The LOADTL Command [MLEP]

The LOADTL command is a non-standard[1] alias for the LOAD/WIRE, LOAD/TOOL and LOAD/ HEAD commands. It is used to: thread and cut the wire on a wire EDM; select the active punch tools for punch presses; and load and unload tools and heads on mills and lathes.

Wire EDM machines:

Specify a positive non-zero tool_id to cause the wire to be threaded at the current position; specify a zero (0) tool id to cause the wire to be cut (or use the UNLOAD/WIRE command).

Punch Press machines:

Specify a positive non-zero tool_id to cause the punch tool to be changed.

Mill and Lathe machines:

See the TOOLNO command for a description of the tool and head information parameters. See the LOAD/TOOL command for more information on loading tools and heads.

If the tool_id on the LOADTL command matches the tool currently loaded, and the tool register contains combined tool and offset information, then a tool change operation will not be generated. However, changes in tool length, tool offset and orientation will be respected. In all other cases a redundant tool change will be output.

[1]

International Standards Organization ISO 4343:1972 defined LOADTL as a standard post-processor command, but this was later revised to LOAD/TOOL in the ISO 4343:2000 update.