$RUN and $SHUTDOWN

You have just finished setting up a part that will run for several hours, late into the evening. You would like to have the part run today and to shut down the machine once it has completed it. Before shutting down the machine, you want to save SPC data collected during the running of the part to a network file that you will be able to check remotely so that you can confirm that the part was completed and sleep peacefully.

Two S94P commands that can be used to accomplish this are: $RUN and $SHUTDOWN.

The $RUN macro can be used to execute an external program or operating system command. For example, you can copy the SPC file to a network folder at the end of a program using the following line:

$RUN(“cmd /c copy c:process.txt o:CNC Data”)

Note that “cmd /c” is needed to run an operating system command; if you’re running another program, “cmd /c” is not needed).

A good way to check the command (whatever is between the quotes) is to try it in Windows’ Start/Run box. If it works there, it should work in a part program.

To power the laser down (where the specific laser allows) and put the system in ‘Control Off’ mode, add the line:

$SHUTDOWN

just before the line with M2. If the $SHUTDOWN command is placed anywhere but at the end, the program will not run to completion.