CNC Programming Techniques

CNC Programming Techniques

An Insider's Guide to Effective Methods and Applications

First Edition

Copyright 2006, Industrial Press Inc., New York, NY - www.industrialpress.com

CNC Programming Techniques

Copyright 2006, Industrial Press Inc., New York, NY - www.industrialpress.com

CNC Programming Techniques

CNC Programming Techniques

An Insider's Guide to Effective Methods and Applications

Peter Smid
Industrial Press, Inc. 200 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016-4078, USA http://www.industrialpress.com

Copyright 2006, Industrial Press Inc., New York, NY - www.industrialpress.com

CNC Programming Techniques

<<PAGE TO BE REPLACED>> Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smid, Peter CNC Programming Techniques: xxx/ Peter Smid. p. cm. ISBN 0-8311-3158-6 1. Machine-tools--Numerical Control--Programming--Handbooks, manuals, etc.,..I. Title.

TJ1189 .S592 2000 621.9'023--dc21 00-023974

First Edition

CNC Programming Techniques

Industrial Press Inc. 200 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016-4078

Editor: John Carleo Cover Design: Janet Romano

Copyright 2005. Printed in the United States of America. All Rights Reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers.

10

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CNC Programming Techniques

Acknowledgments
To John Carleo Janet Romano and Patrick Hansard

without you, this book would not happen

Copyright 2006, Industrial Press Inc., New York, NY - www.industrialpress.com

CNC Programming Techniques

About the Author

Peter Smid is a professional consultant, educator and speaker, with many years of practical, hands-on experience, in the industrial and educational fields. During his career, he has gathered an extensive experience with CNC and CAD/CAM applications on all levels. He consults to manufacturing industry and educational institutions on practical use of Computerized Numerical Control technology, part programming, CAD/CAM, advanced machining, tooling, setup, and many other related fields. His comprehensive industrial background in CNC programming, machining and company oriented training has assisted several hundred companies to benefit from his wide-ranging knowledge. Mr. Smids long time association with advanced manufacturing companies and CNC machinery vendors, as well as his affiliation with a number of Community and Technical College industrial technology programs and machine shop skills training, have enabled him to broaden his professional and consulting skills in the areas of CNC and CAD/CAM training, computer applications and needs analysis, software evaluation, system bench marking, programming, hardware selection, software customization, and operations management. Over the years, Mr. Smid has developed and delivered hundreds of customized educational programs to thousands of instructors and students at colleges and universities across United States, Canada and Europe, as well as to a large number of manufacturing companies and private sector organizations and individuals. He has actively participated in many industrial trade shows, conferences, workshops and various seminars, including submission of papers, delivering presentations and a number of speaking engagements to professional organizations. He is also the author of articles, monthly magazine columns, and many in-house publications on the subject of CNC and CAD/CAM. During his many years as a professional in the CNC industrial and educational field, he has developed tens of thousands of pages of high quality training materials.

Peter Smid is also the author of

CNC Programming Handbook, A Comprehensive Guide to CNC Programming Fanuc CNC Custom Macros: Practical Resources for Fanuc Custom Macro B Users
Both hardcover books have been published by Industrial Press. Inc.

The author always welcomes comments, suggestions and other input from educators, students and industrial users. You can send e-mail to the author from the CNC Programming Techniques page at

www.industrialpress.com

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CNC Programming Techniques

Preface
I would like to express my most sincere thanks to all programmers, machinists, operators, engineers, students and many other readers and users who made my two previous books - also CNC oriented - such a great success. Both were published by Industrial Press, Inc. (New York, NY, USA):

CNC Programming Handbook, Second Edition with CD-ROM

A Comprehensive Guide to CNC Programming ISBN: (0-8311-) 3158-6 and

Fanuc CNC Custom Macros, with CD-ROM

Practical Resources for Fanuc Custom Macro B Users ISBN: (0-8311-) 3157-8

This third handbook also relates to the subject of CNC programming, this time from a somewhat different angle. First, there several programming subjects that are virtually impossible to find anywhere else, for example, how to program cams or tapered end mills. Other, more common, subjects are covered in a great depth, such as the coverage of cutter radius offset or thread milling. As in my previous publications, I have included many overall and detailed drawings, to help visualize the subject or procedures covered. Where applicable, a complete programming example is provided, or - at least the most significant part is shown. In view of the recent, and rather significant, emergence of metric system in many North American industries, particularly in the USA, I have focused on more examples presented in metric units than those in imperial units. Working on the premise that a professional CNC programmer should have no problem working with either units selection (after all, number are numbers), many examples in this handbook emphasize the metric system. For balance, a significant number of examples using imperial units are also included. Speaking of imperial units - in my previous books, I had used the term English units instead. It may seems frivolous, but the fact is that modern Great Britain is now a metric country and the so called English units are the thing of the past - of the imperial era in British history. I also feel that I should mention the relationship of this book to the CNC Programming Handbook. In terms of focus, these are very different publications. CNC Programming Techniques is a book that does not replace my previous books, but complements them in a special way. In terms of subjects covered, there are minor similarities in some chapters, but the coverage of each subject is fresh, and with much more detail provided. At the end of the book, I had included references to subjects covered in the CNC Programming Handbook. My feeling was that those readers who may need some additional background will benefit from these references. On the other hand, those, who do not need the background can safely ignore those few pages and explore the subjects covered in this book only. I sincerely hope that this book will help you become even a better CNC programmer (or even a better CNC Operator) by understanding not just the 'hows' but also the 'whys' of many programming techniques. Thanks you for your continuing interest.

Peter Smid November 2005

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CNC Programming Techniques

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CNC Programming Techniques

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 - PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT 1
Program Development Drawing 1
Drawing Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Material and Stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Part Setup 3
Part Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Part Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Selecting Part Zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Tooling Selection 4
Identifying Machining Operations Face Milling . . . . . . . . . Contour Milling . . . . . . . . Circular Pocket Milling . . . . . Slot Milling . . . . . . . . . Spot Drilling . . . . . . . . . Drilling . . . . . . . . . . . Tapping . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Tools Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 9 9

Machining Data 10
Spindle Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cutting Feedrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Tooling Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Details of Operations 11
Tool 1 - Face Milling . . Tool 2 - Outside Contour Tool 2 - Circular Pocket . Tool 3 - Slot Milling. . . Tool 4 - Spot Drilling . . Tool 5 - Drilling . . . . Tool 6 - Tapping . . . . Complete Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20

2 - CALCULATING CONTOUR POINTS

23

Tools and Knowledge 23

Mathematical Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Organized Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Process of Calculating XY Coordinates

Step 1 - Establish the Main Contour Points Step 2 - Fill-in the Coordinate Sheet . . . Step 3 - Identify Calculation Zones. . . . Step 4 - Helpful Ideas for Calculations . . Step 5 - Calculations for Zone 1 . . . . . Step 6 - Calculations for Zone 2 . . . . . Updating Coordinate Sheet . . . . . . Writing the CNC Program . . . . . . .

25
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 26 27 27 29 31 32 32

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33

Contour Point Between Two Lines (Lathe) 33 Contour Point Between Line and Arc 34
Intersecting Contour Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Tangent Contour Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Calculating the Sharp Point 39 Contour Point Between Two Arcs 40

Intersecting Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Tangent Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

4 - USING CUTTER RADIUS OFFSET

43

General Concepts 43
Benefits Of Cutter Radius Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Controlling Cutter Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Radius Offset Commands 45

Commands G40-G41-G42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Using the D-offset Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Basic Programming Techniques

46

Cutter Radius Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Cutter Radius Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Cutter Radius Cancellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

D-offset Stored Amount 47

Equidistant Centerline - G40 Mode . . Equidistant Centerline - G41/G42 Mode. Drawing Dimensions - G40 Mode . . . Drawing Dimensions - G41/G42 Mode . Radius vs Diameter . . . . . . . . . Methods For Lead-In - Linear Motion. Methods For Lead-In - Arc Motion . . Methods For Lead-Out - Linear Motion Methods For Lead-Out - Arc Motion . Program Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 48 48 48 48 49 52 53 53 53

Contour Lead-In and Lead-Out 49

Internal Contours 54
Linear Slot Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Circular Slot Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Finishing Internal Contour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Maintaining Dimensional Sizes 58

Basic Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Handling Dimensional Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Handling Cutter Radius Offset Errors 60

Common Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Offset Programmed Too Late or Too Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Offset Start or End on an Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Tool Nose Radius Offset 62

Command Point and Radius Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Tool Tip Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Common Tool Nose Radius Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

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CNC Programming Techniques

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5 - PART REVERSAL IN MILLING

Project Description 67
Material and Setup Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Material Removal 68 Machining Process 69

Clamping 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Clamping 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Program Zero Selection 70

First Clamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Second Clamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Programming Methods 72 Tool Length Settings 72

First Clamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Second Clamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Using the WORK OFFSET Method - G54-G55 Common Toolpath Program Listing - WORK OFFSETS G54-G55 Program Listing - WORK OFFSETS G54-G55 - with Subprograms Using the LOCAL COORDINATES Method - G52 Program Listing - LOCAL COORDINATE SYSTEM G52 Using the DATUM SHIFT Method - G10 Program Listing - DATUM SHIFT G10 Summary

