Misc Application Notes > PlateDragger Programming

ONLY AVAILABLE IF THE MACHINE IS A PLATEDRAGGER

What it does

"Import Machine Files…" lets PrimeCut load configuration files from a Kinetic Touchcut machine controller and synchronise its internal model of that machine. PrimeCut needs an accurate picture of gripper geometry, hazard zones, tool offsets and safety envelopes so its gripper planning can avoid tool/gripper collisions on the actual machine.

Use it whenever a machine's mechanical setup changes — gripper hazard re-measurements, new tools, bevel head fitted, replacement controller, etc. The button is found in the controller editor.

ImportMachineFiles

CRITICAL: If the imported settings disagree with the running machine, gripper planning will be inaccurate and the controller may flag collisions (or worse, fail to flag a real one). Re-import after any mechanical change.

Files consumed

PrimeCut looks for the following files in the selected folder. Both Machine7.ini and Tools7.ini are required; the others are optional.

File	Section(s)	What it controls in PrimeCut
Machine7.ini	[PlateDragger]	Trapdoor centre and width, table-shutter opening, back- and side-gripper travel limits, gripper hazard extents, fixed gripper positions, datum positions.
Machine7.ini	[Version]	Touchcut build version. PrimeCut uses presence of this section to decide which envelope rule to apply (see Touchcut version compatibility below).
Tools7.ini	[0] … [6]	Per-tool offset (LongOffset, ShortOffset1) and safety envelope (Min/Max X/Y).
Bevel7.ini	[Bevel]	Identifies the tool index installed in the bevel head, plus the bevel head's mounting offset and swept-tilt safety envelope.
MagnetCurves7.ini	—	Part-unloader magnet curves (only relevant if the machine has a part unloader).

Each imported file is also kept as a backup inside PrimeCut so its settings can be inspected later without going back to the machine.

Workflow

1.Open the controller editor and click Import Machine Files…

2.In the folder picker, navigate to the Touchcut machine's TC7Files share. PrimeCut defaults to the controller's saved network path.

3.PrimeCut runs a preview pass, comparing every key in each *7.ini file against current PrimeCut settings and building a change-log.

4.A confirmation dialog reports the number of changes. The full change-log is copied to the clipboard so you can paste it into a text editor for review.

5.Click Yes to apply. PrimeCut writes the changes onto the controller object in memory.

6.Save the post-processor to make the changes permanent.

Tool offset vs. bevel envelope (multi-tool bevel heads)

A bevel head can physically hold more than one tool — for example a beveling laser and a vertical pin-stamp marker that share the same head. PrimeCut now treats two distinct properties separately for those tools:

•Bevel offset — the physical mounting position of the tool tip in the head. This applies to every tool that rides in the head, beveling or vertical, since the tip is in the same spot for all of them.

•Bevel envelope — the volume swept as the head tilts to its maximum bevel angles. A tool that doesn't tilt doesn't sweep that volume, so its native Tools7.ini [N] envelope is the correct (smaller) envelope for it.

On import, PrimeCut now writes the bevel offset to every tool whose selector matches "Tool In Bevel" but only writes the bevel envelope to tools that genuinely tilt (i.e. true beveling tools). Vertical tools sharing the bevel head keep their narrower Tools7.ini envelope, giving the gripper planner more room.

Touchcut version compatibility

The new offset/envelope rule above only works correctly if the machine's Touchcut also picks the right envelope per program — selecting the bevel envelope when a program uses bevel angles, the tool envelope when a program is purely vertical. This Touchcut behaviour shipped alongside PrimeCut's import change.

PrimeCut detects whether a machine has the matching Touchcut by reading Machine7.ini [Version] Version=:

•Section present → new behaviour applied. Vertical tools sharing the bevel head get their narrower envelope; gripper planning uses the appropriate envelope per program process.

•Section absent → modal warning on import, and PrimeCut falls back to the legacy rule (bevel envelope applied to every tool in the bevel head, including non-beveling ones). Update Touchcut to remove the warning and unlock the new behaviour.

The version warning is informational, not blocking — you can continue past it and import settings from an older Touchcut. The legacy fallback is correct (matches what that older Touchcut actually does at runtime); it's just more conservative than the new rule.

Settings updated

The full list of properties PrimeCut synchronises:

•Max Shutter Opening

•Max Back Gripper Rail Position

•Min Side Gripper Plate Position

•Min Side Gripper Spacing

•Max Side Gripper Rail Position

•Trapdoor centre and width

•Datum positions

•For each tool:

oTool envelope (hazardMinX, hazardMinY, hazardMaxX, hazardMaxY)

oTool offset X / Y

oFor tools in the bevel head: bevel offset replaces the tool offset; bevel envelope replaces the tool envelope only for true beveling tools (see above)

•For each back gripper:

oPrimary hazard extents (Min/Max X/Y)

oSecondary hazard extents (Min/Max X/Y) — for L- or T-shaped carriages

oFixed position

•For each side gripper:

oPrimary hazard extents (Min/Max X/Y)

oSecondary hazard extents (Min/Max X/Y)

Side gripper count is auto-detected from the number of SideGripperN_CarriageHazardMinX entries present, so adding or removing a side gripper updates automatically on next import.