Part Stacker Module

The Part Stacker Module allows the user to clearly view the results of a part removal operation on the stacking table, and also to re-arrange
the final stacking position of each part.

To open the Part Stacker Module, from the Modules interface in the AP100US program click the Edit Stacking button.

Note: If the Stacker module doesn't launch, it may be because this button has been disabled in Preferences>Display options.

If the parts have been unloaded to the part stacking table in the AP100US Modules work area, when the Part Stacker module opens the parts will appear in that placement as in the image below.

A sheet or job file may also be opened by in the Part Stacker by clicking File>Open and then selecting a file.

File Menu	General & Misc Menu
Stack Menu	Parts List
Stack Table Menu	Output Panel
Pallets Menu	Cardboard Insertion
View Menu

File menu

New

Click to open an SY2 file, Sheet file, Job file or Schedule file in the Stacking module. If there is a file currently on the stacking table, the program will ask to clear the data base before proceeding. Click Yes to proceed or No to cancel the operation. If Yes is selected, the Open File window will display; browse to the necessary folder.

Open
To load parts for stacking from existing files, click Open to display the Open File window (shown above).

Save
Select Save to save any changes made to the sheet on the stacking table.

Print / Printer Setup
Choose Print to print out a copy of the current sheet in hard copy. If your system does not connect, search for and configure settings for the printer by selecting Printer Setup.

Exit to CADCAM
This option will close out the Part Stacker module and the AP100US program will return to view.

TK or PSR Settings
This option allows the user to view and edit PSR or TK settings in a simplified window.

See PSR Unloader Settings or TK Unloader Settings for complete info.

Auto Stack Layout Settings
These settings enable the user to enter Offset and Spacing values, selecting a Preferred Corner, as well as Location X/Y and Width/Height settings for Cardboard insertion.

Choices made here will not be applied to a stacking table arrangement currently on the stacking table; the user must Reset and then Auto stack the table again for changes to take effect.

Note: When stacking in the CAM program the system will use settings from the Auto Stacking Layout Settings dialog in the Stacking Module.

Changes made here become the default until changed

Stack menu

The Move, Delete, Rotate and Select options function here as they do in the Sheet menu, but instead of using a cursor crosshair as in AP100US, an arrow cursor is used in the Stacking Module.

Reset
Clicking this button resets a stacking placement that exists on the default stacking table in the work area. Parts will be sent to the Part List and may be placed again on the stacking table.

Reset All
Clicking this button resets all stacking placements that exist on all stacking table layouts that have been created. Parts will be sent back to the Part List and may be placed again on the stacking table(s).

Auto
Select this option to allow the program to automatically place parts from the Part List on the default stacking table, which will be carried out according to default and user-entered settings.
Note: When auto-stacking parts on a pallet/table, if there is more than one pallet on a table and there are too many parts to fit on the first pallet, they may be pushed to the next pallet on the same table.

Auto All
Select this option to allow the program to automatically place parts from the Part List on all stacking table layouts that are in use in a given table layout, which will be carried out according to default and user-entered settings.

Move
When Move is clicked and a part or part kit on the stacking table is then selected, it becomes attached to the cursor (snapping to the nearest corner) and can be relocated by dragging the part, left-clicking again to place.

The user may also manually enter values in the X and Y fields that appear in the X / Y location flyout attached to the cursor, or the Location fields found in the part Properties panel. After typing in values, hit <Tab> to enter the value and jump to the next field, or hit <Enter> to confirm the entry, complete the operation and release the part.

When a part is selected the X field in the Location flyout
is active; use <Tab> to jump to the Y field and back

Location & angle can also be selected by
clicking the arrows in an active cell

Note: The values given in the Properties panel show absolute values based on the natural base point (lower-left corner) of the part or part kit. However, the values given in the flyout that is attached to the cursor show incremental values, based on the corner that the cursor is attached to. For this reason, the Location values for a part in the Properties panel and in the location flyout may differ.

When the Move icon has been selected, the Move Parts Number option on the menu bar becomes active (as shown in the image below). The user may then select the quantity of parts that will be placed in separate stacks, which can then be dragged out to different locations on the stacking table.

For example, if there are ten similar parts (and the Max Storage Height value in TK Settings permits such a stack) the program will by default stack these ten parts together in one stack. However, if the user prefers to have five stacks of two parts each, he must enter a value of "2" by clicking the up button. The user may then click the original stack and drag four other stacks (each consisting of two parts) one by one to a new location on the table.

Cardboard / Auto Cardboard
For info on these options please see Cardboard Insertion.