74 76 77 79 81 83 85 86 88

6 - USING TAPERED END MILLS

Tool Material . . . . . Range of Taper Angles . Flat Tip Tapered End Mills Ball Tip Tapered End Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89
90 90 90 91 91 93 94 94

Types of Tapered End Mills 89

Effective Diameter Calculation 91

Flat Tip. . . . . . . . . . . Stock Removal . . . . . . . Ball Tip with Specified Radius . Flat Tip with Added Blend Radius

Tapered Holes 96

7 - SPECIAL PURPOSE G-CODES

97

Single Direction Positioning - G60 97 Special Cutting Modes 98

Exact Stop Check G09 - G61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Automatic Corner Override - G62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Tapping Mode - G63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Normal Cutting Mode - G64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Stored Stroke Limits Definitions - G22 - G23 101 Spindle Fluctuation G25 - G26 103

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Machine Zero Commands - G27- G28 - G29 - G30 104

Primary Machine Zero Return - G28. . . . Return from Machine Zero - G29 . . . . . Machine Zero Return Position Check - G27 . Secondary Machine Zero Return - G30 . . G92 Position Register for Milling . . . G50 Position Register for Turning . . Tool Change Position . . . . . . . Conversion of G50 to Geometry Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 106 106 108 109 111 113 117

Position Register - G92/G50 108

Skip Command - G31 118 Other Seldom Used G-codes 119

Tool Length Offset Negative - G44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Tool Length Offset Cancel - G49 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

8 - TOOL LENGTH OFFSET CHANGE

123

Tool Length Offset 123 Offset Adjustment 124

Practical Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . Programming Method 1 - No Offset Adjustment. . Programming Method 2 - With Offset Adjustment . Programming Method 3 - Advanced Macro Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 125 125 126

Offset Adjustment - Setup for Two Parts 128

Method 1 - One Work Offset + One Length Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Method 2 - Two Work Offsets + One Length Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Method 3 - Two Work Offsets + Two Length Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

9 - BLOCK SKIP APPLICATIONS

131

General Applications 131 Similar Parts Applications 132 Programming a Trial Cut 134
Trial Cut for Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Trial Cut for Turning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Irregular Stock Removal 137

Variable Stock in Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Variable Stock in Turning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Summary of Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Block Skip Within A Block 140

Conflicting Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 One Program - Two Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Numbered Block Skip Functions 142

10 - STANDARD AND RIGID TAPPING

143

Standard Tapping Method 143

Basic Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Why Underfeed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Feed-In Slower - Feed-Out Faster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

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Rigid Tapping Method 146

Basic Principles . . . . Benefits . . . . . . . Setup . . . . . . . . Possible Problems . . Programming Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 146 147 147 147

11 - POLAR COORDINATES

149

Definition and G-codes 149

Polar Coordinates and Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 G15 - G16 Polar Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Programming Format 151

Toolpath Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Applications in Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

12 - SUBPROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

155

Definition and Usage 155 Drawing Evaluation 156 Subprogram Planning 156
Depth Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Width of Cut Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Cutting Tool Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Developing the Subprogram 158

Method 1 - Full Width and Full Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Method 2 - Full Width and Divided Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Method 3 - Smaller Width and Full Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Round Pocket Subprogram 162

Single Depth Pocket with Stepovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Multidepth Pocket with Stepovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Rough and Finish Cuts with a Subprogram 165

One Toolpath for Two Cuts Lead-In and Lead-Out . . Common Contour Toolpath Main Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 167 167 168

13 - TURNING AND BORING IN DEPTH

169

Program Zero Selection 169 Corner Radius and Back Angle Selection 170 Cutter Radius Offset 171
Imaginary Tool Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Stock Allowance 172

Contour Shape . . . . . . . . Cutting Tool Used . . . . . . . Stock Allowance in X and Z axes . Grinding Allowance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 173 173 174

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Tool Approach Techniques - Lead-In 176

Approaching the Front Face . Approaching a Diameter . . Approaching a Chamfer . . Approaching a Radius . . . Approaches to Avoid . . . Retract from a Face . . Retract from a Diameter Retract from a Chamfer Retract from a Radius . Retracts to Avoid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 176 177 177 179 179 180 180 181 181

Tool Retract Techniques - Lead-Out 179

One Job - Two Operations 182

About Jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Single Setup - Two Chuckings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Two Setups - Two Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Multi Cut Facing 184

Width of Cut Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Breaking Corners 185

Direction Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Using Tailstock 186

Types of Tailstock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Programming a Tailstock with a Bar Stopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Using 45-degree Tool 189 Machining Thin Stock 192

Adjusting Chuck Pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Using an Inner Plug / Outer Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Using Special Split Jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

G70/G71/G72 Cycle Methods 193

Programming Formats - G71 Programming Formats - G72 G70 - Finishing Cycle . . . G71 and G72 Compared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 194 196 196

Programming Undercuts 198 Hard Turning 198

14 - PROGRAMMING TAPERS

199

What is a Taper? 199

Taper Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Taper per Foot Taper Ratios Taper Defined as Percentage Taper Angle Defined in D-M-S Taper Length and Angle
Chamfers . . . . . . . . . 45 Chamfer . . . . . . . . Start Chamfer with a Clearance End Chamfer with a Clearance . Other Chamfers. . . . . . . . . . . .

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CNC Programming Techniques

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xv

Tapers with Leads 211

Taper with a Lead Chamfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Taper with a Lead Fillet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

15 - TECHNIQUES FOR GROOVING

Cutting Width . . . . . . Cutting Depth . . . . . . Groove Location . . . . . Setting the Command Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

215
215 215 216 216

Tooling for Grooves 215

Plunge and Retract Method 217

G75 Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Grooving for Precision 218

Machining Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Programming Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Deep Grooving 221 Grooves with Tapers - O-Ring Grooves 222 Grooves with Tapers - V-Pulley Grooves 225
Insert Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Depth Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Tool Setup and Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

16 - TECHNIQUES FOR THREADING

227

Types of Thread Forms 227

UN - Unified National and Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Other Thread Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Thread Depth Calculation 229 Infeed Methods 230

Tool Motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Cutting Conditions 231

Acceleration and Deceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Cutting Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Hand of Thread 232

External Threading - Right Hand Thread External Threading - Left Hand Thread Internal Threading - Right Hand Thread Internal Threading - Left Hand Thread . Initial Data . . . . . . . . Cutting Conditions . . . . Number of Threading Passes Distribution of Depth Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 233 233 233 234 234 235 236

Sample Thread Evaluation 234

G32 Threading Method 236

Radial Infeed Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Flank Infeed Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Tapping with G32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

G92 Threading Method 240 G76 Threading Method 241

Programming Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

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CNC Programming Techniques

xvi 17 - RESTRICTIONS IN THREADING

Table of Contents

243

Thread Programming Basics 243

Threading Feedrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Standard Example 244

Final Threading Program - Single Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Special Example 245

Final Threading Program - Multi Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Slow Spindle Speed 247 Metric Applications 247 Long Thread Programming 248
Defining a Long Thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Lead Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Number of Decimal Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

18 - PRACTICAL THREAD MILLING

251

Thread Milling - General 251

Helical Interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Is Helical Interpolation Available ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Benefits of Thread Milling 252 Selecting Tools 253

Initial Factors . . . . . . . . Types of Thread Milling Cutters Accuracy Issues . . . . . . Thread Mill Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 254 254 255 255 255 255 256 257

Cutting Direction 255

External and Internal Thread Milling . . . . Climb Milling and Conventional Thread Milling Right Hand and Left Hand Thread Milling . . External Thread Milling Illustrated . . . . . Internal Thread Milling Illustrated. . . . . .

Helix - Helical Curve 258 Programming External Threads 260

Tooling Selection . . . . . . . . . . Cutting Conditions . . . . . . . . . Lead-In and Lead-Out . . . . . . . . Cutter Radius Offset . . . . . . . . . Program Development - External Thread Tooling Selection . . . . . . . . . . Cutting Conditions . . . . . . . . . Lead-In and Lead-Out . . . . . . . . Cutter Radius Offset . . . . . . . . . Program Development - Internal Thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 261 261 262 262 266 266 267 267 268

Programming Internal Threads 266

Pipe Thread Milling 271 Thread Milling Software 272

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CNC Programming Techniques

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xvii 273

19 - KNURLING ON CNC LATHES

Knurling Operations 273

Tooling Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Knurling Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Programming and Machining Techniques 275

Tool Motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Depth and Feedrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Troubleshooting 276

20 - FOUR-AXIS LATHES

277

General Setup 277

Tool Tip Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Programming Method 278

Spindle Speed and Feedrate M-Functions . . . . . . . Synchronization Functions . Program Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 279 279 279

21 - PALLET CHANGERS

283

Types of Automatic Pallets 283

Rotary Pallets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Shuttle Pallets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Setup and Work Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Programming Methods 285

M60 Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 General Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Programming Example 286

Initial Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Part Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

22 - WORKING WITH PLANES

289

Mathematical Planes 289 Machine Planes 290

G-codes for Plane Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Effect of Planes in Programming 291

Planes and Circular Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Planes and Cutter Radius Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Working With Planes In Detail 295

G17 with G41 and G02 G17 with G42 and G03 G18 with G42 and G03 G18 with G41 and G02 G19 with G41 and G02 G19 with G42 and G03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 296 297 298 299 300

