Guideline 4.0 supports multi-component clamps also. There is a variety of possible combinations while clamping more than one job at the same time: in this chapter we will go through the cases related to the Phase 1, when FCS seats are yet to be defined, analysing the possible implication of each one.


Watch a tutorial in this VIDEO.


General procedure for adding another workpiece is to press "Add New Piece To Clamp" in the tree toolbar while a workpiece is open.

Guideline 4.0 will access the file system and ask to select a workpiece to add, which can be another instance of an workpiece already present or a different job.


The additional job will be added to the active clamp: if more than one clamp is present, Guideline 4.0 will ask to add the job to all clamps or to the active one only

"Yes" will add the piece to all clamps, "No" will add it in the active clamp only


Adding another instance of an inserted workpiece

Adding another instance will place a copy of the same job into the original position of the one present already: if the first instance has not been moved/clamped yet, the will overlap. The copy is added to the tree and can be found/selected there to further operations


As an alternative, a second instance can be added pressing CTRL button on PC's keyboard while dragging the workpiece.

Although possible and theoretically useful in certain occurences, adding multiple istances to a clamp in Phase 1 (seats creation) is an operation that must be carefully considered: since all istances refer to the same job, all the clamping component will have an impact on the job, which can make it difficult to manage.

It is much more common to add multiple istances in Phase 2, defining machine setups (see PHASE 2: Multi-Components Clamp).


Once the copies are added to the clamp, one is always "active": every job-related function (orient, stock creation etc.) will be applied to the active instance.

Active instance is colored as original job, while the others (non-active) are grayed out.

 

To activate another instance, simply click on it: olnly one instance can be active at a time, so all the others will be grayed out

Adding a different workpiece

To add a different job to the clamp is a much more common operation, particularly for small parts that are machined together (maybe from a single raw block). Clamping them together gives an immediate feedback on their positioning, which can be useful both to machinist and designers in order to find the best solution.

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