Professional Documents
Culture Documents
User Guide
FlexSuite V1
Revision 1.1
Type Main version
Date 29/02/2012
Written by D. Duverney
Controlled by SJ
Flexmark wishes to thank you for purchasing Flexmark equipment. You have chosen the first
intelligent and flexible Flexmark tool to mark and identify your products.
More than a simple marking machine, we provide a complete solution that will allow you to fulfil all
your traceability needs.
Our customer service is available for all additional inquiries.
And now, enjoy marking…
SUMMARY
Summary
1. SOFTWARE SETUP ...................................................................................................... 3
2. STARTING UP ............................................................................................................. 4
3. GENERAL MENUS ....................................................................................................... 5
A. LANGUAGE........................................................................................................................ 5
B. SOFTWARE SELECTION ...................................................................................................... 5
4. TECHNOLOG SOFTWARE............................................................................................. 5
A. MAIN FEATURES ................................................................................................................ 5
B. LOGOS CREATION .............................................................................................................. 6
C. SCALING ............................................................................................................................ 8
a) Automatic scaling .................................................................................................................................. 9
b) Manual scaling ....................................................................................................................................... 9
D. MARKING ORDER ............................................................................................................ 10
a) AUTOMATIC MARKING ORDER ............................................................................................................ 11
b) MANUAL MODE ................................................................................................................................... 11
E. LOGO AND PICTURE IMPORT ........................................................................................... 12
c) Launch the marking order, .................................................................................................................. 13
d) Save the logo, ...................................................................................................................................... 13
e) Open the logo, this operation will create the scaling for modifications. ............................................ 13
FILE TRANSFER TO THE MULTI4 V2 ........................................................ Erreur ! Signet non défini.
5. TechnoWindows Software ........................................................................................ 14
A. General ........................................................................................................................... 14
B. File control ...................................................................................................................... 15
C. File display ...................................................................................................................... 17
a) Lines list ............................................................................................................................................... 18
b) Properties panel .................................................................................................................................. 19
c) Functions panel ................................................................................................................................... 19
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FOREWORD
FlexSUITE 2012 software is a set of several modules gathered in a unique application. The different
modules are :
FlexLOG enables to create logos on a PC computer for further marking on your Flexmark
control box.
FlexWINDOWS allows you to prepare files on your PC computer.
1. SOFTWARE SETUP
By default, the setup program proposes to install the FlexSUITE 2012 software in the directory
« c:\Program Files » and sub-directory « FlexSUITE 2012 », but another directory of your choice can
be selected as well during the setup.
According to the WINDOWS version of your PC (Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT 4.0, XP), it can be
necessary to install the appropriate WINDOWS INSTALLER which is provided on the setup CD-ROM.
Note : Windows 95 and NT 3 are not supported.
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In case the required software language is different from yours, please contact FLEXMARK or your
distributor to provide you the corresponding language source file that will just have to be added in
the setup directory.
To create a FlexSUITE 2012 shortcut on your PC desk, click on “Start”, select “Program”, then
“FlexSUITE 2012”. Click on the right button of the mouse, click on “Copy” and then on the right
button of the mouse again, and click on “Paste the shortcut”.
2. STARTING UP
Double-click on the FlexSUITE 2012 shortcut. FlexSUITE 2012 main window appears in a full screen
mode. This main window can be resized at any moment.
To select the appropriate software (FlexLOG, FlexWINDOWS ), click on Software in the main menu.
User preferences are automatically memorized so that the FlexSUITE 2012 software use can be more
convenient to you. When FlexSUITE 2012 software is activated, the last used software (FlexLOG,
TechnoWINDOWS ) appears on the screen.
The main menu and the tools bar are automatically updated according to the software you are using.
FlexLOG software :
The status bar at the bottom of the main window of each software gives important running
indications:
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To get help, just leave the mouse cursor on a screen element (menu, tools bar, button…). A help
message will appear.