Using Right-Angle Attachment 301

Basic Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Side Face Drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Side Face Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

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CNC Programming Techniques

xviii 23 - PROGRAMMING CAMS

Table of Contents

307

Overview of Cams 307 Cam Drawing Example 308

Cam RISE and FALL - Sections Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

The RISE Section 310

Calculating Radius Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Calculating XY Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

The FALL Section 312

Calculating Radius Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Calculating XY Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Writing the Program 315

24 - INTRODUCTION TO MACROS
Special Introduction Skills Required Macro is an Option Common Features and Applications Macro Structure
Macro Definition and Call . . . . . . Variable Declarations and Expressions Macro Functions . . . . . . . . . Branching and Looping. . . . . . . Evaluation of Drawings. . Bolt Hole Macro Features . Assignment of Variables . Internal Calculations . . . Other Calculations. . . . Final Considerations . . . Macro Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

317

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320 322 323 326 328 329 330 330 330 331 332

Macro Development - Bolt Circle 327

25 - DID YOU KNOW THAT ? 26 - REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

333 335
339

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

This introductory chapter to the CNC Programming Techniques presents the most basic technique of all - how to develop a part program in an organized way. Its purpose is to present an engineering drawing, evaluate it and develop all procedures required to write the final program. In strict terms, program development using a step by step procedure is not the most appropriate approach, because it suggests 'finish step 1 before starting step 2'. That is never the case in CNC programming, as many 'steps' interact with each other. For example, a change in setup may influence the tooling selection, width or depth of cut, etc. Keep this in mind when studying this chapter.

Program Development Drawing

The drawing below will be used throughout the chapter, including required details, calculations, all complete with explanations of individual steps required in the CNC program development. The drawing includes some of the most common machining operations - face cutting, machining holes, contouring, circular pocket, and a slot milling. The design has been kept intentionally simple.
90

6x M4x0.75

0 3

35

3 8

61

32.5

R4

R5

4 33 73 3.5 86 5

15

ALUMINUM 6061 90 x 65 x 13 mm Surface finish 3.2

65 12

Scale 1:1

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CNC Programming Techniques

2
Drawing Evaluation

Chapter 1

The first thing a CNC programmer should always do before writing the program, is to evaluate the drawing in order to get a general idea about the part. Such an evaluation includes several observations that can be summed up:
u u u u u u u u u

Drawing units and scale Dimensioning method Tolerances Material type, size, shape and condition Surface finish requirements Title block information Drawing revisions Bill of Materials (BOM) - if available Omissions and other errors

In the enclosed drawing the drawing units are not specified directly, but it is obvious from the drawing that it uses metric dimensions in millimeters. Scale is not always specified in the drawing, often because of various forms of copying may not match the original scale. The drawing for this chapter shows a full size drawing and is specified as 1:1. Drawing dimensions are always important for the CNC programmer, at least for two reasons. One, they establish the important features of the part, two, they serve as the most important resource in determine the part zero (part origin). In the drawing, all dimensions originate from the lower left corner of the part - in this case, that will also be the most suitable location of the part zero. Keep in mind that this is not always the case. Tolerances are closely related to dimensions. This particular drawing does not contain any tolerances, so the aim of the programmer (and operator) will be to adhere to general company standards. Not all drawings describe every aspect of the material the part is made of, but for programming purposes, the type, size, shape and condition of the blank material are the most important. The sample drawing specifies the material type and its size. Aluminum 6061 is easy to machine, and fairly high speeds and feeds can be used for efficient machining. The material size is specified in the drawing as 90 65 13 mm (L W D). Here comes the first item that will have a direct relationship with the tooling selection and machining operations. Although the length and width of the material are the same as the final length and width of the part, that is not the case with the material depth (thickness). There is 1 mm difference that has be accounted for during programming and even setup. The drawing also specifies the overall surface finish of 3.2 for all marked surfaces. Not all drawings specify individual surfaces. The amount of 3.2 is a statistical deviation from the ideal profile and is measured in mm (millionth of a meter = 0.000 001 m = 10-6). In practical terms, the required finish of 3.2 mm is attainable with standard milling cutters at relatively fast spindle speeds and moderate feedrates, assuming proper setup and quality tooling. Small and simple drawings seldom have an elaborate title block. Title block is usually a rectangular area in a corner of the drawing that contains text data, such as drawing name, part number, draftsperson, dates, revisions, material, etc. Revisions are changes made to the drawing from its original version - they are very important to the CNC programmer. Always make sure you develop the program using the latest drawing version. Keeping a copy of the drawing is also a good idea.

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Bill of Materials (abbreviated as BOM) is a special list that contains individual items required to manufacture the part. Typical items included in BOM are stock items, purchased items and various other parts required for assembly. Large complex drawing are more likely to have BOM than small simple drawings. Even the best engineers and draftspersons make a mistake. One important part of drawing evaluation is to look for errors, omissions and other discrepancies. It is most frustrating to go through many calculations just to find out that a critical dimension was missing. The programmer should also look for double dimensioning, where one dimension is in conflict with another dimension. Finally, when evaluating a drawing, never try to find dimensions by scaling the lines or arcs, never assume a dimension or a feature. If in doubt, always ask.

Material and Stock

Although the enclosed sample drawing does include material the part is made of, there are many issues related to the material before machining (and programming). Apart of size of the material, its shape and condition are equally important. Shape could be a simple block or cylinder, it could be cored or solid, it could be a complex casting or forging, and so on. Shape of the material is most important in program development during setup and tooling decisions as well as toolpath. The condition of the material includes the overall quality - such as burrs, flakes, premachining, hardness, etc. It also includes the accuracy of the shape. For example, it is important that the material supplied for the sample drawing is exactly 90 65 mm in length and width, square at corners, as these sizes are already final and need no machining. There is a little bit more flexibility in the material thickness, because the top will have to be faced off to suit drawing dimension of the part height.

Part Setup
A high quality vise, specially designed for CNC work is the most common fixture (part holding devise) for small to medium size parts on vertical machining centers.

Part Reference Point

Part reference point is another common name for part zero or part origin. Before any toolpath can be developed in the form of coordinates, the CNC programmer has to select part zero. As a general rule, the part zero for setups in a vise should always be located on a non moving jaw (fixed jaw), and a part stopper or similar device is also recommended for repeatability.
FIXED JAW

90

MOVING JAW

STOCK

X0Y0
STOPPER

Z0
STOCK

Part Orientation
How the part blank (stock) is oriented in the vise often influences the method of machining. Looking at the sample drawing, the part blank can be oriented either horizontally or vertically, looking

1 13
PARALLEL PARALLEL

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65

CNC Programming Techniques

Chapter 1

from the CNC operator's direction. Horizontal orientation has the advantage that the machined part will match the drawing. Another benefit is that the lower left corner of the part will be located at the intersection of the vise non moving jaw and a stopper. The only benefit of vertical orientation would be the width of grip being 65 mm rather than 90 mm in the horizontal orientation, minimizing any 'bending' effect caused by pressure of the jaws. For this job, we select the horizontal orientation, as the 25 mm difference between widths has no practical disadvantage.

Selecting Part Zero

Based on the previous considerations in this section, the selection of part zero for the X and Y axes presents no problem. The lower left corner of the part will be the part zero. This is also the coordinate location that will be used to set the work offset G54. Setting the part zero for the Z-axis requires some thinking as well as evaluation of several possibilities. Unless the machine shop uses off-machine presetter to set the tool length, the most common method of tool length setting is the touch-off method. Selecting Z0 is important part of the setup. The most common method is the top of the finished part, but bottom of the part or some other fixture location may also be considered. In this example, the top of the finished part will be Z0, which brings up a question - what to do with the 1 mm extra height? The top face will be face milled, and the 1 mm extra thickness will be removed by that operation. All tool lengths will be set on the finished face. Later section of this chapter will provide more details. Look at the illustration shown on the previous page.

Tooling Selection
Selecting tool holders and cutting tools is another very critical part of part program development process. Tool holders are generally used with different cutting tools and remain unchanged for extended periods of time. Tools, such as drills, reamers, taps, end mills, carbide inserts, etc. are perishable tools. Some toolholders are used for a specific tool group, such as a collet holder is a better choice for end mills, Weldon type toolholders prevent tool spinning, Jacobs chucks are used for drills, etc. Some tools, such as taps, require special holders, designed for a single purpose. Tooling selection is always closely related to the setup and cutting conditions. When selecting tools, always keep in mind these other two considerations. When the part setup method has been established, the tools can be selected on the basis of drawing dimensions and machining operations required. Tools are always selected on the basis of machining operations required.

Identifying Machining Operations

From the sample drawing, even a casual look will identify the types of operations required to machine the part - all are very common and can be adapted to other jobs:
u u u u u u u

Face milling Contour milling Circular pocket milling Slot milling Spot drilling Drilling Tapping

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

One of the most important machining rules is that heavier operations are always done before lighter operations. That does not just mean roughing before finishing, which is a common sense, it also means milling before drilling, for example. Milling has the tendency to shift the material in the XY axes, whereby drilling pushes the material towards the fixture (Z-axis). The above operations list is suitable to be used as the order of operations.

