Pallets Menu

Using a pallet in the Stacker work area allows you to more easily visualize the final placement of parts on the stacking table. To create pallet layouts that will display on the stacking table under the unloaded parts, click the Setup icon to open the Pallet Setup dialog. Create and use pallets that reflect the dimensions and types in your shop. Pallets and Pallet Layouts that are assigned to a stacking job, will also appear on the stacking tables in the CADCAM work area.

Notes:
When parts are unloaded to the stacking table, their stacking order will not automatically be conformed to the dimensions of a pallet, as they are unloaded according to Storage table size.

It's advisable to create pallets that take into account the size of the sheets that are used in AP100US, which reflect the size of sheet metal used in your shop.

 

 
Pallets are used in conjunction with Stack Table layouts, which are usually created after Pallet Layouts have been created.
 
Create a Pallet
   
1) In the Create Pallets tab, click the New Pallet button, which immediately enters an unconfigured pallet in a row as shown here. Enter a Name, Size and Height by clicking directly in a column cell and typing in the info. In the Material drop-down, select one of the three options. In this example, Plastic has been selected.

   
   
Create a Pallet Layout
   
2) Now a pallet layout that can be used in the program must be created.
   
Click on the Pallet Layout(s) tab and the program will ask you to save the newly created pallet. Click Yes.
   
In the Pallet Layout(s) tab, click on the New Layout button.
   

   
   
3) In the New Layout dialog, enter a descriptive name for the layout in the Name field such as "Plastic" (the name entered here will display in the Stacking Module interface), and then click the Add Pallet button to attach the pallet created in step 1 to this layout.
   

 

4) The Add Pallet dialog lists all of the pallets that have been created. The user may have more than one pallet in a layout, but at least one pallet must be selected in the Number of Pallets drop-down for the pallet to function in a pallet layout. To change this number later the user must return to this dialog.

    
Click OK when finished to return to the New Layout dialog -
   

  Most fields in Add Pallet are read-only

   
   
5) Now that the new "Plastic" pallet layout has been created, it may be configured. Offset Positions X and Y are calculated from the lower left corner of the sheet/stacking table and may later be changed. The Pallet Name drop-down allows the user to select a different pallet that was previously created in step 1. The layout Name may also be changed here. Click OK to save changes and move ahead.
   

  

Note: If, in step 4, two (or more) pallets were added in the Number of Pallets drop-down, they will appear as line items in the New Layout dialog shown above. Be sure to adjust the position of the additional pallet(s) to avoid having pallets overlap. In any case, it us unlikely that more than two pallets will be used in a pallet layout.

   
6) The new "Plastic" Pallet Layout displays in the Pallet Setup dialog and it is ready to be used on the stacking table. The Name and Number of Pallets in the layout display in read-only fields. Click OK to close out the dialog and return to the Stacker interface.
   

  

   
   
 Use the Pallet Layout in the Part Stacker Work Area
    
7) In the image below, the Plastic pallet layout has been selected from the drop-down, and appears (in black) under the parts on the stacking table.