### Line

To create a Line command:

1. Select the Measure soft key from the main screen's Navigation Bar.

2. Select the Line soft key from the Navigation Bar. The Measure Line screen appears.

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to insert the command. Pay attention to the graphical description in the upper left section of the screen. It will show you where to position the probe for measurements and changes when multiple steps are required.

Parameters Definition:

- Nominal (XYZ Nominal) - Defines the nominal position of the plane.

- Vector Angle - Defines the vector angle of the line. This is the line's direction in relation to the primary axis. The primary axis is X in the XY work face, Y in the YZ work face, and Z in the ZX work face.

- Prehit Distance - Defines the distance away from the nominal surface at which the probe will start seeking the surface during measure.

Properties Definition:

- Number of Points- Defines the number of points that will be probed for the line during execution.

- Length: (Only visible with Learn Using Values on Screen selected) – This is the length of the line.

- Measure "Right" Side: (Only visible with Learn Using Values on Screen selected) - The "Measure Right Side" setting of the line tells NC Gage which direction to probe by defining which side of the line is the material side. If this box is checked the material should be on the "right" side of the line when moving from the first to the last measured points. If the material is on the "left" side of the line when moving from the first to last measured point, this box should be unchecked.

Optional Settings:

- Hit Clearance Plane - Selecting this option causes the probe to move to a clearance plane between each hit of the feature. The edit box to the right will allow the user to enter the distance to the plane. This plane is not the program clearance plane.

- Learn Then Measure - Selecting this option causes the machine to learn the location of the part using default parameters and then immediately re-measure the feature with the properties as set on the screen. This will allow the user to test all the set parameters and should warrant a more accurate and reliable first article inspection.

- Learn Using Values on Screen - This allows the user to enter the nominal values of the feature and have the software measure at that location. Selecting this option displays additional properties that are described in the Properties section.

Available Navigation Bar Soft Keys on this Screen:

| Backward / Forward Back / Forward to previous / next group of soft keys. |  | Select Measurement Face This soft key determines the direction of probing and the location of the clearance moves for the feature. You can press this multiple times to choose a different measurement face. Available faces are: X+, X-, Y+, Y-, Z+ and Z-.
| Return to Previous Step This will remove the last learned probe positions. |  | Read Probe Position and Continue with Next Step This soft key reads the current probe position and then advances to the next step in the procedure.
|  |  | Delete Current Command / Delete Last Created This soft key deletes the current selected command (or the last created command) from the part program. If this icon is disabled, you may need to delete commands using the Edit Program screen instead.
| Learning and Creating a Command This will only be available after all the necessary probe positions to identify the feature location have been learned. It will cause the machine to measure the feature. |  | Cancel All Steps / Abort This soft key stops and resets the current operation. If learning a feature, it removes all the learned probe positions.
| Execute This soft key causes the machine to measure the feature. It will only be available after all the necessary probe positions to identify the feature location have been learned (or typed in). It lets you make changes and test run the feature before committing the feature to the program. |  | Return This soft key returns the view up one level to the previous screen.
| Tolerance Settings This soft key lets you set or modify feature nominal and tolerance values used by the feature command. It is an overview of what will show up in the report screen. |  | Insert Move Point This will read the current position of the probe and insert that as a clearance move into the program.
| Confirm / Add Command For operations this confirms the selection. For commands, this will append the command to the end of the program. For feature commands, this will become available after the machine has learned the feature location or when you have typed the feature's nominal values.
For constructed and dimension feature commands, this will become available once you have specified the proper input features.

Help

This soft key accesses the NC Gage help file.

Learn Process:

1. Position the probe next to the line's first point, as indicated by position A in the image below.

2. Press the Read Position soft key. The tip position is read as the start position. You can press Return to Previous Step to cancel this measure position.

3. Position probe next to the line's second point, as indicated by point B in the image below.

4. Press the Read Position soft key. The tip position is read as the start position. You can press Return to Previous Step to cancel this measure position.

5. Move the probe away from the second point.

6. Press the Read Position soft key.

7. Position the probe for automatic measurement, and press Learning and Creating a Command . NC Gage automatically takes hits in a similar fashion as depicted below.

The left image indicates the jog positions (A-C) to which you should manually move the probe. The right image shows the automatic probing pathway (red lines) and point positions (1-2).

8. Once the feature has been measured, the measured values are updated.

9. Select Confirm and Append Current Command to End . The feature command is added to the part program.

The following is the specific feature path and logic built into NC Gage:

Learn Line Feature Path

- Read position of probe next to first point, this defines measurement height.

- Read position of probe above second point, this defines line direction.

- Read position of probe pulled away from the line, this defines material direction.

- If probe below clearance plane height, move up to clearance plane height.

- Move to point above first read point.

- Drop to first read point.

- Measure surface, search distance is 4* prehit distance

- Measure each point in line similarly.

- Move up to clearance plane height.

Execute Line Feature Path

- If probe below clearance plane height, move up to clearance plane height.

- Move to point above first prehit point.

- Drop to first prehit point.

- Measure surface, search distance is 2* prehit distance

- Measure each point in line similarly.

- If local clearance plane is enabled move to the local clearance plane between each point to get to next prehit point.

- Move up to clearance plane height.