RequiredAxes Parameter

Use the RequiredAxes parameter to specify the axes that you must physically connect.

By default, no axes are selected for this parameter. Thus, the controller does not verify which axes are physically connected.

If you select axes for this parameter, the controller verifies that the selected axes are physically connected. But if one of the following conditions occurs, the controller reports an error and does not operate.

• The controller cannot detect one or more of the axes that you selected for this parameter.
• The controller detects axes that you did not select for this parameter.

This is an important safety feature. If the power of a drive decreases to none or if the drive is not connected to the network, the system does not let the controller operate.

Without this safety feature, an XYZ machine that has a disconnected Z drive cable or a Z drive that is powered off starts with only the X and Y axes as physical axes. The Z axis starts as a virtual axis. Programs run on the X and Y axes, but the Z axis does not move, and the controller does not generate an error message.

Each discrete device is one axis. When you use this parameter for multi-axis devices, you must select all of the axes if the system uses the axes or if it does not use the axes. For example, if your XR3 has only 3 axes, you must select all 3 axes for this parameter to operate correctly.