3. GENERAL MENUS
A. LANGUAGE
B. SOFTWARE SELECTION
To use one of the four softwares, click on Software in the main menu and select the required one.
4. TECHNOLOG SOFTWARE
The FlexLOG software enables to create LOGOS on a PC and transfer it into the FLEXMARK control
box. A FlexLOG licence is required.
A. MAIN FEATURES
Creation of logos importing various sizes bitmap pictures, automatic adjustment of pictures
brightness,
Creation of points, lines, circles, rectangles, texts,
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B. LOGOS CREATION
To create a logo, use the drawing zone on the left side of the main window.
The tool bar enables to create whatever logo you need :
To create a point : Click on and each mouse click on the drawing zone will add a point.
You can use the status bar X and Y coordinates to adjust the point position more precisely.
To create a line : Click on and move the mouse cursor on the drawing zone keeping the
left button of the mouse down. You can draw perfect vertical or horizontal lines by pressing
simultaneously the SHIFT key on your keyboard.
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To create a rectangle or a square : Click on and move the mouse cursor on the drawing
zone keeping the left button of the mouse down. You can draw a square by pressing
simultaneously the SHIFT key on your keyboard.
To create a circle : Click on and move the mouse on the drawing zone keeping the left
button of the mouse down. To draw a perfect circle, press simultaneously the SHIFT key on
your keyboard.
To insert a text : Click on and you can find the required text font.
To move, copy or delete a selected zone : Click on and define a zone on the drawing
window keeping the left button of the mouse down.
Move : Click on the selected zone, keep the mouse left button down and
move.
Copy : Click on the selected zone and press simultaneously on your keyboard
CTRL key.
Delete : Click on the selected zone and press simultaneously on your
keyboard DEL key, or click on “Cut” in the EDITION menu.
To cancel the last action or to come back to it : Use the functions Undo/Redo .
To zoom in and out on the drawing zone, press on the right button of the mouse or use the
mouse wheel.
The current logo is displayed in the “Logo Preview” zone on the right side of the FlexLOG software
main window so that you can preview the logo appearance.
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You can follow up the number of points by checking the status bar
C. SCALING
Note : The logo you drew or imported will be inserted in the marking line like a normal character
with the marking set-up of that line regarding the height and the depth, but length will be adjusted.
Automatic scaling
Manual scaling
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a) Automatic scaling
To adapt the matrix size on the created logo, use the automatic scaling mode.
Press “Auto” on the scaling window and the result will appear on the logo preview zone as follows :
This example shows that the unused zone represented with the grey colour will be ignored in the text
line. The result on the marking line will be as follows:
AB CD
b) Manual scaling
To have the logo bigger or smaller than a normal character inside a marking line, adjust manually the
horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) values to modify its reference size represented with the white zone.
Example 1 :
Suppose you have to mark the FLEXMARK logo smaller in a text line.
In case you enter the scaling standard values (0,249), the result will appear on the drawing zone as
follows:
The entire drawing zone will be adjusted to the text line size.
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ABC DEF
Example 2:
Suppose you want the logo to be higher than the text line, you can adjust manually the vertical (Y)
values in the scaling window.
AB CD
You can also reduce or increase the spacing between the characters and the logo by modifying the
X values in the scaling window.
D. MARKING ORDER
Before saving the logo or transfer it into the FLEXMARK marking machine, a marking order has to be
defined.
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The automatic mode is the quickest and easiest way to create a marking order. This mode suits
to most of logos, even complex logos to be marked.
The automatic marking order of a logo will be computed to optimize the marking time.
To use this mode select “Automatic” an click on “Create”.
b) MANUAL MODE
The manual mode suits when the marking time is critical as this mode allows an optimized
marking order (outlined logos….).
To use the manual marking order mode, select “Manual”, and choose “point by point” or
“linear”.
To start the manual marking order, click on , then define the course of the marking
order with the mouse.
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To see the computed marking order course after validation, click on . The
FlexLOG software will trace the course in red colour on the drawing zone again.
To save the marking order, click on the FILE menu and select “Save as…”.
