How to configure, program and simulate with MachineLogic

Command Icon

Move to home

The “Move to Home” command allows you to position your actuator at its Home position, where the home sensor is located. You need a homing sensor to use this command. This command is recommended at the beginning of each application for each actuator, because its set the “zero” of your position.

Move Relative

This command allows you to move relative to the current position of the gantry. This will accept both negative or positive distance (mm) values. If the “Move Relative” command exceeds the travel length of the actuator, it will stop at the closest home or end sensor.
Example 1. For a timing belt actuator (travel length is 855 mm) at its home position, and you execute a move relative command +1000 mm, the gantry will stop at the end sensor.
Example 2. For a rotary actuator if the current position is 90 deg, a move relative command -20 deg would bring the gantry to 70 deg.

Move to position

Move to Position command allows the actuator to move in an absolute position from the home position. Note that a Move to Home command is required before adding the Move to Position command in the application. Move to Position command only allows for a positive value input.

Set System Speed

Configures coasting speed of all actuators in the system. All movement/commands entered after this “Set Speed” command will follow this speed until a new “Set Speed” command is entered.

Set System Acceleration

Configures acceleration of all actuator in the system. All movement/commands entered after this “Set Acceleration” command will follow this acceleration until a new “Set Acceleration” command is entered.

Set angle

Use this function when you would like to redefine an angle on your current rotary actuator position. This command does not move the actuator, but will override its position value.

Move to closest angle

This command allows you to rotate your rotary actuator to the specified position using the desired direction:

• Positive: Rotates in the positive direction of your motor. Default: Counterclockwise

• Negative: Rotates in the positive direction of your motor. Default: Clockwise

• Shortest path: Rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise using the less rotational movement possible

Your rotary actuator will always move less than a full turn. The specified angle needs to be between -360 and 360 deg.

Start continuous move

For conveyors and rotary actuators, you have the ability to actuate them continuously. It may be considered a start command to actuate the conveyor/rotary actuator continuously. Typically, until an event happens or under a timeframe.

Stop continuous move

To stop a continuous motion, you should use the “Stop Continuous Move” command. Please note that the “Stop All Motion” command would also stop any continuous moves.

Stop all motion

To stop all motion from the previous commands. This command is useful when you have various “Set continuous move” commands and you would like all movement to stop using one command.

Push

Extends the piston of the selected pneumatic actuator.

Pull

Retracts the piston of the selected pneumatic actuator.

Idle

Disables the output of the pneumatic actuator, allowing the movement of the pneumatic actuator to be “free” (could easily by extended or retracted with any external force).

Command Icon

Amount of time

Provides the ability to wait for a certain time delay before performing the next command in a sequence.

Event

Wait for event command creates the ability to wait for an event topic and/or message to be generated before executing subsequent commands in the sequence. For an example, this gives the ability for an operator to generate an event by clicking a button in the UI builder to execute a sequence that is waiting on an event topic and/or message.
Additionally, it provides the ability to wait for a given message on a given MQTT topic before performing the next command in a sequence.

Motion completion

Provides the ability to wait until all moves complete before performing the next command in a sequence. This command will be useful for conditional statements, where you would only execute another command if a certain motion has completed.

Digital input

Provides the ability to wait for a given digital input of an digital IO module on specified state (0 or 1) before performing the next command in a sequence. For an example, depending on the state of a sensor (0: no object sensed, 1: object sensed), you could add a command that will only move an actuator of the state of the sensor is “1”.

Digital input edge

Provides the ability to wait for a given digital input of an digital IO module to transition : from 0 to 1 for a rising edge, from 1 to 0 for a falling edge before performing the next command in a sequence. For an example, if you would like to command a conveyor to move only if a sensor detected a box moving past a sensor, triggering the state to go from 0 to 1 and 1 to 0.

Command Icon

Digital output

Add a command to activate your digital I/O compatible components using pins (0, 1, 2, 3). Each pin will trigger an action from that connected component (i.e pneumatic actuator, status light, etc.). Example. If you have set up your configuration with a pneumatic actuator, you could activate your actuator by inputing the output as “Pneumatic actuator” from the drop-down menu. Afterwards, enter your pin associated with that action (0 or 1).

Generate event

Generate Event command gives the ability to generate an event, with a given topic and an optional message. For example, it allows to resolve any active “WaitForEvent” commands that would be waiting on the same topics and messages

Command Icon

Execute in parallel

This allows you to play/run a command in parallel with another command. The command you input with the “Execute in parallel” will run in parallel with the next command. Tip: Under your main sequence, you should add most of your execution commands there.

Execute in series

This allows you to play/run a sequence within another sequence, and wait for its completion before moving on to the next instruction. This is useful for repetitive sequential movements. Tip: Under your main sequence, you should add most of your execution commands there.

Terminate

Terminates the execution of the program. If you know your machine is experiencing an error, use this command. This will allow your machine to be in the state of a “software stop”.

Command Icon

From device

Set variable command category allows the “Initial Value” of a variable (set from the “Variables tab”) to change. All the commands executed after this command will use that new value.
“Set Variable from Device” allows a variable to take the value of one input pin of the digital IO module.

From expression

Set Variable command category allows the “Initial Value” of a variable (set from the “Variables” tab) to change. All the commands executed after this command will use that new value.
“Set Variable from Expression” allows a variable (set from the “Variables” tab) to take the value specified in the expression field. The expression field supports numbers, mathematical operators (*, /, +, -) and variable names.

From expression array

Set Variables from Expression allows variables (set from the Variables tab) to take an array of values specified in the Expression field. The Expression field supports numbers, mathematical operators (*, /, +, -) and Variable Names.

Command Icon

Information Console

Adding a message to the information console allows you to output a message to the UI builder for the operator to view. Variables, functions and text could be entered as a message. To display the message to the operator, ensure you drag and drop the information console widget in the UI Builder.

URL

Adding a message to a URL allows you to send a message (“Pack message”) to an external server and store the resulting output of the server in the “Unpack Variable Name”.

Command Icon

Python Snippet

The Python Snippet Instruction lets users add Python code to their Code-Free applications. This works especially well when using commands from the Vention Python API. It is possible to pass MachineLogic variables to the snippet in the form of sys.argv. To do so, select the add input button to insert MachineLogic Variables. The snippet can also write to an existing variable using print. The printed value will be written to the corresponding variable defined from the Output Variable drop-down menu.

Tip

Regexes often rely on backslashes to denote special characters (like \s for whitespace). In a typical Python source file with raw strings (using r"..."), there is no need to double the backslashes. However, since Python snippets are run inline with the -c flag, backslashes must be doubled to prevent them from being interpreted as escape characters by the shell.