Face Milling
As the part is 1 mm thicker than the final thickness, a face milling tool has to be used to machine the top face to provide final thickness of 12 mm, as per drawing. The amount of one millimeter represents a small depth for facing, so only one depth cut will be necessary to face the part. In order to select the best face mill diameter, the part length and/or width have to be considered as well. In many cases, the length or width of the part also determines the direction of the cut. The length of the part is 90 mm, its width is 65 mm. If either direction is acceptable, a standard 100 mm face mill would be the best choice. A 75 mm face mill will only be able to face along the X-axis. If both face mills are available, which one is a better choice? Number of flutes (cutting inserts) in the tool should also be considered, to employ as many edges at the same time. If the 100 mm face mill has more cutting edges, it will be a better choice. It will also be the choice for this job. Cutting direction is very important as well. Although the 100 mm face mill can cut in four directions along the two axes, choice of the X-direction, from the X+ to the X- (right to left) is recommended. The reason is that the cutter will be 'pushing' against the vise fixed jaw, creating favorable cutting conditions. Cutting along the Y-axis can cause the face cutter to pull the part up. Last, and equally important consideration is the location of the face mill center relative to the part. It is not recommended to locate the cutter center at the middle of the part, but slightly off the middle. Such tool position will better control of chips during the entry and exit, to and from the material. It also minimizes chatter. The Y-axis location of the face mill center must still guarantee that the full part width of 65 mm can be machined. To calculate the maximum shift possible, take one half of the difference between the face mill diameter (100 mm) and the part width (65 mm): Maximum shift from part middle = (100 - 65) / 2 = 17.5 mm Select the Y-location a little less, to make the tool overhang the part. For this example, 15 mm is a reasonable shift, with 2.5 mm left for edge overlap - see illustration.

100

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65

2.5 mm overlap

15 mm SHIFT

CNC Programming Techniques

6
Contour Milling
The filleted rectangular shape is located four millimeters from all edges, except at the corners, where the distance is much greater. This corner distance is very important when selecting cutter diameter. If only a single contouring toolpath is required, the cutter diameter should be larger than the corner distance C - see illustration. If the corner distance is too large for any cutter size, two or more passes may be required, or some other method of machining needs to be selected. The step depth along the edges is 3.5 mm and should also be considered when the cutting tools are selected. For this job, the depth does not present any special difficulties, and can be machined in one pass.

Chapter 1

S = Step width R = Corner radius C = Corner distance

9 0

C
C=

(S+R) x 2 - R

In our case, the step width S is 4 mm, the corner radius R is also 4 mm. Using the above formula, the C dimension (maximum corner distance) is 7.31371 mm. In practice, any end mill 8 mm in diameter or larger can be used to clean the corners in a single pass. This conclusion is correct, but actual cutting conditions have to be considered as well. Selecting the 8 mm end mill will not be a good choice in this case, because the radius of the end mill is the same as the step width (4 mm). The center of the cutter will follow the exact edge of the part, which is not the best machining condition. In addition, a larger tool diameter will provide more tool rigidity and prevent deflection. A two-flute or a three-flute end mill, especially designed for cutting aluminum will be the best choice. As for the diameter, the selection should not always be related to the current operation only, but other operations as well. Either a 10 mm or 12 mm end mill will be a good choice - the final decision will depend on the tool requirements for the circular pocket. The slot width is 10 mm, so the tool diameter must be smaller than that for optimum cutting conditions.

Circular Pocket Milling

The pocket in the drawing is 30 mm in diameter and 5 mm in depth. Unlike the end mill selected for contouring, the end mill for the pocket must be center-cutting, in order to plunge into solid material. Center-cutting end mills are also called slot drills, because they were originally designed for milling of standard slots. High helix, three-flute precision ground center-cutting end mills, are the best overall solution to cutting aluminum. Three flute end mills are often frowned upon - unfairly, because they cannot be measured with standard verniers or micrometers. Yet, they offer the strength, the chip flow and the surface finish that many aluminum parts require. Of course, the more common two-flute end mills are also a suitable choice.

12 MINIMUM CUTTER
2

Y32.5
3

X33.0

Minimum cutter Pocket diameter / 3

30

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Circular pockets can be machined many different ways, but the most economical method is the single pass method, particularly for small pockets. As shown in the illustration, the minimum diameter of the selected cutter must be one third of the pocket diameter. The reason for the one third is that such tool selection guarantees the complete clean-up of the pocket bottom. The circular pocket in the drawing is 30 mm, so the minimum cutter diameter required is 30/3 = 10 mm. Although correct mathematically, in practice it is always better to use a slightly larger cutter diameter, to overlap all cuts at the pocket bottom. In the description of contouring (see above), the choice of tools was narrowed down to two end mills - 10 mm end mill or 12 mm end mill. Either tool will work well for the contouring, but only the 12 mm end mill is also suitable for machining the circular pocket. The selection of 12 mm end mill for both operations will also offer benefits in a shorter setup time, tool maintenance, and even inventory. The final selection is the 12 mm end mill, used for both - the contour and the pocket. There is one final condition that has to be considered. In order to machine the pocket. a center-cutting end mill has to be used. That is not required to machine the contour. If only one tool is used for both operations, it has to be a center-cutting end mill for this job. It is perfectly suitable for the contour, and its center-cutting design is mandatory for cutting the circular pocket.

Slot Milling
Unless there are some very tight tolerances required, a standard slot can be machined with a single tool, usually a center-cutting end mill. There is an established - and very specific - procedure to cut standard slots (described later). It includes a single pass between centers, followed by the internal contour to make the slot according to the engineering drawing. The main consideration in tooling selection is the slot width. In the drawing, the slot radius is 5 mm, so its width is the double the radius, 10 mm. Whatever your programming style may be, resist the temptation to use a 10 mm center cutting end mill between slot end centers only - the quality of the slot will be very poor and so will its dimensions. Much better choice is to select a center-cutting end mill that is a bit smaller than the slot width. Is the size of such an end mill important? If so, why? YES - the size of the selected end mill is very important, because it will control the amount of stock left on the slot walls for finishing. For example, if we choose a 7 mm end mill, it will leave 1.5 mm per side for finishing; 9 mm end mill will leave 0.5 mm per side for finishing, and 8 mm end mill will leave 1 mm per side for finishing.

8 1 mm STOCK

Y15.0
R4
R5

All of the three basic selections are correct, but the choice has to be made for this particular part, as represented by the drawing. Leaving 1 mm per side for finishing is reasonable, so the cutting tool selected for the slot will be an 8 mm center-cutting end mill (two or three flutes) - see illustration. If the slot is dimensioned with tight tolerances, it may be a better choice to select two suitable tools one that would make the roughing cut, the other the finishing along the slot walls. Whether one or two tools are used, the finishing cut should be made with cutter radius offset in effect, so the final slot dimensions can be fine-tuned at the machine, via the control system.

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X73.0

35

CNC Programming Techniques

8
Spot Drilling

Chapter 1

When drilling holes, a small chamfer - or even a small corner break - is very desirable at the top of the hole. A chamfer will eliminate burrs or sharp edges that are the natural result of drilling, allowing a smoother entry of a tap, or just eliminating the burrs for easier handling. Spot drill is a tool that is used for this purpose; it resembles a regular drill and has two main purposes:
u u

To start-up a hole with a small dimple at its exact location To machine a chamfer on a hole, by controlling the depth of cut

... control of hole location ... control of chamfer size

In the example, no chamfering or corner breaking of the hole is specified. In CNC work, it is quite customary to break sharp corners, unless the drawing instructions specifically prohibits it. Unlike any drill selection, spot drills are offered only in about three to six diameters, depending on the choice of individual tool manufacturers. One of the most common spot drills used is a very versatile diameter of 10 mm (or 12.7 mm = 0.5 inch in Imperial units). If you are not familiar with spot drills, bear in mind that only the angular portion of the drill is used, never its own full diameter. Also keep in mind that the majority of spot drills have a 90 included angle at the tool tip. This is a very practical angle, as it allows to make 45 chamfers on small and medium size holes. One purpose of spot drilling is to make a small dimple at the XY hole location - the exact size of the dimple is not important, so 2-3 mm depth will usually be sufficient, depending on the hole diameter. On the other hand, many holes are not just spot drilled for the purpose of maintaining their XY location - they are also chamfered with same tool, to a particular chamfer specification, typically at 45. The six holes in the drawing have to be spot drilled, drilled and tapped. The tap diameter is 4 mm, which is the largest size of the hole. Any functional chamfer for a given hole diameter must be bigger than the largest hole. The drawing specifications may include the chamfer size - otherwise the decision is in the hands of the programmer. For the drawing in the given example, no chamfers are given, so an arbitrary decision has to be made - by the CNC part programmer. Chamfers are usually very small, typically within the range of 0.125 to 0.5 mm (0.005 to 0.02 inches) at 45 degrees. For small holes, the chamfer can also be quite small. As this is an arbitrary decision for the example provided, the six holes in the drawing will be 0.35 x 45.

