NEW Machine Tool App: Fat Finger Prevent
Scott Solmer 01.10.2018
Many of us like to take a very hands-on approach when it comes to using the controller. It just feels natural to put a finger directly on the screen and move things around. Plus, many folks know their procedures like the back of their hands, and can breeze through a few fingertip touches very quickly. However, this can be dangerous because small icons or line items can be difficult to manipulate accurately, and the chances of doing something unintended are high. There can be a tendency to do what we call “fat fingering a file”, where we accidentally move something to an unknown destination, and then the file is lost and can be difficult to recover.
New App Prevents Costly Accidents
The Fat Finger Prevent machine tool app was created in response to real-world Okuma user experiences. It’s not uncommon for us to receive service calls regarding down machines due to fat fingered files. The Fat Finger Prevent app eliminates the possibility of accidentally moving important files or folders. By prompting the user for confirmation before any move operation is completed, costly downtime can be prevented.
The Worst is Not Knowing
When we receive these service calls, a couple different scenarios have likely taken place. The first is, the operator knows that they moved something, but doesn’t know where they moved it to. The second is, the operator doesn’t even know they moved anything at all. This is the most common situation we encounter. Here the machine will often continue to operate, depending on which files were moved. It will probably continue to run until the next time it’s shut down. When the operator attempts to restart the machine, it won’t boot up because it doesn’t have access to all the files it needs. You can imagine the shock and surprise when this happens! In many cases folks need to retrieve their installation media and reinstall everything. Another approach is to go to the command prompt and run a tree command. This will report every single directory on each hard drive, and someone very knowledgeable can look through the tree to find the file that’s out of place.
The Best Solution
But the best solution by far is to prevent fat fingering from happening altogether. Install our new app and you’ll see a confirmation window come up every time something is about to be moved. I encourage OSP control users to download this app. It’s so much better to take a few minutes to put this safety measure in place, and it might save you from a very uncomfortable situation in the future.
Scott Solmer is a Software Engineer for Okuma America Corporation.
