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Output: switching plan

Reference — The “Output” task: print the switching plan of a time program for the braiding machine's control, save it as a PDF or as a CSV table

What you use this area for

The switching plan translates a time program into what the control of the real machine needs: when which switch, which shift lever, which gear and which take-up changes, each with step, horngear revolution, time from start and take-up length. You pass it on to the electrical or controls department or file it with the program in the order documents.

Only in the desktop app

The switching plan only exists in the program. In the web app, the Output task only shows a note about it, see Web app.

It is based on the states of the simulation, not on the individual commands: the switching plan shows what actually changes on the machine. A shift lever appears as one action if all its switches are moved together.

The screen at a glance

📷 Screenshot missing

Subject: “Output” task in the right-hand bar: heading Switching plan, program name, program length, switching points, take-up ranges, print template “Standard switching plan”, buttons Print…, Save as PDF…, Save as CSV…. How to create: Customer build with a model licence, open a machine, choose a program with take-up, open the “Output” tab on the right. Target file: assets/screenshots/braiding-simulator/ausgeben.png

The Output task (Switching plan for the control: print, as PDF or CSV.) shows a summary of the selected program at the top, below it the print template and the buttons.

Controls in detail

Summary

Under the heading Switching plan you see the name of the program and:

Line Meaning
Program length Length of one run in steps.
Switching points How many steps contain an action.
Take-up ranges How many sections with their own take-up the program has (only if there are any).
Shift levers How many shift levers the machine has (only if there are any).

Below this, the notes appear in orange. If no program is selected, it reads No time program selected. Choose or create one under “Program” at the top., and the buttons are locked.

Print template

Selection of the templates with the usage Braiding Simulator. Standard switching plan is always first. You design your own templates in the Print editor: it has the usage Braiding Simulator with the element group Braiding Simulator (elements Program data, Start state, Switching sequence, Take-up, Shift lever and Switching diagram). The program remembers the template selected last.

Buttons

Button Effect
Print… Opens the switching plan with the selected template in the print preview (window Switching plan: <program>). The preview shows the pages in the paper size and orientation of the template, so A4 landscape for Standard switching plan.
Save as PDF… Saves the switching plan with the selected template as a PDF.
Save as CSV… (Data area) Saves program data, start state, switching sequence, take-up, shift levers and the states of all switches and gears per switching point as a table, for example for Excel.

When saving, the program suggests the file name <machine> - <program> - Switching plan and remembers the folder. Afterwards Saved: <file> appears.

The View Braiding Simulator right is sufficient for output, see Rights.

Content of the switching plan

The Standard switching plan template is A4 landscape and has three pages. Page 1 carries the title Switching plan: <program> with the date, the machine, program data and start state side by side, and the switching diagram; page 2 the switching sequence; page 3 take-up and shift levers.

Program data

Row Content
Version Version of the program.
Program length Steps per run.
Horngear revolutions per run
Sequence repeats or once.
Steps per horngear revolution
Horngear speed rpm or not set.
Step duration Seconds per step.
Duration per run Minutes and seconds.
Take-up length per run mm.
Setup, Carriers Name of the setup and number of carriers.
Material diameter mm.
Braiding angle measured to cross direction or braid axis (only if the program has take-up ranges), see Braiding angle reference.

Start state

How shift levers, switches, gears (running, stopped, direction of rotation), pitches and take-up are set at the start; columns Component, State, Details.

Switching sequence

One row per action with No., Step, Revolution, Time from start, Length from start, Component, Action and Details. Without a speed in the time program, Time from start and Length from start stay empty (–); without a take-up, Length from start does. A note above the switching sequence gives the reason. Examples:

Component Action
Switch W3 close, open
Shift lever 1 to … (position)
All gears stop (carriers park), start, reverse
Take-up new take-up with its target

At the end it reads End of program after step n — continue with step 1 (the program repeats) or — all positions stay as they are. These are followed, if applicable, by the actions that are needed when repeating.

Take-up, shift lever, switching diagram

  • Take-up — the take-up ranges with step, length, take-up, take-up per revolution, lay length, braiding angle, PPI and target.
  • Shift lever — which switches belong to which shift lever and how they are set in position 1 and 2.
  • Switching diagram — a displacement-step diagram: one row per component whose state changes, the program steps horizontally.

CSV table

The CSV file (separator: semicolon) contains the same blocks as the printout. The numbers are in the cell without a unit so that Excel can calculate with them. In addition there is the block States per switching point: one row per switching point with one column per switch (W1, W2 …), per gear (G1, G2 …) and the take-up in m/min. Legend: Switches 1 = closed, 0 = open · Gears 1 = running, 0 = stopped, -1 = running against the design direction · valid until the next row. This block only exists in the CSV, not in the printout.

Notes

The switching plan reports what cannot be implemented like this on the machine or is still missing. In the printout, the notes appear above the switching sequence.

Note Meaning
Horngear speed missing: times and take-up lengths are unknown. Set a speed in the timeline.
The time program sets neither speed nor take-up: time and length from start are unknown. Both are set in the “Speed” and “Take-up” rows of the timeline. The Time from start and Length from start columns of the switching sequence stay empty. Set the speed and the take-up in the timeline.
The time program sets no take-up: the length from start is unknown. The take-up is set in the “Take-up” row of the timeline. The Length from start column stays empty. Set a take-up in the timeline.
Lay length, braiding angle and PPI come from the 3D preview: switch on the braid preview for complete values. The 3D preview is hidden; switch it on via View > 3D preview.
Shift lever n is mixed at the start — not possible on the machine. The switches of a shift lever are set differently at the start.
The program only partly moves a shift lever — not possible on the machine. The switches are listed individually in the switching sequence. The program switches only some of the switches of a shift lever.
When repeating, switches or gears are set differently than at the first start — the second run differs from the first. The program does not return to its start state at the end. See Check.

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