Program¶
Reference — The “Program” task: switching switches and gears, start position, recording, timeline, pitch in this run, horngear groups, speed and take-up
What you use this area for¶
A time program describes how the machine runs: the start position of all switches and gears and the commands that switch at certain steps during the run. This is how changeovers such as round ⇄ flat braid, twisting or spiral come about. You write a program in two ways:
- Record: switch on recording, let the run go, pause, click a switch, continue. Each click becomes a command at the current step.
- Set in the timeline: in the row of a switch or gear, click the step at which the change should happen.
Each program belongs to exactly one setup. You create new programs at the top in the header bar on the selected setup (⋯ next to Program > New program…) or on the start page in the card of the setup with + New program. How programs and setups belong together is described under Setup and program.
The screen at a glance¶
📷 Screenshot missing
Subject: “Program” task with the groups Switches and gears and Speed and take-up; at the bottom the timeline with the rows Take-up, Speed, Direction, Switches (expanded) and Gears; the red “Recording” band in the machine view.
How to create: Customer build with a model licence, open a machine with one of your own changeover programs, “Program” tab, start recording.
Target file: assets/screenshots/braiding-simulator/programm.png
In the Program task, a click on a switch switches it. A click on a carrier or a gear selects it.
Switching switches¶
What a click on a switch does depends on whether a program is selected and whether recording is on. In short: without recording the start position, with recording from here on.
| State | Effect |
|---|---|
| Program selected, without recording | Changes the start position of the program, whatever step the run is currently at. The switch is then in this position from the beginning: W12 is now closed from the beginning — the program's start position has changed. |
| With recording | Becomes a switching command from the current step. |
| Without a program | At the start, the click changes the switch over; mid-run, it applies to this run only. |
If you change the start position mid-run, the simulator recalculates the run with the new start position up to the previous spot. A command in step 1 for the same switch is adjusted as well. If the program switches the switch itself later on, the message names the step: From step 20 the program switches it. Up to there, the new start position applies.
The machine already shows the commands of step 1 at the start: switches, run state and direction of the gears appear there as step 1 sets them.
- If the switch is on a shift lever, one click sets all switches of the lever together.
- Ctrl + click collects several switches into a switch group: a click on one of them then switches all of them; a click on another switch dissolves the group.
- Shift levers and switch groups follow the same rule as a single switch: without recording the start position, with recording a command from here on.
- Fixed components (X crossing, Y piece, groove blocks) cannot be switched; a click only selects them.
"Switches and gears" group¶
At the top of the group, a note sums up the click rule: A click on a switch switches it; Ctrl+click collects several to switch together. Without recording this changes the program's start position, i.e. from the beginning. With recording on it becomes a command from the current step. The same applies to starting and stopping gears.
| Element | Effect |
|---|---|
| Reverse all gears | Reverses the running direction of all gears; all pairs stay counter-rotating, the braiding circle continues backwards. Grouped gears stay rigidly coupled. Takes effect from the next step boundary: at the start as the start position, mid-run without recording for this run only, with recording as a command. |
| Adopt start state | Saves the current position of gears and switches as the start of the program (Program start adopted: … gears, … switches · setup: …). The program stays with its setup. The run is then at the start. |
| Repeat program | Tick (on by default): the commands repeat with the program length as the period, typical for braid patterns. Without the tick, the program runs through once; after that, all positions stay as they are. |
Without a selected program, the program-related buttons are locked.
"Speed and take-up" group¶
The summary shows the take-up range at the playhead: Take-up, steps, braiding angle, lay length, PPI, take-up in m/min, speed in rpm, braid diameter or braid width, and covering; the specified quantity is shown in bold. Without a take-up, it reads Take-up constant — the angle comes from the preview. Set it in the “Take-up” row.
| Button | Effect |
|---|---|
| Change speed… | Speed of the horngears from the step at the playhead, see Speed. |
| Change take-up… | Take-up from the step at the playhead, see Take-up. |
You drag a range in the Speed or Take-up row of the timeline. If the operating mode changes within a take-up range (for example from round to flat braid), the summary warns: From step … the operating mode changes. For the same target this part needs its own take-up, but the machine runs one per take-up change: set a take-up change there.
Selection card: switch¶
If you click a switch in Set up, Check or Output, the card shows Switch W12 selected. (In Program, the click switches the switch instead of selecting it.)
- Position: closed (the tracks cross, carriers pass to the other horngear) or open (the tracks run past each other, every carrier stays on its gear). If it differs from the default position, the card says so.
- Open switch or Close switch switches it, in every task, with the same effect as a click.
- A switch with No function (co-rotating or unsynchronized gears). cannot be switched.
If the switch is on a shift lever, the card shows the lever below it with its switches and the position (Position 1, Position 2 or mixed (individually set)). Set lever to "…" sets all switches of the lever together; with recording, as program commands.