3.2 TAP DRILL 4 TAP 4.7 CHAMFER DIAMETER 10 4 TAP 0.35x45 Z0 Z-2.35 4.7 CHAMFER DIAMETER 0.35x45 2.35 DEPTH

When using spot drills, always consider the fact that only a portion to the angular tool tip is used. That means the programmed depth controls the chamfer size - or - the chamfer size is controlled by the programmed depth. If we choose the chamfer size to be 0.35, that means the chamfer is applied on both sides of the hole centerline. The 4 mm hole with 0.35 mm per side chamfer will have a chamfer diameter of 0.35 + 4 + 0.35 = 4.7 mm. The depth is calculated directly from the chamfer diameter and the tool point angle. Since the spot drill point angle is 90, it means the programmed depth must be one half of the chamfer diameter: DEPTH OF SPOT DRILL = (2 chamfer size + hole diameter) / 2 = (2 0.35 + 4) / 2 = 2.35 mm

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Drilling
To drill the six holes, the drill selection must be related to the tapping operation that follows. There is a correlation between the tap size and the pre-drill hole size. The drilled hole must be smaller that the nominal tap size, in order to provide material to be cut by the tapping operation. The best source of information about the tap drill selection can be found in various charts from tooling manufacturers, and also in the Machinery's Handbook, published by Industrial Press, Inc. In either source, the suggested drill selection - called the tap drill - can be found. For an M4x0.75 metric tap, the common selection of the tap drill size is 3.2 mm (or 3.25 mm). The drawing calls for a through hole, drilled and tapped as per given drawing dimensions. The thickness of the part T at this stage is 12 mm (already faced), which means the drill has to penetrate the part thickness with its full body diameter. It is never a good idea to line the end of the full drill diameter D with the bottom of the part. In practice, the tap drill should penetrate not only the thickness of the part, but also provide additional 1-2 mm of breakthrough clearance. In addition to the part thickness T and the breakthrough clearance C, we also have to consider the drill point length (shown as P in the illustration). In the programming section, the drill data will be calculated, resulting in the Z-depth of the drill (its final position below the part).

D = 3.2 DRILL Z0

T = 12 P 118

As a conclusion to the tap drill selection, standard 3.2 metric drill will be used for the sample part.

Tapping
Once the drilling depth is established (through the part in this example), the tapping depth presents no problems, particularly for through holes. In fact, the final Z-depth for the drill may be used as the final tapping depth, eliminating additional calculations. Tapping operations have other issues to consider, particularly the relationship between the spindle speed and the tap pitch. These two items will also influence the starting position before tapping begins, as well as the feedrate calculation. This subject will be discussed later in this chapter. In this example, a standard tapping head (tension/compression type) will be assumed. Another name for this type of tapping head is a floating tap holder. Its purpose is to prevent tap breakage, when the tap has reached the final depth, but the spindle still decelerates to a full stop. It also work in the opposite direction, when the return feedrate has already started, but the spindle has not completed its acceleration to the programmed spindle aped (r/min).

Summary of Tools Used

Tools used for this job have been carefully selected, based on several important considerations. Check again the details associated with each operation. There are other ways to machine this part consider the presented method as only one of several possibilities. One of the programmers responsibilities is to assign a tool number to each tool. Keep in mind, that ascending order from tool number 1 is not always practical, as many frequently used tools loaded in the machine tool magazine may use the same number from one job to another.

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C=2

CNC Programming Techniques

10

Chapter 1

For this drawing example and the program development, the cutting tools will be numbered in their order of use, as shown in the following table, with particular descriptions:
Tool Number Description Size in mm 100 12 8 10 3.2 M40.75 Type Comments

T01 T02 T03 T04 T05 T06

Face mill Center-cutting end mill Center-cutting end mill Spot drill Tap drill Plug tap

5-6 cutting edges 3-flutes 2 or 3 flutes 90 point angle 118 point angle High spiral flutes

Top of the face - one pass only Contour and circular pocket Slot - complete Chamfer 0.35 x 45 Through the part thickness Through the part thickness

Needless to say, a change in the drawing specifications may have a profound effect on the tooling selection. Changes in the setup will also have to be considered for the newly selected cutting tool, or adjusted as necessary. RANDOM MEMORY TOOL CHANGE METHOD WILL USED.

Machining Data
Machining data considerations cover a large and important area of program development. What is commonly referred to as selecting 'speeds and feeds' is much more than that. When the programmer reaches this stage, the following decisions have to be made - for each tool - if applicable:
u u u u

Spindle speed in r/min Cutting feedrate per minute Depth of cut Width of cut

There may be many other related decisions to be made, depending on the complexity of the part.

Spindle Speed
Most speeds are calculated from a standard machining formula, based on a peripheral surface speed per minute. For metric units, the surface speed is in m/min, for Imperial units it is in ft/min:
Metric Imperial

r min =

m min 1000 p D

r min =

ft min 12 p D

In both formulas, the parameter D refers to the diameter of the tool in milling, or the diameter of the part in turning, in millimeters or in inches. The surface speed for many materials can be found in various tooling catalogues and technical publications.

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

11

Cutting Feedrate
Feedrate can be calculated from the spindle speed, chipload per tooth and the number of cutting edges (teeth or flutes):
Feedrate calculation - Metric or Imperial

Feedrate = r/min C N

where C is chipload per tooth in either inches or millimeters and N is the number of flutes (teeth) or the number of cutting edges

Tooling Data
For the purpose of this example, the spindle speed and feedrate calculations will be made based on the following surface speeds and chipload for each machining group (higher rates are possible):
Tool Number T01 T02 T03 T04 T05 T06 Size in mm 100 12 8 4.7 3.2 M40.75 Surface speed in m/min 150 55 55 25 25 10 Chipload per tooth in mm 0.35 0.06 0.06 0.08 0.07 N/A

Description

Spindle r/min 477 1459 2188 1693 2487 796

Feedrate mm/min 501.0 175.0 263.0 135.0 174.0 597.0

Face mill Center-cutting end mill Center-cutting end mill Spot drill 10 mm Tap drill Plug tap

The feedrate for the face mill was calculated for three cutting edges in the material, and the feedrate for both end mills, for two flutes cutting. Tapping speed was calculated by multiplying the spindle speed by the thread pitch. The cutting data presented here are only examples - always evaluate the actual work conditions

Details of Operations
In this section, each operation associated with a particular tool will be described in sufficient detail. Although all individual procedures are correct in principle, there are many other ways to produce the desired results. Hopefully, with the presentation of one method, you can adapt the acquired knowledge and develop another method. Actual program code will be generated for each tool. The main goal of this chapter is not only to develop a working CNC program, but also describe and explain the steps required to complete this important task.

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CNC Programming Techniques

12
Tool 1 - Face Milling

Chapter 1

The first part of this operation has been decided earlier, in the tooling selection. A 100 mm face mill with 5-6 cutting edges has been selected. In order to provide the best cutting conditions, the center of the face mill has been shifted by 15 mm, still leaving a 2.5 mm edge overlap. In order to develop a part program for this tool, the start and end points of the facing cut must also be selected - or calculated. As a good machining practice, the top face surface finish will be of better quality, if the cutter starts and ends 'in the air' - away from the part. Selecting a 5 mm clearance from the two opposite edges is arbitrary, but reasonable. The X-coordinate at the start point (P1) will be: X-coordinate of P1 = 90 + 5 + 50 = X145.0 (part length + clearance + cutter radius) At the end point (P2), the calculation is similar, but does not include the part length: X-coordinate of P2 = - 5 + 50 = X-45.0 (clearance + cutter radius) The Y-coordinate is the same for both points. Based on the 15 mm shift and 32.5 mm half width of the part, the Y-coordinate is: Y-coordinate (P1 and P2) = 65/2 -15 = Y17.5

2.5 mm overlap

Y17.5 Y0

32.5

65

100

Y17.5
P2 P1

X-55.0

The program for this tool can now be written. This is the first tool of the program, and the format structure will reflect that:
(T01 - 100 MM FACE MILL - 1 MM OFF THE TOP FACE) N1 G21 N2 G17 G40 G80 T01 N3 M06 N4 G90 G54 G00 X145.0 Y17.5 S477 M03 T02 N5 G43 Z10.0 H01 M08 N6 Z0 N7 G01 X-55.0 F501.0 N8 G00 Z10.0 M09 N9 G28 Z10.0 M05 N10 M01

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X145.0

5 X0

90

15 mm SHIFT

CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

13

Tool 2 - Outside Contour

Tool 2 is a 12 mm center-cutting end mill. It will be used for two operations - the contour and the pocket. The first activity of Tool 2 is to machine the outside contour.

