VTube Communication for Winton Benders

VTube-LASER and VTube-STEP can communicate with Winton bender controls using the Winton RD data file protocol.

VTube-STEP can EXPORT data to Winton benders using the protocol. VTube-LASER can SEND and RECALL data to/from Winton benders for full corrections loops.

Follow this guide to setup the VTube for communications with benders using the Winton RD file protocol.

You can use the VTube-STEP EXPORT menu to send a new part data to a Winton RD bender.

This protocol requires that a network connection be shared between the Winton bender control and the VTube-LASER computer.

Press the EXPORT Winton WMC File button.

Choose a good starting Winton WMC Template file. Use the ellipsis button if necessary to select a template file. A template file contains your starting setup for a Winton bender.

Then press the Edit Winton WMC Template File button.

Loading the Winton template will display a starting set of values for the WMC file.

You can change any of the setup values in this template. (We don't recommend that you change the values in the first two rows.)

Keep in mind that VTube will automatically overwrite any of the LRA and radius values in the next step, so you don't have to change those values.

Save the Winton file to the network location where the Winton control can also find the file

Load the new Winton file into the control, finish the setup of the bender, then bend the tube.

VTube-LASER uses a Benderlink grid to setup the communications protocol for each bender. The grid is in Setup Options, Measure 2, Setup Benderlink Options menu.

In the Benderlink options menu, choose the bender to edit by selecting the cells in the bender row you want to setup.

Set the bender name (this is for showing the bender name in the user interface only).
Set the protocol by choosing Winton WMC.
Set the NetPath where files will be shared.
Skip the ComPort setting because it has no application to this protocol.
Skip the timeout setting because it has no application to this protocol.
Set the Part Name Match to Yes or No. If the option is set to Yes, then a mismatched part name in the data will cause VTube-LASER to warn of a part name mismatch while receiving data.
If the network location server has a fixed IP address, then the location can be pinged to prove that the network path is currently available before VTube attempts to save files in the network path.
Skip the number value for the bender. This only has application for other protocols.
Skip the CW Rotation Positive column. The Winton rotation direction is handled automatically according to the Winton standard.

In this example, the measured part is out of profile tolerance in the first straight.

The way to solve this issue is to send correction data to the Winton bender.

Switch to the Bender Setup menu (see the navigation pane on the right), then follow these steps.

Set the bender number on the top.
Assuming that this is the first time in the Bender Setup window, the Bender values in the blue columns will be all zeros, and the part name will be empty or incorrect. Use the Setup this Window menu on the right to copy MASTER data into this menu. Also, you may need to copy MASTER part setup values into the top of the menu. If your bender requires it, you can also calculate a cut length.

This procedure assumes that the LRA bender data may have changed at the bender. If an operator adjusted this data before bending the part that you just measured, then VTube needs to know about that adjusted values before making corrections to them.

On the right side, change to the BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS menu.
Press RECALL
Select and open the file that the Winton bender is using to control the bender.

This step will UPDATE THE BLUE COLUMNS in the grid.

Now send the ORANGE COLUMNS to the bender. These are the corrected LRA bender data columns.

Make any manual changes to the adjustment data. For example, sometimes operators don't want the load position to change, so they will zero out the first or the last L ADJUSTMENT values to ZERO.
Press AUTO SEND
Select and overwrite the file that the Winton bender is using to control the bender.

This step will SEND THE ORANGE COLUMNS data to the bender.

Load the adjusted file into the Winton bender control and bend the adjusted tube.

Measure new tube with VTube-LASER again to check to see if the part shape now qualifies.

VTube Communication for Winton Benders