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Southwestern Industries, Inc.
TRAK
EMX Knee Mill, Bed Mill & ProtoTRAK
EMX CNC Retrofit Safety, Programming, Operating & Care Manual
12.0 Program Memory & Storage
The ProtoTRAK EMX can only have one program at a time in current memory. This is the program you
see when you enter the program mode and is the one that is available to run.
Programs may be stored for future use on the ProtoTRAK EMX internal storage.
Part programs are saved to storage or opened from storage in the Program In/Out Mode. When
programs are transferred back and forth from current memory and storage, they stay in both
locations unless erased or cleared. In other words, opening a program from internal storage into
the current memory does not remove it from the internal storage. Only deleting the program will
remove it.
12.1 Cautions About Opening and Deleting Programs
Care must be taken to keep from losing a program you wish to keep. This can happen two ways.
First, whenever a program is opened, it is loaded into the ProtoTRAK EMX's computer program
memory. When this happens, your existing current program is erased. Therefore, if your current
program is one you want to keep, be certain to store it before you retrieve another program.
Second, to store a program it must have a part number so that the ProtoTRAK EMX can find it
when you want to open it. However, no two programs can have the same part number (how
would the system decide which to retrieve?). Therefore, if you store a program with any
particular part number, it will automatically erase any other program with that same part
number.
In both cases above the ProtoTRAK EMX will give you a warning before erasing or overwriting
your program.
12.2 Program Formats and Labeling
The ProtoTRAK family of products has its own unique programming system--one that organizes
the program into events rather than codes and blocks. Programs written on a two-axis milling
control (such as the ProtoTRAK EMX) will have the extension .MX2. Programs written on the
DPMEX2 2 ½ axis control will have a .MX3 extension.
The .MX2 and .MX3 programs created by the ProtoTRAK EMX is compatible with those created on
other ProtoTRAK CNCs, provided that the event types of the program are found in the control
that is running the program.