Screen Tag Count on View ME

I am working on a palletizing application. We do a lot of palletizing systems, as we are a Fanuc Integrator. On our HMI's we always display the cases that are stacked on a given layer. Ideally, we have an entire system overview that shows all the stacks and their current stack status as far as cases placed on a layer.

Normally, we create on the HMI screen each case on a layer using rectangles drawn in studio, then using color animation, show the cases that are stacked. We recently did a job that stacked 16 locations with 1 robot and I was able to show the entire line on 1 HMI screen, I ended up having around 950 total tags, just under the 1000 count.

The issue now is that we have a robot that will stack 32 stack locations, in order to show the entire robot on one screen, which would be ideal, I would be way over the 1000 tags available. My only option would be to draw each case placed in a bitmap and have a multi state indicator that would display the bitmap, as that would only take 1 tag to accomplish. Of course, this would entail creating about 400 total bitmaps, and having multistate indicators that have about 400 different states, each having a different bitmap.

If anyone has a better idea, or a work around for the tag count limit, I would like to hear about it.


Thanks,
Eric J Hohman
[email protected]
www.mcri-us.com


2-B ?
----+----] [----+------------( )----
| |
| 2-B |
+----]/[----+

Does View ME have a 'parameter' function?
Rockwell has such a function, and you can 'pass' data to faceplates (like macros) and save programming time and effort.

The other thing you could do is to make a 'location array' (0-16) for the screen, and then use some sort of index to select which location (1-16), and use index 0 for the display information. Then, just make the screen 'set' the index, and the screen info will be correct.

sculliesfox said:

I am working on a palletizing application. We do a lot of palletizing systems, as we are a Fanuc Integrator. On our HMI's we always display the cases that are stacked on a given layer. Ideally, we have an entire system overview that shows all the stacks and their current stack status as far as cases placed on a layer.

Normally, we create on the HMI screen each case on a layer using rectangles drawn in studio, then using color animation, show the cases that are stacked. We recently did a job that stacked 16 locations with 1 robot and I was able to show the entire line on 1 HMI screen, I ended up having around 950 total tags, just under the 1000 count.

The issue now is that we have a robot that will stack 32 stack locations, in order to show the entire robot on one screen, which would be ideal, I would be way over the 1000 tags available. My only option would be to draw each case placed in a bitmap and have a multi state indicator that would display the bitmap, as that would only take 1 tag to accomplish. Of course, this would entail creating about 400 total bitmaps, and having multistate indicators that have about 400 different states, each having a different bitmap.

If anyone has a better idea, or a work around for the tag count limit, I would like to hear about it.


Thanks,
Eric J Hohman
[email protected]
www.mcri-us.com


2-B ?
----+----] [----+------------( )----
| |
| 2-B |
+----]/[----+

Click to expand...

Mr.jdbrandt,

DOyou know even parameter passing is alsoconsume a HMI tag??
from parameter passing you can save the developing time as well as repeat work...thats all.

Mr.sculliesfolx,
Nice quetion let me think it out.get back to you soon.