Fixed components only show their description:
| Component | Effect |
|---|---|
| X crossing | The tracks cross; transfer always takes place in both directions. |
| Y piece | Two inlets, one outlet. |
| Groove block half circles | Each track runs past the other, no transfer. Common on flat braid gears. |
| Groove block diagonal | Only one diagonal groove (/ instead of X). If a carrier runs against its end, a dead end results. |
Selection card: gear¶
The card Gear n selected shows how the gear is driven, and only the buttons for what the real machine can do on this gear.
Horngear group and switch-out gear¶
Normal gears run in sync with all others (Not grouped. In operation it runs in sync with all gears.); there are no buttons for them. The following have their own drive:
- a horngear group (the gears are marked G1, G2 …): start, stop and direction change always affect the whole group,
- a switch-out gear: it can be stopped so that its carriers park.
| Button | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stop horngear group / Start horngear group | Stops or starts the whole group; while it stands, its carriers park. |
| Reverse horngear group | Reverses only this group; within the group, neighbors stay counter-rotating. |
| Stop switch-out / Start switch-out | Stops or starts the switch-out gear; while it stands, its carriers park. |
| Reverse switch-out | Reverses only this gear. |
Stop and Start follow the same rule as a switch click: with a program selected and without recording, they change the program's start position, whatever step the run is at (Horngear group 1 (gears …) is now stopped from the beginning — the program's start position has changed.); a command in step 1 is adjusted as well, and a later command for the same gear is named in the message. With recording they become a command from the current step. Without a program they act as the start position at the start and for this run only mid-run.
Reverse takes effect from the next step boundary: at the start as the start position, mid-run without recording for this run only, with recording as a program command.
Below the hub of these gears, a run symbol shows whether they are running (▶) or stopped (⏸); in the Program task, a click on it starts or stops the gear, with the same effect as the buttons.
If a gear runs against its base direction, the card warns: Runs backwards in operation, against the base direction.
Turning unit: carrier exchange¶
On a turning unit, Trigger carrier exchange swaps one carrier each between the two neighboring gears; meanwhile, the rest of the machine stands still. With recording, this becomes a command in the program; without recording, the exchange applies to this run only. If the exchange is not possible right now, the card states the reason and the Next possible step with the link jump there.
Pitch in this run¶
Some gears have several pitches, for example an edge gear with 7 slots that can work as a 5-slot or 3-slot gear. For these, the card shows the selection Pitch in this run with 5-slot pitch, 3-slot pitch, etc.:
| State | Effect |
|---|---|
| At the start | The selected pitch becomes the start position of the program: Gear 3 uses the 5-slot pitch in this program. |
| With recording | The gear changes from the current step: Gear 3 uses the 3-slot pitch from step 12 — recorded in the program. |
| Mid-run without recording | For this run only. |
The change happens at the step boundary. The gear is driven individually and turns to the next position of the new pitch; the carriers stay in their slots.
When a pitch change is dropped
If, at the change, a carrier sits in a slot that the new pitch does not use, the change is dropped: the gear keeps its pitch, and a note under Check names the step and the gear. Otherwise the carrier would arrive at the transfer point at the wrong time. Place the change at a step at which no carrier is in such a slot.
Without a program, the selection is locked: The pitch is saved in the time program. Without a program the gear uses the largest one.
Recording¶
Record in the playback bar switches recording on. The following are recorded as a command at the current step: switch clicks (also via shift levers), Reverse all gears, stopping, starting and reversing horngear groups and switch-out gears, carrier exchanges and pitch changes. Placing and removing carriers remains part of the setup. Without recording, a click on a switch or on the run state of a gear changes the start position, see Switching switches.
- During recording, a red band Recording with the position and the number of commands appears at the top left of the machine, and the button is called Stop recording.
- A click on a switch always switches it, whichever task is open on the right; a right-click also switches it.
- If the run continues or you jump beyond the end with Go to step, the program gets longer.
- Undo and redo are locked.
- If no program has been created yet, the simulator asks whether it should create one (Create program).
When you stop, it reports how many commands were recorded.
How to record a changeover:
- Select or create a program, set the run to the start.
- Switch on Record and press Start.
- At the desired step, press Pause (or jump there with Go to step).
- Click the switches that should change over.
- Let the run continue, switch back if necessary, and at the end click Stop recording.
- Check the result in the Check task, then click Save.
Timeline¶
The timeline at the bottom shows the selected program as rows over the steps. It is only visible with a program; with the Timeline button on the right of the playback bar you hide and show it. You change its height at the splitter between the machine and the playback bar.
📷 Screenshot missing
Subject: Timeline of a changeover program with the rows Take-up (two colored ranges), Speed, Direction, Switches with W rows (blocks and switching points), Gears with a horngear group and a pitch row; context menu open.
