Offline IPs

The Offline IP Generator provides a simple tool to create, edit and manage Interim Points within your motion map of a feature. Through this tool you can designate absolute XYZ IP values, or create dynamic automatic IPs.

Automatic IPs work with Clearance Coordinate Systems. An automatic IP is calculated at the time of execution and is not recorded in the motion map with XYZ values. For example, when requesting an Z-Axis Automatic IP, the CMM will move from its current location into the XY plane of the Clearance CS. The move will be parallel to the Z-Axis of the Clearance CS.

The Offline IP tool manages the initial IPs before the first Standoff Point (SO) in the feature's motion path. It is not designed to create or edit IPs that are inserted after the first SO or any IPs at the end of the feature after the last SO.

To start the Offline IP tool from inside a Auto Feature Generator, click on the <Offline IP> button, see figure 1.

figure 1, Start Offline IP from a Auto Feature Generator

figure 2, Offline IP Main Screen

In figure 2, we show the Offline IP tool with no data points in the display. Through the Offline IP tool, we have access to building all necessary IPs required for safe CMM motion. In figure 3, we show two IPs have been inserted at the start of the motion map. The first point is an automatic IP moving into Clearance CS XY base plane with motion parallel to the Z-Axis. The second IP is a calculated IP over the first SO of the measured featured. All this has been done by just pressing the <Z Plane> button.

figure 3, Selecting an Existing PCS

The Offline IP Tool contains three groups of controls, plus a display of IPs that are assigned. The first group belongs to Manual creation of IPs. From this control, you can create absolute position XYZ IPs, relative IPs and obtain the XYZ location of the first SO in the feature.

The next group accesses the Clearance Coordinate System tools. All the automatic IPs require that a Clearance CS is selected. The <Clearance CS> button activates the Clearance CS tool to create, edit and activate a Clearance CS.

The final group is called Create Auto IPs. There are six buttons which create automatic IPs. The buttons label X, Y and Z Axis, will create an automatic IP which moves parallel to the selected Clearance CS axis into the base plane. The buttons labeled X, Y and Z Plane creates two IPs, the first is an Automatic IP, the second is a calculated IP over the measured feature.

Within the Manual IP Entry group there are three edit controls associated with the XYZ values associated with a IP and three command buttons.

To create an IP where you enter the absolute XYZ values, enter in the edit controls the desired values.

figure 4, Entering Absolute IP Position

In this example, we entered:

X = 1.5
Y = 2.25
Z = 1.25

To confirm and create the IP, Press the <Absolute> button. An entry of the newly created IP will be shown in the display area, see figure 5.

The Relative IP function, creates a new IP at an offset XYZ distance from the highlighted IP in the list. Start by selecting an IP in the display.

figure 5, Entering a Relative IP Position	figure 6, New Relative IP Position added

As shown in figure 5, we have selected the first IP. When the IP has been selected, the <Relative> button becomes active. Enter an XYZ offset distance in the edit controls. We show the example of entering:

X = 1
Y = 1
Z = 0

Complete the process by pressing the <Relative> button. A new IP is created that has a offset value of X=1.0, Y=1.0, Z=0.0 to the selected IP, see figure 6.

figure 7, Obtain the 1st Standoff Point

This command retrieves the first Standoff position in the motion path. As shown in figure 7, the first Standoff Point is:

X = 3.6389
Y = 3.3750
Z = -1.2500

The XYZ location of the first Standoff Point is helpful when you are creating a new IP. For example, if we are creating an XY Circle, with a probing depth is identified by the Z value (-1.2500). If we wanted an IP over the SO Point which will allow for safe motion of the probe, we can change the Z value of the first point to 0.5" and press the <Absolute> button. Now we have an IP directly over the first SO Point. The probe will move to the point, then plunge into the hole to commence measurement.

NOTE: The Get 1St Point command works with the motion path already determined in the auto feature tool. In this example we are using a 2D XY Circle. If you change the sweep start value, then the first SO will change. When you change the sweep start value, you should return to the Offline IP tool to confirm the IP originally created is also updated.

This group provides a simple drop down control which lists all the current Clearance CS systems in your inspection. Choose the Clearance CS you want active before you start assigning Automatic IPs.

If you find that a new Clearance CS must be created, select the <Clearance CS> button.

To create Auto IPs, you must first have a Clearance CS active. If the six Auto IP generation buttons are disabled, there are no Clearance CS active.

These commands will create an Automatic IP based on the axis selected. The X Axis command will create an IP that moves from the current location into the Clearance CS YZ Base plane.

These commands create two IPs in your motion path. If you press the Z Plane command, the first IP created is an Automatic IP that moves from the current point parallel to the Z Axis of the Clearance CS into the XY Base plane.

The second IP create is the entry IP of your current feature. It is calculated by taking the first SO in the motion path and projecting that into the Clearance CS XY Base plane. In most applications, this is all that is needed to move safely from one location to the start of the feature.

For example, if measuring two XY circles, to move from circle number 1 to circle number 2, we would select the Z Plane command in the Offline IP tool. Upon completion of measuring circle number 1, the probe is at the probe depth below the surface of the part. The Z Plane command will first extract the probe in a  pure +Z direction into the XY Base plane of the defined Clearance CS, then transition in the same XY Base plane until it is over the first point of the second feature. From this point, the probe can now plunge into the second circle to commence measuring.

The display list has controls identified as <Delete>, <Up>, <Dn> and <Insert - Up>. These allow you to control and position the IPs as needed.

Allows you to delete from the list the current selected IP.

These commands move the selected IP Up and Down in the list.

This command acts similar to the creating an IP using the Absolute command. However, unlike the Absolute command which always appends a new point, the <Insert - Up> command inserts a new absolute IP in the same location as the selected IP and move all other IPs down.