Point by point : Select the drawing point by point by clicking on each point with the mouse,
each selected point appears in red colour on the drawing zone and will be taken into account
in the marking order.
In case you want to delete a point from the marking order, press simultaneously the SHIFT
key on your keyboard, the deleted point appears in red colour on the drawing zone.
In case the point selection is not precise enough, the marking order will take it into account as
well as a 4x4 matrix around the selected point is included in the FlexLOG software to make this
operation easier.
Linear mode : Describe the course of the marking order with the left button of the mouse
down. The FlexLOG software computes and analyses the course in a 4x4 matrix, deleting
each duplicated point.
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To import pictures files, click on . A dialog box will appear. Select the
required file (.bmp, .jpg, .gif, .tif, .png, .wmf, .dxf extensions), open it and the picture will appear on
the drawing zone.
To adjust the brightness of the imported picture increasing or decreasing the number of points, use
Open the logo, this operation will create the scaling for modifications.
While importing pictures with bitmap format, an automatic scaling is carried out, in this way scaling
of the majority of imported pictures formats is taken into account.
In case the imported picture is out of shape, you can modify the picture size before importing it again
with a drawing software so as the picture becomes a square (format 250 x 250).
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5. FlexWindows Software
This software allows to create marking files on your PC and mark them with the FLEXMARK control
box. A licence is required to be able to get full usage.
A. General
How it works:
You can create files, add lines to be marked, insert functions,... Marking lines will be marked
following the position they have in the file.
Each line include:
- Text : characters to mark, and some included coded functions
- X Y position: left – bottom corner for the line
- Height : height of line
- Font : font of marking line
- Depth: depth of marking
- Angle: angle of marking line
- Radius: radius for radial marking
- Compression: width compression of marking line
- General parameters:
speed : from 1 to 5
- IdI maintenance parameters:
IDI mode
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- Optional parameters :
D-Axis diameter (if D-Axis option present)
Interface inventory :
File selection
B. File control
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Note : FlexWINDOWS files have the .TWM extension, they cant be read by the Flexmark control box.
Function export must be used to obtain a Flexmark file with the .mrk extension.
When an existing file is opened, a new window appears on the screen, corresponding to the file
content
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You may have several files opened at the same time, you can choose one of them with the control
tab :
You can close the current file by clicking on the closing button situated on the right
You can work with many opened files, but only the current selected is displayed.
C. File display
Lines list
Preview
Properties
Functions
General parameters
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a) Lines list
This panel shows the details corresponding to each marking line in the current file.
In the not expanded mode, each line displayed is one complete marking line.
Marking line is composed of four elements:
- plus or minus icon to expand or reduce the content of the line
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Selecting one line in the list enables to select the corresponding line of current marking file.
By double-clicking on selected line, edition mode of line will start.
A drag and drop enables to modify the marking line order. Marking order is from the first line index
to the last one
b) Properties panel
c) Functions panel
This panel permit to display and edit the functions that you can include into the marking file
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For serial numbers, time variables, method insertion is the same. Each has a name and value. Names
and values can, be changed by double-clicking on one item which enables to start editing the
function.
For Logos, only the name is displayed, and name cannot be modified. By double-clicking on the logo
name, you can start an explorer and change the logo file.
As soon as a name or value is modified, any occurrence of that item is modified for every line in the
current file.
If you click on one item with the right button of the mouse, a context menu will be displayed. F5
function key corresponds to the shortcut menu to modify variables values.
d) Preview panel
Size of graphical display is scaled to the real marking window size of the final FLEXMARK control box.
A scaled grid with current selected measurement unit (mm , inch) is displayed on the top left side.
Grid can be masked.
A line can be selected by simple left click on it. Color of selected line is changed to green color , and
handshake is displayed for resizing. You can select several lines by pressing simultaneously on CTRL+
left click. First selected line is the main line.
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You can move the selected lines with the mouse. If you click out of the line limits, all selections will
be cancelled . You can resize the height using the handshakes (top handshakes) with left button of
the mouse, or resize compression (right handshake). You can also modify angle using up-right corner
handshake.
