the list is open, if the list is from USB, by clicking on the directory path (on the root as \USBDisk\PROGRAMS) subfolders can be listed, and the subfolder can be entered by clicking on the subfolder name.
The top bar has the following other buttons:

When you click this button, a new program can be created in the current folder. When the button is pressed, a keyboard appears, and when you enter a name and click Enter, the new program is created.
When you click this button, the active program can be copied into the current folder. You can move programs from one folder to another with this function.
The active program can be deleted with this button. The button must be kept pressed briefly.

Also, if the current subfolder is empty, it can be deleted with this button.
This button creates a new subfolder.
This button searches for programs. Programs will be searched only from the current folder of the USB stick. When the button is pressed, a keyboard appears. The search is case-sensitive, and any number of starting letters/numbers can be entered.
This button brings you to 2D programming/simulation.

The page also has the following other program settings and buttons:

Shows the selected punch name; also, the Punch menu can be entered by clicking the name of the punch.
Shows the selected die name; also, the Die menu can be entered by clicking the name of the die.
Shows the selected material. By clicking the material name, a materials list appears and a material can be selected. The contents of this material list can be adjusted from the Settings Page 3.
Shows the material thickness.
Shows the workpiece counter. If zero, the workpiece is not in use. The operator is notified when the selected limit is reached in full auto mode.
Shows the bend length basic value. When creating bend steps this will automatically be the bend length. Also, when the program is created in 2D mode, each step will have a bend length corresponding to this value.
Comment field. The operator can write program-specific notes, for example. This function must be enabled from the factory settings.

 

How do I control the Punch settings?

Click the name of the punch on the Program page to view the Punch Menu page:

 

 

When you click the punch name, the Punch Menu page displays:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page has the following items:

Opens the punch list from the USB stick.
Creates a new punch.
Deletes the punch. The button should be clicked briefly.
Clicking the checkmark adds the current punch to the program. Note that if the page is changed with one of the lower bar buttons, the punch is not added to the program.
Punch height. Note: It is extremely important to have the correct value to make the machine work properly.
Punch angle.
Maximum allowed bending force.

 

How do I control the Die settings?

Click the name of the die on the Program page to view the Die Menu page:

 

 

When you click the die name, the Die Menu page displays:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page has the following items:

Opens the die list from the USB stick.
Creates a new die.
Deletes the die. The button should be clicked briefly.
Clicking the checkmark adds the current die to the program. Note that if the page is changed with one of the lower bar buttons, the die is not added to the program.
Die safety distance. This value ensures the back gauge avoids collision with the die. We recommend that you add 2mm to the measured distance from the middle of the die to the back gauge side edge of the die.
Die V opening radius. It is extremely important to have the correct value in order to make the machine work properly.
Die V opening angle. It is extremely important to have the correct value in order to make the machine work properly.
Maximum allowed bending force.
Height of the hemming notch of a specific type. This value must be enabled from the factory settings. Basically, this value only moves the Y-axis zero-point downwards.

Do not try to adjust the Y zero-point with a tool that has a value in this field.

 

It is also possible to switch between different die holders and adapters at the die info page.

 

 

 

 

 

This function must be enabled from factory settings.

The USB\2D FILES folder must have proper die holder files, which are available from CoastOne and local dealers.

Die holder files must be named as follows:

  • The first, the basic one must be “Die holder.xaml”.
  • The second (optional) must be “Die holder2.xaml”.
  • And so on, up to 5, can be stored, and the last would be “Die holder5.xaml”.

The die holder can be changed by pressing the image of the die holder for a few seconds. To do this, the operator must be fully trained and must understand what he/she is doing, as this automatically changes the Y-axis zero-point depending on the height of the die holder, and collision/damage to the tools and machine can be caused by incorrect die holder values.

Can I use more than one punch or die?

Up to two additional punches and dies can be used in a single bending program. This function must be enabled from factory settings. See the “Multitool Function” section of the User Manual for instructions.

How do I control bend info?

The bend info page is accessed via the arrow button in the bottom right corner of the Program page:

 

 

 

Note that an existing program must be opened or a new program has to be created before you can switch to the bend info page. Also, the program must have tools selected.

The following operations and settings are found on the bend info page:

Bend step browse buttons.
Bend step delete button.
Bend step copy button. The feature works like a copy-paste. When the button is pushed to the bottom, the bend step to be copied is stored, and when pushed again (that is, the button is released) the stored bend step is copied to the current step number.
Bend angle in degrees. When the new bend step is about to be entered, the bend info page only shows the bend angle, to force the operator to enter it first, in which case the bend step amount is incremented by one.

Bend steps can be added only in programming mode and when the program is not a 2D program.

When you double-click this angle symbol it changes into the symbol shown in the row just below. Note that this option must be enabled from factory settings.
The bottom dead point can now be entered directly. This can be useful for some special cases.

Large positive values can also be entered, in which case the operator has to ensure that the top dead point (and also that of the preceding bend step) and possible speed change point are always above the bottom dead point.
Bending speed from the material’s surface to the bottom dead point.
Opening after bend into top dead point.
Bend length.
Bend position proportional to the lower beam. When the bend length is entered, the bend position is calculated into the middle of the machine, but this can be changed if necessary. With this value, the Z1-Z2 positions are calculated automatically, as is the required bend force for separate Y-axes. This function must be enabled from factory settings.
Theoretical calculated bending force.