How to create: Open a machine with a program (e.g. variation braider with a pitch change), “All rows” off, right-click in a W row.
Target file: assets/screenshots/braiding-simulator/zeitachse.png
Timeline header¶
| Element | Effect |
|---|---|
| Timeline — <program> | Title. |
| Zoom − / + | Levels 50 to 300 %. |
| Whole program | Fits the whole program to the width (default). |
| Length − / + | Program length in steps (1 to 999). Lengthening makes room for further commands; shorter than the last command is not possible. |
| All rows | Default: only rows with commands or a differing start state. With the tick, the other rows too, so that you can set commands in fresh rows. New program… switches it on. |
Rows¶
| Row | Shows |
|---|---|
| Step row (top) | Step numbers from 1 and the red playhead. A click or drag jumps. |
| Take-up | The take-up ranges as colored blocks with their value, the color depending on the setpoint (take-up blue, lay length turquoise, braiding angle orange, PPI violet). Hatched where the operating mode changes. Without a take-up: uniform (angle from the preview). |
| Speed | The speed in rpm per range, or not set. |
| Direction | Running direction of all gears: block = forward, chevrons = backward, triangle at a reversal. |
| Switches (expandable) | Below it, one row per switch W12: block = closed, thin line = open, circle = switching command. The group row shows as a bar how many switches are closed. |
| Gears (expandable) | Below it, one row per horngear group Group 1, per switch-out gear and turning unit G5 (block = running, line = stopped, chevrons = backward, diamond = carrier exchange) and per gear with several pitches G5 pitch with the blocks 5-slot, 3-slot. |
Mouse¶
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Click in a W row | Sets a switching command (the switch changes over from here) or removes an existing one. |
| Click in the Switches row | Changes over all switches from here. |
| Click in Direction | Reverses all gears from here or removes the reversal. |
| Click in a group or switch-out row | Run/stop from here; with Ctrl, reverse the direction of rotation from here. |
| Click in a turning unit row | Sets or removes a carrier exchange. |
| Click in a pitch row | The other pitch from here; on a marker, removes the change. |
| Click in Take-up or Speed | Opens the dialog from this step, see Take-up and Speed. |
| Drag in a row | Applies the state only over the dragged range; afterwards, the old state applies again. In Take-up and Speed, the dialog for the range opens. |
| Drag that starts on a command | Moves the command. |
| Click in the label | Selects the row; with Ctrl further rows, with Shift a range (only rows of the same kind). Dragging in a selected row switches all selected rows together. |
A double-click in a row does not remove the command you have just set. The mouse wheel scrolls the timeline.
Take-up and speed in the timeline¶
A click in Take-up or Speed sets a new value from this step; it applies until the next change. Dragging sets it only for the range; afterwards, the previous value applies again. The dialogs are described under 3D preview and take-up.
Like Direction and Switches, Take-up and Speed span the full width of the timeline, also beyond the end of the program:
- Without Repeat program, the last range continues to apply after the end of the program.
- With Repeat program, the ranges recur with the program length.
- Identical neighboring ranges merge into one block.
- Beyond the end of the program, the tooltip names the range that applies there.
Right-click menu¶
Depending on the row, a matching command appears at the top, for example Switch W12 at step 20, Reverse all gears at step 20, Stop at step 20 or From step 20 with 3-slot pitch. Below it, always:
| Entry | Effect |
|---|---|
| Insert steps… | Inserts empty steps before a step (default 4); what follows moves back. In the new steps, the state before them continues to apply. |
| Delete steps… | Deletes steps; what was switched there continues to apply afterwards, later commands move forward. |
| Move section… | Moves the commands of a step range by a number of steps (positive later, negative earlier), optionally Selected rows only. |
| Copy section… | Copies the commands of a section to another place, also from another program of this machine (From program). |
| Go to step n | Sets the playhead. |
If a gear row contains a command that the machine cannot execute (stopping or reversing a single gear without its own drive, from an older program), the row is hatched and the tooltip says Not machine-capable: on the machine all gears run in sync. Use Remove single-gear commands of G… in the right-click menu to delete these commands.
In the web app¶
- The timeline has no right-click menu and no row selection; dragging applies a state over the range but does not move a command. You move, jump to and remove commands in the Commands (n) list of the Program task; the Length of the program is also there.
- The rows are arranged somewhat differently: one row per shift lever, one row All gears, plus one row each per horngear group, switch-out gear, turning unit and pitch.
- During recording, the program plays without repetition; when you stop, the length grows up to the step reached.
Details: Braiding Simulator (web app).
Related pages¶
- Check — check whether the program runs collision-free.
- 3D preview and take-up — take-up and speed.
- Output — the program as a switching plan.
- Multiple braiding heads