By pressing simultaneously on Shift + left click , you can drag a rectangle in the graphical window to
start a zoom. Zoom out is carried out with Shift key + double-click.
You can start editing a line by double-clicking on it. A right-click in graphical preview starts a context
menu to add or edit a line at the mouse pointed point.
D. File editing
The software allows to edit lines, functions and general parameters for a marking file.
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Text
Main characteristics
Function Insertion
On the top of the windows is the line of text. On the left, an icon list enables to select the type of
modification you want to apply to the line Then graphical preview window is automatically updated
Main characteristics
The text cannot be changed in this panel. Text modifications have to be done with panel above.
Functions insertion
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This panel allows to insert or remove functions in the line. To insert a function, select first the
position in the text, select the function then click on the insertion button.
To remove a function, select the function, then click on the remove button.
Note : In Panel for functions insertion, this is possible to add or remove functions in the same way as for the functions panel, but
modifications will not be updated if the user close the line edition window using the Cancel button.
Special functions
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The Modify menu allows to add some other functions so as to modify the lines.
Alignment
The main line is the first selected line, and others will be aligned according to this main line.
Alignment can also be carried out using the tool bar
Centering
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Rotation
When one or more lines are selected, you can use the rotation menu :
For custom angle, the user must enter the value in the following window :
Adding a new serial number with the “Add” menu, serial number
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In the serial number window, the user can enter data for serial number
d) Timestamp window
In the timestamp window, the user can enter a timestamp using several predefined formats :
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e) Logos
The user can open the general parameters window by using the menu :
This window displays the general parameters for the current file :
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FlewWINDOWS software (Licence required) controls everything in the FLEXMARK control box , based
on the file configuration of the control box.
The user can see the different settings used by the targeted control box : active options, licences.
Save as sub-menu
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It allows the user to save a settings file that will be used later on in disconnected state so as to be
able to work on the same target control box.
Open sub-menu
This sub-menu allows the user to open a settings file previously saved.
Save as sub-menu
This sub-menu allows the user to save the current control box settings file.
Reset sub-menu
This sub-menu allows the user to reset settings from the control box default settings..
F. Display settings
Display settings for FlexWINDOWS software can be changed with the following menu
a) Units sub-menu
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b) Background Image
One background image may be linked to the current marking file , to see the piece to be marked for
example (a photo, dxf sheet, etc…)
Insert sub-menu : this sub-menu is used to insert an image. While clicking, a file selection
window appears. Supported formats are Jpeg, Gif, Bmp and Dxf. Once validated, a new
window appears :
The user must define the different values for the display of the image: right position and right scale.
The position control tab control suits for the left top corner from the marking window (0,0), the
dimension control tab control corresponds to real dimension for the image. Once validated, the
image is displayed in the graphical display preview :
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Delete sub-menu : this sub-menu allows to dissociate the image from the current marking
file.
Display sub-menu: this sub-menu allows to display the associated image.
c) Grid
G. Application parameters
The user can modify some parameters for the FlexWINDOWS application by using the following
menu:
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Barcode scanner : when this option is checked, the selected com port is scanned for barcode
reader usage. Com port settings can be modified as required by using the Edit button :
Bar reader settings must be programmed so as to be able to use it with the Flexmark control
box. The following functions are available :
Open a file : the file must be in the same directory as the one for application
Variables settings values
Start in production mode : when this option is checked, the software starts in the production
mode.
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H. Tag Mask
As for a background image display, you can display a mask for tags. A tag mask is a firm image that
displays and delimits the different fields corresponding to the marking areas.
While editing a tag mask, or creating a new one, the following window appears :
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Measurement units are the ones used in the current marking file, for positions, dimensions, height.
Angle is in degree.
After editing, user is asked to save the tag mask file that has been created.
b) Associate
To associate a tag mask, select the tag mask file, then enter the required position inside the marking
window :
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