Some common complaints about existing folding machine controllers on the market
today are that "My current controller's Part Library doesn't hold enough
parts," and "...it's too
difficult to find the parts when the exact name isn't known." This can be
frustrating and time consuming for the operator. Plus, if the controller has
reached its maximum number of parts
stored in the library, the operator must delete parts to free up more storage space. With Pathfinder, AMS has designed virtually unlimited part storage into
the software (Pathfinder has been tested with 10,000+ parts) and finding that
"needle in a haystack" part has never been easier! The profile searching and
filtering in Pathfinder is an extremely powerful tool that allows very fast and
flexible methods for finding your part.
First, let's start with the
layout of the screen itself. The upper section contains the filtering drop-downs
that allow the operator to filter the thumbnails to only show certain profiles.
For example, if the operator only wants to see gutter profiles, one way might be
to select "Gutters" from the Category filter. The list of profiles would
immediately be filtered by only those that have "Gutters" as the Category. If
further filtering is needed, the Sub-Category and Material Type filters could
also be used.
Figure 1 - Pathfinder Part Library
Screen
If the operator knows the name of the profile, but doesn't want to use the Up
and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the pages of parts to find it, they
can simply touch the Keyboard icon in the lower-left corner to display the
on-screen keyboard. Then, as the operator types the name of the profile, the
list will automatically begin filtering with each key press. As the operator
continues to type, the list filters further until the profile is found. The
same method is used to search by Description if the Description button is
depressed. Once finished, the operator can touch the keyboard icon again to
hide it.
The right-hand side of the screen contains information about
the currently selected thumbnail, as the selection changes, the description
information changes with it. This information is very useful due to the limited
space available for additional profile data on the thumbnail.
Beyond the
powerful filtering and searching capabilities, Pathfinder also includes some
nice conveniences that make performing common tasks a snap. If the operator
would like to create a new part based off an existing part, they would simply
highlight the thumbnail of the part to be copied and touch Copy Part. The
resulting screen will give options for renaming the part as well as converting
it to a non-graphical part if desired.
Figure 2 - Pathfinder Copy Part Screen
Deleting a part that is no longer needed is just as simple - highlight the
thumbnail of the part you wish to delete, and then touch the Delete button. For
added safety, the user will be prompted to confirm the deletion. Once
confirmed, the part will be removed from the database.
There
are two options for loading a part from the library. The operator may choose to
double-tap the thumbnail of the profile they wish to load, or they may choose to
touch the thumbnail once and then touch the Load Part button in the
lower right-hand side of
the screen. Either method will result in the part being loaded into the Profile
Editor screen.
Finally, if the operator would like to view more or less
thumbnails on the screen at one time, they can use the three buttons on the
left-hand side of the screen to display a grid of 3 x 3 thumbnails, 4 x 4
thumbnails or 5 x 5 thumbnails.
For a video demonstration of designing a part on Pathfinder, click here.