Stack Parts
The Stack Parts checkbox is enabled by default as this is the most likely choice. This allows the program to stack similar parts at the same angle in one stack. The height of the stack is controlled by the user-entered value set in the TK or PR Setting windows. (This value is passed on from the PSR Settings in the AP100US program and saved with the machine file; it is editable in the Stacking Module.)

Uncheck this box to NOT allow similar parts to stack one on top of the other.

Display Stack Quantity
Check this box to allow each part stack to show a number, indicating quantity of parts in the stack. The above image shows part stacks that have two parts per stack.
Note: When the cursor hovers over a part stack, the Stack Height will display in a small flyout attached to the cursor.

Display Arms
Enable this option to show the part remover arms when a part is selected.

The dashed red line on stacking tables indicates the extent or "reach" of the part remover arm as shown in this image -

Floor Cart 2 is completely within range of the PSR; however, Floor Cart 1 is problematic. Parts shown in red will not or may not be stacked correctly.

To show the dashed red line on stacking tables, the Show Arm Dead Zone option must be enabled. For more info see PSR Unloader Settings or TK Unloader Settings.

By default, when picking up parts the two suction cup arms are close together and the suction cups make contact at or near the center of the part as in this image -

Active suction cups are shown in red

Customizing the assignment and placement of suction cups is possible in AP100US work area. See Modules>Edit Arm and PSR Unloader Settings or TK Unloader Settings for complete info.

Notes: Parts are shown in red only in documentation; in the Stacker module actual out-of-range parts are NOT colored red.

Display of the arms depends on the driver/machine in use.

Stack Table menu

Click for info on how to create, edit and use Stacking Tables.


Pallets menu

Click for info on how to create, edit and use Pallets and Pallet Layouts.

Cardboard menu

Click for info on how to create, edit and use Cardboard Insertion.

View menu

The View menu offers standard choices. When clicked, Zoom All will fill the work area with the stacking table and parts.

Click Zoom In & Out repeatedly to zoom the view. The view may also be zoomed by scrolling the center mouse button while the cursor is in the work area.

Click Pan, move the cursor into the work area and drag the view to pan. The view may also be panned by holding down the center mouse button and dragging the view.

General & Misc menu

The Undo and Redo options are under the General menu. See Move above on this page for info about Move Parts Number.

Click the Question icon to open the general AP100US Help file. Part Stacker documentation is found under the Modules menu.

Part List

The Part List shown here lists the sheet files that have been loaded into the Stacking module, as well as the individual parts in each of those sheets. When the parts are unloaded onto the stacking table (either by Auto or manually), the part names will disappear from this list.

Select a part to see a thumbnail in the Part Display. Right-click a part list and click Remove to remove it from this list.

Right-click on a sheet name to open the flyout menu.
Select Auto to auto-unload this sheet to the stacking table in the work area.
Clicking View (placing a checkmark) hides the parts in the work area from view.
Remove Sheet deletes the sheet from the Part List.
If a job file has been opened, click Remove Job to delete it from the list.
If a schedule file from Sheet Wizard that contains two or more sheets has been opened, click Remove Relation to remove that sheet from the schedule file, allowing it to be edited separately.

The user may also left-click a part (or part kit) in the Part List and drag it onto the stacking table, left-clicking again to place it.
Coordinate values can be directly entered into the X and Y flyout fields that are attached to the cursor. After typing in values,
hit <Tab> to enter the value and jump to the next field, or hit <Enter> to confirm, complete the operation and release the cursor.

Note: When entering values here if the user does not hit <Enter>, the cursor will remain attached to the part, prohibiting any further action.

The padlocks in the image below indicate that the user has typed in values in the first and second fields and has hit <Tab> after
each entry. When <Tab> is hit after an entry 1) the part jumps to the new location, 2) the value is "Locked" in that field and 3) the
cursor will jump to the next available field. At this point the cursor will still remain attached to the part, preventing further user input.
The user must then hit <Enter> to release the part. When typing in values in either the flyout (shown here) or in the Properties panel,
hitting <Enter> will complete the action.

Padlocks indicate that
the field has been locked

When a part is selected a Properties panel for that part opens on the right side of the work area, showing absolute values for the part.
Enter Location and Angle values and after typing in values hit <Tab> to enter the value and jump to the next field, or hit <Enter> to
complete the operation. All other fields in the Properties panel are read-only.

When the cursor hovers over a part stack,
the Stack Height will display in a flyout
attached to the cursor

When the Graphic View tab is clicked, a graphic view of the parts with read-only info displays for parts in a selected sheet.

Output Panel

The Output panel at the bottom of the work area gives basic instructions and results for the user.
It also has an Inch/Metric toggle that applies to all values in the program.