Y61.0
P4 P3 P5 P6

Y57.0

X-1.0 Y13.0
P12 P11

R5
P10 P9 P7 P8

Y8.0 Y4.0

Y-8.0
P1 P2

X-8.0

X82.0
Pt X Y Pt

The calculation of individual end points on the contour itself should present no problems - the 4 mm radius is constant around the contour. Study the lower left corner area of the illustration, and you will see that some heavy activity takes place right there. This is the area where the cutter is first positioned, where it approaches the part contour (a motion called lead-in) and also where it leaves the contour (a motion called lead-out). Because the contour is closed, the lead-in and lead-out motions are close together. In an open contour, they may be much further apart from each other, although the basic principles will not change. When a large number of points exists in a single contour, making a chart or a table of points and their coordinates will make the program development much easier and better organized. It is always a good idea to define all points in the order of machining, so the coordinates can be easily transferred from the table to the program:
Pt P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 X X-8.0 X4.0 X4.0 X8.0 X82.0 Y Y-8.0 Y-8.0 Y57.0 Y61.0 Y61.0 P6 P7 P8 P9 X86.0 X86.0 X82.0 X8.0 Y57.0 Y8.0 Y4.0 Y4.0 P10 P11 P12 P1 X4.0 X-1.0 X-8.0 X-8.0 Y8.0 Y13.0 Y13.0 Y-8.0 X Y

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X86.0

X4.0

X8.0

CNC Programming Techniques

14

Chapter 1

Once the coordinate points and their machining order has been established, the program for the contouring operation can be written (e/mill is the same as end mill):
(T02 - 12 MM CENTER-CUTTING E/MILL) (OUTSIDE CONTOUR CUTTING - D52 = 6.000) N11 T02 N12 M06 N13 G90 G54 G00 X-8.0 Y-8.0 S1459 M03 (P1) N14 G43 Z10.0 H02 M08 N15 Z-3.5 N16 G41 G01 X4.0 D52 F175.0 (P2) N17 Y57.0 (P3) N18 G02 X8.0 Y61.0 I4.0 J0 (P4) N19 G01 X82.0 (P5) N20 G02 X86.0 Y57.0 I0 J-4.0 (P6) N21 G01 Y8.0 (P7) N22 G02 X82.0 Y4.0 I-4.0 J0 (P8) N23 G01 X8.0 (P9) N24 G02 X4.0 Y8.0 I0 J4.0 (P10) N25 G03 X-1.0 Y13.0 I-5.0 J0 (P11) N26 G00 X-8.0 (P12) N27 G40 Y-8.0 (P1) N28 Z2.0 <machining will continue for circular pocket>

The important programming features have been used in the above program section:
u u

Cutter radius offset Numbering of offsets

The most important programming feature for this toolpath was the use of drawing dimensions for the programmed contour and combining it with the cutter radius offset (G41 D52). When a part program contains cutter radius offset, the CNC operator enters the tool radius amount into the control registry and lets the computer do all calculations. There are several do's and don'ts, but overall it is quite an easy way to develop a part program. The operator must know how the toolpath was generated - in typical manual programming, the drawing dimensions are used. In this case, the nominal amount for the offset is the cutter radius (D52 = 6.000). Typical to many CAD/CAM systems, the program output may be to the center of the cutter. In this case, the nominal amount of the offset will be zero (D52 = 0.000). It is always a good idea to include the suggested offset amount in the program itself - see the above example. This part of the program uses tool 2 (T02). As each tool also requires tool length offset, it makes sense to assign the tool length offset the same number the tool number (H02). On the other hand, not all tools in the program use the cutter radius offset. If the tool does require cutter radius offset, the address D must be programmed, also with the offset number. That presents a difficulty if the control system has only a single memory bank for both types of offsets, so called shared memory. In this case, the programmer usually shifts the number by an arbitrary amount (such as 50 for D52). The shift amount can be different, but is should always be higher than the number of tools that can be stored in the magazine. The amount of 50 is also about half way between the range of offsets, usually available in the range of 01-99. The program also includes a lead-in motion (block N16) and lead-out motions (N25-N27). G41 specifies that radius offset will be to the left of cutting direction, providing a climb milling action.

Cutter radius offset cannot be started or canceled while an arc motion is in effect

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

15

Tool 2 - Circular Pocket

The second activity of Tool 2 is to machine the circular pocket. From its last position in block N28, the tool will move towards the pocket center. Circular and other symmetrical pockets are much easier to program when the first cut starts at the pocket center. The cutter diameter of 12 mm has been selected for one important reason - it can cut the pocket in just a single cut around and still maintain a clean bottom. This cut will be preceded by a lead-in, and followed by a lead-out. Cutter radius offset will be applied and canceled during a linear motion. When machining a circular pocket, the relationship between the pocket size, tool size, and lead-in/out arc is very important. In the illustration at right, the relationship is shown. Also shown is the direction of the cut, starting from the pocket center. The toolpath is simple, starting at the center:

Rp

Ra

1 - Lead-in line - G41 G01 in effect 2 - Lead-in arc - G03 with 90 sweep 3 - Full circle to cut the pocket - G03 4 - Lead-out arc - G03 with 90 sweep 5 - Lead-out line - G40 G01 in effect

Rt

Ra > Rt < Rp
Rp = Radius of pocket Rt = Radius of tool Ra = Radius of lead arc

This procedure will be applied to the actual program (continued):

(POCKET CUTTING - D62 = 6.000) N29 X33.0 Y32.5 N30 G01 Z-5.0 Z100.0 N31 G41 X35.0 Y19.5 D62 F175.0 N32 G03 X48.0 Y32.5 I0 J13.0 N33 I-15.0 N34 X35.0 Y45.5 I-13.0 J0 N35 G40 G01 X33.0 Y32.5 N36 G00 Z10.0 M09 N37 G28 Z10.0 M05 N38 M01

12
(A) (B) ) (D) (E) (A)

X35.0Y45.5
E

Y32.5

R1 3
B

C D

X48.0Y32.5 X35.0Y19.5

Note that the cutter radius offset has been changed - for the same tool! Instead of D52 that controls the outside contour, D62 controls the final size of the pocket. The radius amount stored in the control could be the same for both applications, but the operator can fine tune one without affecting the other.

X33.0

Ra > Rt < Rp
Rp = 15 mm Rt = 6 mm Ra = 13 mm

30

When selecting the lead-in/out arc, first watch the rule of relationship as shown in the illustrations. For the example in this chapter, the Ra (lead arc radius) must be larger than Rt (tool radius). Based on the pocket radius Rp, the range should be between 6 mm and 15 mm. In order to achieve better machining results, selecting a larger radius provides better results, as the tangential entry into the pocket diameter is much smoother. If a tolerance is given on the pocket diameter and/or depth, two cuts would be necessary, perhaps even two tools. However, the programming procedure described here will remain exactly the same.

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CNC Programming Techniques

16
Tool 3 - Slot Milling

Chapter 1

Tool 3 is an 8 mm center-cutting end mill. It will be used for roughing and finishing of the vertical slot. The approach towards the finish pass is very much similar to the approach described for the circular pocket, also in climb milling mode. The major difference is that the radius of the tool and the lead arc radius will be much closer together, details are described for the finishing cut. First, the roughing toolpath - this one cannot be any simpler. The end mill will make a rapid move to the center of one slot radius in XY axes, feeds to the full depth of 3 mm and makes a straight cut to the center of the opposite radius. The question 'which slot end should I start from?' is unnecessary - start from either end, it makes no difference in machining at all. In the example, the tool will rough the slot from its upper position to its lower position, as shown at right:

Y50.0

Y15.0
R5

(T03 - 8 MM CENTER-CUTTING E/MILL) (D53 = 4.000) N39 T03 N40 M06 N41 G90 G54 G00 X73.0 Y50.0 S2188 M03 T04 N42 G43 Z10.0 H03 M08 N43 Z2.0 N44 G01 Z-3.0 F100.0 N45 Y15.0 F263.0 will continue for slot finishing

Radius of the tool Rt is 4 mm, radius of the slot Rs is 5 mm. As the lead arc Ra must be somewhere between these two values, there is not much flexibility here. For the example in this chapter, the lead arc radius Ra will be 4.5 mm. The programmed toolpath will follow the same process already established for the circular pocket toolpath, but instead of the pocket being machined, it will be the slot:
(SLOT FINISHING) N46 G41 X73.5 Y10.5 D53 N47 G03 X78.0 Y15.0 I0 J4.5 N48 G01 Y50.0 N49 G03 X68.0 I-5.0 J0 N50 G01 Y15.0 N51 G03 X78.0 I5.0 J0 N52 X73.5 Y19.5 I-4.5 J0 N53 G40 G01 X73.0 Y15.0 N54 G00 Z10.0 M09 N55 G28 Z10.0 M05 N56 M01

X73.0

Y50.0 X73.0

35
Rs = 5 mm Rt = 4 mm Ra = 4.5 mm

35

Y19.5
Ra Rt

Y15.0 Y10.5

Y15.0
R5

Rs

X68.0 X73.0 X78.0

X73.5

As for the pocket cutting, two tools may be used for controlling the precision of the slot, particularly if tight tolerances are required. The programming technique will not change.

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X78.0

CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

17

Tool 4 - Spot Drilling

There are two major differences between a standard drill and a spot drill. One is in the tool design, the other in the way the tool is used. The design between the two drill types affects the flutes, the web thickness, the overall length, and the tool point angle. The way how the two types of drill are used is a major consideration when programming. In the earlier section covering the tool selection, the details for using the spot drill for this example has already been covered, and the illustration is presented as a reference. In a summary, the spot drill depth of each hole spotted will be Z-2.35, at the calculated XY location of each hole. Apart from the depth of cut, another critical part of programming a spot drill is to calculate the XY coordinates of the six holes, which means a good calculator will be needed. Once these coordinates are established, they will also be used for the drilling and tapping of this bolt hole pattern.