By double-clicking, the symbol for bottoming mode is activated. When the function changes, color and bend angle disappear, as it does not have any effect on the bottom dead point calculation anymore.

In bottoming mode, the Y-axis moves down until the calculated bending force is reached.

Bottom bending must be enabled from factory settings.

Bending force can also be entered manually and in that case, the entered value will be stored in the current bend. This might be helpful for example in a hemming bend.

For a die, the material type, the material thickness, and the material values in settings 3 or the bend length are adjusted and the calculated bend force will be returned for safety reasons.
The speed change point. To enable fast closing this value must be above zero.
The direct X-axis position or flange outer diameter can be selected separately for each step by clicking the symbol.
R-axis position.
Z1/Z2-axis positions.
Delta X position.
Sheet followers 1 and 2 can be selected separately for each step to support the sheet during the bend.
The surface of the back gauge fingertip where the sheet will be positioned. Depending on the selection, the X-axis position is calculated automatically.
X-axis retraction.
Delay before the back gauge moves automatically after the bend is finished.
Angle correction. With a negative value, the Y-axis moves deeper. This function is incremental, except for a value of 0.
By double-clicking the angle correction icon, the repeat icon appears as shown here. In this mode, the entered angle correction is added to each step of the program.
Bull15 and G series machines’ crowning can be adjusted here if necessary.
X-axis correction.
Pneumatic/hydraulic hemming die. When this is on it will lift the die up and when the pedal is pressed, the die is released on the sheet. The tool is then pressed with bottoming mode to flatten the sheet, after which the die is lifted again so the sheet can be removed; pressing the pedal will release the die to descend.
Radius bend function. This must be enabled from factory settings.
Bend step repeat. The given bend step can be repeated X times. In auto mode this field also shows an ongoing repeat count, which can be changed manually in case of an operator mistake. By pushing the symbol briefly repeat sequence resets to start.

Note that this option must be enabled from factory settings.
The total angle of the radius bend. Like in the symbol, the radius bend total angle is given as the complementary angle, unlike the normal bend angle with TC15 2D control. Thus, it is natural to enter large angles of 180-360 degrees.
The radius of the radius bend.

When the total angle and the radius have been entered, step length and step quantity is automatically calculated. The shortest possible step length is calculated from the Die values so that the unbent part of the sheet is above the die in each step. This can be changed manually, but if the step length is too short proportional to the Die V opening, the bottom dead point calculation cannot work anymore properly, and large/random angle correction values might be required.
Length of a single step.
Number of steps.
In programming mode, this will reset radius bend values. In auto mode, this button resets the radius bend cycle.
Confirms radius bend parameters, and the current bend step is set as a radius bend step. This is only possible in programming mode.
Cancels radius bend selection and bend step is returned as a normal step with basic values.

This is only possible in programming mode.
Return to the auto mode page. This is only visible in auto mode.
Radius bend step number. If the radius bend has, for example, four steps, there will be five angles, like in the following example.

 

 

 

 

The radius bend step number is shown also on the auto mode page at the position of the normal bend angle.
In auto mode, the measured total angle can be entered here to make an angle correction for each step. Note that this entered value must be a complementary angle as well.
In auto mode, shows the total complementary angle that should have been reached at the current point.
Gives the actual angle correction that is added to every single step. When the above-mentioned measured angle function is used, this value is automatically calculated. This is not a complementary angle; it works similarly to normal angle correction. This value can be entered manually also when care is taken to not confuse it with the complementary angle concept.
In auto mode, this shows every single step complementary angle.
By default, the R-axis retracts while in the die safety area. This can be turned off by the button on the right if required; however, care must be taken to adjust the R-value so that collision is avoided.

What can I do in the 2D page?

On the 2D page, you can create and graphically simulate a bending program. Download the “2D” section of the User Manual for instructions on using the 2D feature.

Watch the video below for a walk-through on CoastOne Press Brake Programming.

You can also read the video transcript below

Here again is the TC 15 2d control offered with CoastOne press brakes. It’s a 15 inch Omron display with CoastOne proprietary software. Right here we’re on the main page where you would select your parameters such as your tooling, material thickness, material type, and the overall material length. As you see here you can select your punch, punch parameters, your dye. With material type you have options defaulted such as stainless steel and aluminum. You have your material thickness and the you also have a parts counter. Next we go to the individual job page. Within each job you can have unlimited number of bends. Right now we’re on Bend number one. We select the parameters. You have parameters to choose from such as your angle, the speed changes and the open height. The machine is automatically going to calculate the tonnage necessary for your bend based on material thickness and overall length of that bend. You have your X dimension for your flange length, your R axis height your Z1 – Z2 axis your reference points on your gauging surface. You have a retracts and a delay for your backgage. We also have a 2d simulation mode, where we can simulate a job prior to actually running it. This will reduce the possibility of scrap or interferences. Next we have our manual mode. I can jog all the individual axes if necessary and also we reference the machine. Here are your alarms. If any of the switches are opened if there’s any issues of the machine and find it here. You have a settings page for universal settings for all your jobs. Let’s change from inch to millimeter mode. As mentioned it has USB backup and virtually unlimited storage through jobs. This is the TC 15 control offered by Coast one.

Automec, Inc.  provides Unparalleled CoastOne Service and Support

Our customers love Automec’s support and service options for CoastOne machines.  Contact our team at (781) 893-3403 to learn more about Automec’s CoastOne Press Brake and control and service options.

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