CNC Spring Coiler Safety, Startup and Emergency Recovery

1. Hazards that shape the operating method

The source identifies several hazards that must be treated as part of the setup method rather than as a separate safety poster. Spring wire is stored energy, can be fed at high speed and can puncture skin. Carbide forming tools can chip or fracture. The main coiler and decoiler contain rotating parts, while the electrical enclosures on the source installation are marked at hazardous three-phase voltage. For that reason the manual restricts cabinet access to suitably qualified electrical personnel.

2. Daily startup sequence

The startup described by the source has two purposes: energise the machine and establish that the servo system knows its safe mechanical references. Exact button labels and the number of zero moves are machine-specific, but the logic is transferable.

1. Turn on the machine services. Apply the required air supply and main electrical power in accordance with the machine’s normal site procedure.
2. Allow the control to boot completely. The source control displays an initial machine screen before entering the operating interface.
3. Reset the decoiler/fault state. After power-up the reset-fault indicator is illuminated. Resetting clears the condition that prevents automatic wire supply.
4. Enable the servo system. Press the master-enable control and confirm the master-enable and servo-power indications are active.
5. Run the first reference move. The source uses a first move-to-zero command to check machine extents.
6. Run the second reference move. A further move-to-zero takes the tooling to the stored start position.
7. Establish the cutoff reference. The source then uses another move-to-zero operation for the cutoff position.

These steps are not permission to ignore the machine builder’s current procedure. They show the structure of the source sequence: reset faults, enable servos, verify extents, return to production zero and confirm cutter zero.

3. Starting a machine that is already set up

When the spring tooling and program have already been proven, startup still begins at reduced speed. The source uses a maximum manual jog setting for rapid non-contact motion but a deliberately slow run-speed setting for initial production. This is a useful distinction: a high jog setting is only appropriate while tools are well clear; fine movement near the arbor is made at the low end of the jog range.

1. Check jog-speed setting. Ensure manual jogging is at the intended setup value and reduce it before any close tool movement.
2. Set a slow production run speed. Source example: run-speed 4 is used as a cautious start on the source machine.
3. Start the coiler. Run the currently loaded program and observe the first springs closely.
4. Respond to zero prompts. After some stops the control may request another move-to-zero, including a cutter return. Follow the machine sequence only after confirming the tool path is clear.
5. Increase speed progressively. Once spring shape, hook behaviour, cutoff and ejection are stable, increase speed while looking for dynamic defects that were not present at setup speed.

4. Normal stop, immediate stop and emergency stop

5. Emergency or immediate-stop recovery

The source recovery procedure is detailed because simply releasing the E-stop and pressing Start can damage tools. The forming zone must be physically understood before stored zero commands are used.

1. Identify and clear the reason for the stop. A wire tangle, trapped spring, damaged tool, loss of wire guidance or other cause must be corrected first. Do not treat a reset as a fix.
2. Release the emergency-stop device. On the source machine the mushroom head is twisted in the marked direction to release.
3. Wait for the fault-reset condition. The reset-fault lamp becomes active after a short delay; the source instructs the operator to wait for it to remain lit for a few seconds before resetting.
4. Reset faults and re-enable the machine. Restore the control state, then press master enable.
5. Inspect hook-forming tool positions. If the stop occurred while forming a hook, confirm the coiling point is clear of the main arbor before any move-to-zero command. If necessary, jog the tool manually to a safe positive position.
6. Re-seat wire in the tooling grooves. If the start of the spring has escaped from the guide or coiling-point groove, use safe tools to relocate it before resuming.
7. Return to the start and cutoff zeros. Use the prescribed move-to-zero sequence only after the collision path has been checked.
8. Generate sacrificial blank spring. Feed a short length of blank spring to remove distortion left at the stop point.
9. Cut off the disturbed section. Cycle the cutter and, if required, use the part ejector manually, then return the ejector to automatic mode.
10. Restart slowly and verify. Resume production at reduced speed and inspect the first parts for pretension, diameter, hook and cut quality.

6. Why sacrificial blank spring matters after a stop

A sudden stop freezes the forming process while wire may be plastically bending, twisting for pretension, or moving around the hook arbor. The short section immediately following the stop can therefore carry local distortion even after the machine has been correctly homed. The source resolves this by manually feeding a length of blank spring and cutting it away before restarting the programmed cycle. This is a simple quality-control step that prevents the disturbed wire from being mistaken for a process setting problem.

7. Managing zero integrity

The Set Zero control is deliberately treated as a protected setup action. The source says the tool positions are normally zeroed after the blank spring has been established and should not be zeroed again unless a new spring is being set up or an event such as broken tooling requires it. This makes sense because the program values were developed relative to those zeros. Changing a zero without changing the program effectively changes every programmed position on that axis.

8. Production restart verification

After any abnormal stop, the first accepted part should not be judged on appearance alone. Check that the spring stays in the tooling groove, that the blank/body diameter is stable, that the cutoff severs the wire fully, that the hook is centred and square, and that the spring ejects without catching the guide. If initial tension is critical, compare the first parts to the normal pretension check because chipped tooling or a minor crash can reduce pretension without creating an obvious visual defect.

9. Operator checklist