3.2 TAP DRILL 4 TAP 4.7 CHAMFER DIAMETER 10 4 TAP 0.35x45 Z0 Z-2.35 4.7 CHAMFER DIAMETER 0.35x45 2.35 DEPTH

B
n=n+1 n=1 n=2
H3 H2

0 B=6

n=1
H1

A 0
R
n=H-1

H4

A=0
n=0

n=3

9 R1
n=4
H5 H6

Yc Xc
General concepts

32.5

n=5

3 8

33

Formula for XY hole coordinates: X = cos (n x B + A) x R + Xc Y = sin (n x B + A) x R + Yc

On the left of the above illustration is a general concept of calculating bolt circle hole locations. On the right, the concept is applied for this particular example. Using the formula shown, the XY coordinates of all six holes can be defined:
H1(X)=cos(060+0)19+33 H2(X)=cos(160+0)19+33 H3(X)=cos(260+0)19+33 H4(X)=cos(360+0)19+33 H5(X)=cos(460+0)19+33 H6(X)=cos(560+0)19+33 = = = = = = X52.0 X42.5 X23.5 X14.0 X23.5 X42.5 H1(Y)=sin(060+0)19+32.5 H2(Y)=sin(160+0)19+32.5 H3(Y)=sin(260+0)19+32.5 H4(Y)=sin(360+0)19+32.5 H5(Y)=sin(460+0)19+32.5 H6(Y)=sin(560+0)19+32.5 = = = = = = X32.5 X48.954 X48.954 X32.5 X16.046 X16.046

Once the coordinates are known (depth is known already), the spot drilling program can be written:

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CNC Programming Techniques

18
(T04 - 10 MM SPOT DRILL - CHAMFER DIAMETER = 4.7) N57 T04 N58 M06 N59 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S1693 M03 T05 N60 G43 Z10.0 H04 M08 N61 G99 G82 R2.0 Z-2.35 P200 F135.0 (H1) N62 X42.5 Y48.954 (H2) N63 X23.5 (H3) N64 X14.0 Y32.5 (H4) N65 X23.5 Y16.046 (H5) N66 X42.4 (H6) N67 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N68 G28 Z10.0 M05 N69 M01

Chapter 1

G82 fixed cycle has been used for the spot drill operation. This cycle is very similar to the G81 drilling cycle (see next operation), but it requires a dwell. The purpose of dwell is to pause at the bottom of the hole, before retracting to the clear position - the reason? In order to make sure the surface of the spot drilled hole is smooth, the tool has to rotate at least one spindle revolution, to make it clean. To achieve this goal, the following formula calculates the minimum dwell for fixed cycles - units are in milliseconds and there are no decimal places when milliseconds are used (1 sec = 1000 ms): Minimum dwell (ms) = (60 1000) / r/min In the program, the spindle speed is 1693 r/min, so the minimum dwell in milliseconds is 35.44 ms. Although that is the minimum dwell mathematically, practically we have to look at another possible situation, and that is the status of the spindle override switch, located at the control panel. On the majority of CNC machines, this switch has the range of 50-120%. For the dwell calculation, the concern should be with the lowest setting. In order to guarantee at least one full revolution of the spot drill, even at 50% setting, the minimum dwell has to be doubled. In the example, it would be 35.44 ms 2, which is 70.88 ms. Doubling or even tripling this time will result in more revolutions at the bottom of the cut. The 200 ms in the program will guarantee almost three revolutions at 50% spindle override.

Tool 5 - Drilling
Most of the drilling parameters have been establish earlier, in the tool selection section of this chapter. Additional programming decisions focus on the method of drilling the hole - whether a single cut is sufficient for the depth required, or several interrupted cuts are needed. Interrupted drilling - also called peck drilling - is not needed in this example. For holes that penetrate the material - so called through holes - the program must provide a breakthrough clearance C (2 mm in the example). In addition, the tool point length P (also known as the drill pont length), has to be calculated. Constant of 0.3 is used for standard twist drills, with 118 point angle. Adding the breakthrough clearance C and the drill point length P to the thickness of the part T, the final drilling depth can be calculated:

D = 3.2 DRILL P = 0.3 x D = 0.96 mm Z0

T = 12 C=2 Z-14.96 118

Z-depth = T + C + P = 12 + 2 + 0.96 = 14.96 = Z-14.96 in the program

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

19

The drilling program can be written, using the calculated values and the previous XY coordinates:
(T05 - 3.2 MM TAP DRILL - THROUGH) N70 T05 N71 M06 N72 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S2487 M03 T06 N73 G43 Z10.0 H05 M08 N74 G99 G81 R2.0 Z-14.96 F174.0 (H1) N75 X42.5 Y48.954 (H2) N76 X23.5 (H3) N77 X14.0 Y32.5 (H4) N78 X23.5 Y16.046 (H5) N79 X42.4 (H6) N80 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N81 G28 Z10.0 M05 N82 M01

At the machine, the CNC operator can make some changes to the program, as needed - for example, the G81 cycle can be changed to G83 or G73 peck drilling cycle, just by changing the cycle number and adding the Q-amount of each peck. Here is a variation on the above program (cycle call only):
N74 G99 G83 R2.0 Z-14.96 Q5.0 F174.0 (H1)

The depth of each peck will be 5 mm. Working with fixed cycles for machining holes offers a generous amount of flexibility - in programming as well as at the machine.

Tool 6 - Tapping
Once the spot drill and drill calculations are out of the way, the tapping is quite simple. There is no need to calculate the XY hole locations (already done for the spot drill). There is also no need to calculate the final tapping depth - the depth already calculated for the drill will be suitable for tapping as well. So - what considerations are unique to tapping? Feed level clearance and the feedrate!
(T06 - M4x0.75 TAP DRILL - THROUGH) N83 T06 N84 M06 N85 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S796 M03 T01 N86 G43 Z10.0 H06 M08 N87 G99 G84 R5.0 Z-14.96 F597.0 (H1) N88 X42.5 Y48.954 (H2) N89 X23.5 (H3) N90 X14.0 Y32.5 (H4) N91 X23.5 Y16.046 (H5) N92 X42.4 (H6) N93 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N94 G28 Z10.0 M05 N95 G28 X42.4 Y16.046 N96 M30 %

Note the increased feed level clearance (R-level) - the increase is an adjustment needed to absorb feed acceleration before the tool touches the part, due to heavy feedrate. The feedrate itself is always a combination of two related items - spindle speed and tap pitch. The tapping feedrate is: Tapping feedrate = r/min tap pitch = 796 0.75 = 597.0 = F597.0 (underfeeding may be applicable) That concludes the chapter on part program development. Complete program is listed next.

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CNC Programming Techniques

20
Complete Program
(T01 - 100 MM FACE MILL - 1 MM OFF THE TOP FACE) N1 G21 N2 G17 G40 G80 T01 N3 M06 N4 G90 G54 G00 X145.0 Y17.5 S477 M03 T02 N5 G43 Z10.0 H01 M08 N6 Z0 N7 G01 X-55.0 F501.0 N8 G00 Z10.0 M09 N9 G28 Z10.0 M05 N10 M01 (T02 - 12 MM CENTER-CUTTING E/MILL) (OUTSIDE CONTOUR CUTTING - D52 = 6.000) N11 T02 N12 M06 N13 G90 G54 G00 X-8.0 Y-8.0 S1459 M03 N14 G43 Z10.0 H02 M08 N15 Z-3.5 N16 G41 G01 X4.0 D52 F175.0 N17 Y57.0 N18 G02 X8.0 Y61.0 I4.0 J0 N19 G01 X82.0 N20 G02 X86.0 Y57.0 I0 J-4.0 N21 G01 Y8.0 N22 G02 X82.0 Y4.0 I-4.0 J0 N23 G01 X8.0 N24 G02 X4.0 Y8.0 I0 J4.0 N25 G03 X-1.0 Y13.0 I-5.0 J0 N26 G00 X-8.0 N27 G40 Y-8.0 N28 Z2.0 (POCKET CUTTING - D62 = 6.000) N29 X33.0 Y32.5 N30 G01 Z-5.0 Z100.0 N31 G41 X35.0 Y19.5 D62 F175.0 N32 G03 X48.0 Y32.5 I0 J13.0 N33 I-15.0 N34 X35.0 Y45.5 I-13.0 J0 N35 G40 G01 X33.0 Y32.5 N36 G00 Z10.0 M09 N37 G28 Z10.0 M05 N38 M01 (T03 - 8 MM CENTER-CUTTING E/MILL) (D53 = 4.000) N39 T03 N40 M06 N41 G90 G54 G00 X73.0 Y50.0 S2188 M03 T04 N42 G43 Z10.0 H03 M08 N43 Z2.0 N44 G01 Z-3.0 F100.0 N45 Y15.0 F263.0 (SLOT FINISHING) N46 G41 X73.5 Y10.5 D53 N47 G03 X78.0 Y15.0 I0 J4.5 N48 G01 Y50.0 N49 G03 X68.0 I-5.0 J0 N50 G01 Y15.0 N51 G03 X78.0 I5.0 J0 N52 X73.5 Y19.5 I-4.5 J0 N53 G40 G01 X73.0 Y15.0

Chapter 1

(P1) (P2) (P3) (P4) (P5) (P6) (P7) (P8) (P9) (P10) (P11) (P12) (P1) ( A ) ( ( ( ( ( B C D E A ) ) ) ) )

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CNC Programming Techniques

PART PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

21

N54 G00 Z10.0 M09 N55 G28 Z10.0 M05 N56 M01 (T04 - 10 MM SPOT DRILL - CHAMFER DIAMETER = 4.7) N57 T04 N58 M06 N59 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S1693 M03 T05 N60 G43 Z10.0 H04 M08 N61 G99 G82 R2.0 Z-2.35 P200 F135.0 (H1) N62 X42.5 Y48.954 (H2) N63 X23.5 (H3) N64 X14.0 Y32.5 (H4) N65 X23.5 Y16.046 (H5) N66 X42.4 (H6) N67 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N68 G28 Z10.0 M05 N69 M01 (T05 - 3.2 MM TAP DRILL - THROUGH) N70 T05 N71 M06 N72 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S2487 M03 T06 N73 G43 Z10.0 H05 M08 N74 G99 G81 R2.0 Z-14.96 F174.0 N75 X42.5 Y48.954 N76 X23.5 N77 X14.0 Y32.5 N78 X23.5 Y16.046 N79 X42.4 N80 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N81 G28 Z10.0 M05 N82 M01 (T06 - M4x0.75 TAP DRILL - THROUGH) N83 T06 N84 M06 N85 G90 G54 G00 X52.0 Y32.5 S796 M03 T01 N86 G43 Z10.0 H06 M08 N87 G99 G84 R5.0 Z-14.96 F597.0 N88 X42.5 Y48.954 N89 X23.5 N90 X14.0 Y32.5 N91 X23.5 Y16.046 N92 X42.4 N93 G80 G00 Z10.0 M09 N94 G28 Z10.0 M05 N95 G28 X42.4 Y16.046 N96 M30 %

(H1) (H2) (H3) (H4) (H5) (H6)

(H1) (H2) (H3) (H4) (H5) (H6)

In this introductory chapter, you have learned many CNC programming techniques. They all can be easily adapted to a large number of programs. It is always difficult to put something in print, when so many variations exist. For example, the speeds and feeds used in this chapter may prove to be too low for a production of a large volume of parts. You may also find that your way of machining may be better than the one shown here. That is all to be expected. After all, CNC programming is almost like following a recipe - the ingredients are there, even the process - but it still needs the skilled hand of the cook - the CNC programmer - to make all the elements work well together.

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CNC Programming Techniques

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Chapter 1

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CNC Programming Techniques

INDEX
!
# symbol 318

A
Acceleration 143,231 ACOS function 324 Angular head setting 303 APC 283 ASIN function 324 ATAN function 324 Automatic corner breaking 185 Direction specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Automatic corner override 100 Automatic Pallet Changer - APC 283 Axis substitution 292

B
Back angle clearance 170 Backlash 97 Backlash compensation 97 Ball nose end mills 297 B-axis 285 Bill of Materials 3 Billet stock 139 Block delete function 131 Block skip function 131-142 Block skip within a block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Irregular stock removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Numbering block skips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 ON and OFF modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Similar parts application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Slash symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Switch setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Trial cut application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Used within a block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Bolt hole pattern 152 Boring Offset errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Box threading cycle 240 Breaktrough clearance 18 Bull nose end mills 297

C
Calculation zones 27 Cams 307 Angle orientation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Best curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Cam zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Contour spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Events of a cam cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Motion transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Spline approximation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Center-cutting end mills 6 Chamfers 206 Chuck pressure 192 Circular pocket 15 CNC vise 3 Command point 172,216 Comment 183 Common variables 322 Conflicting words in a block 140 Conical thread 271 Constant spindle speed 278 Constant surface speed 278 Constants 319-320 Contour lead-in and lead-out 49,176-181 Contour Point Between Line and Arc 34 Contour Point Between Two Arcs 40 Contour Point Between Two Lines 33 Contour points 23-32 Formulas for calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33-42 Intersecting arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Intersecting point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sharp point calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Tangent arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Tangent point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Control registry (offsets) 45 Corner breaking 185 Corner radius 170 Corner radius selection 170 COS function 324 CRC interference 60 Cut-Off 221 Cutter radius offset 14,43-66 Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Commands G40-G41-G42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 D-address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45-47 Drawing dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Equidistant toolpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Error handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Excessive cutting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,172 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Insufficient cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64,172 Lead-in and lead-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Line-Arc lead-in and lead-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Line-Line lead-in and lead-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Maintaining tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Missing axis motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Offset activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Offset application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Offset cancellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Programming techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Radius vs diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Tool nose radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Cycle start 318

D
D-address 45-48 Datum shift 85

339

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CNC Programming Techniques

340
Deceleration 143,231 Dimensions 2 Distance-to-go 60 Drawing units 2 Drill point length 18 Drilling 9,18 Peck drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dwell 18 Minimum dwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Index
G18 command 290,292-293,295-298,301,304 G19 command 290,294-296,299-301,303,305-306 G22 command 97,101-102 G23 command 97,101-102 G25 command 97,103-104 G26 command 97,103-104 G27 command 97,104,106-108,114 G28 command 97,104 G29 command 97,104,106 G30 command 97,104,108 G31 command 97,118 G32 command 236-238 G40 command 45-48 G41 command 45-48,52,295-300 G42 command 45-48,52,295-300 G43 command 119,122,126 G44 command 119 G49 command 119-122 G50 command 97,108-109,111-118 G52 command 81,129 G60 command 97 G61 command 97-99,101 G62 command 97-99 G63 command 97-100,145 G64 command 97-101 G65 command 320 G70 command 169,193,196 G71 command 169,173,193 G72 command 169,173,193-194 G73 command 197 G75 command 217 G76 command 241 G81 command 302,304 G81command 303 G92 command 97,108-110,240 G96 command 278 G97 command 231,278 G98 command 133-134 G99 command 133-134 G-codes 97 Geometry offset 62-63,126 Grinding allowance 174 Grooving operations Command point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Cutting depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Cutting width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Deep groove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Face grooving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 General topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Groove location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Grooves with tapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Grooving for precision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Offset errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Part-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Plunge and retract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Pulley grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

E
Effective cutting diameter 91 Effects of plane selection 291 Equidistant toolpath 44-45 Exact stop check 98-99 Exact stop check mode 98-99 External cutting 197

F
Face cut 134 Multicut facing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Offset errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Face milling Cutting direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 FALSE values 326 Fanuc Macro B 126 Fanuc User Macros B 146,251,317 Feedrate 11 Fixed cycles R-level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Fixed cycles in planes 301 Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Initial level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 R-level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Using G81 drilling cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Floating tap holder 143 Formulas in calculations 33 Four-axis lathe General setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Program structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Programming method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Special M-functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Spindle speed and feedrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Tool tip orientation numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Waiting codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Functions 319-320

G
G00 command 52 G01 command 52 G02 command 295-300 G03 command 295-296,298-300 G09 command 97-99 G10 command 85,126-127 G15 command 151 G16 command 151 G17 command 290-292,294-296,301-302

H
Hard turning 175,198

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CNC Programming Techniques

Index

341
Machine zero position 116 Machining corners 185 Machining operations 4 Machining thin stock Adjusting chuck pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Using an inner plug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Using special split jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Macro in main program 319 Macro programming 317 Macros 251 Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Bolt hole circle pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Bolt hole example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Bolt hole pattern example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Branching and looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320,326 Evaluation of drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328 Features and applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Functions and constants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Introduction to macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317-332 Local variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Logical functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320,326 Macro call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Macro functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Rounding functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Skills required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Variable declarations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 Macros for machining 329 Main program 319 Manual Data Input (MDI) 318 Maximum feedrate 244 Memory registers 45 Metric thread form 227 Metric threads 229 M-Functions 279 Milling threads 251 Modal commands 133 Multicut facing 184 Multiple repetitive cycles 193,227 External cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 G70 cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 G71 and G72 compared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 G72 cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Internal cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Pattern repeating cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Programming formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Headstock 186 Helical interpolation 251 Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Helix 258 Hole chamfering 8

I
Imaginary tool point 171 Indexing axis 285 Inner plug for tubular stock 192 Inscribed circle 189-190 Insert back angle 198 Insert lead angle 198 Insufficient clearance 64 Internal cutting 197 Intersecting arc 178

K
Knurling Depth and feedrate . . . . . . . . . . Knurling pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . Programming and machining . . . . . Tool motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of knurl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273-276 . . . . . . . . . 275 . . . . . . . . . 274 . . . . . . . . . 275 . . . . . . . . . 275 . . . . . . . . . 276 . . . . . . . . . 273

L
Lathe cycles P and Q blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194-195 Lathe jaws 182 Hard jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Soft jaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 LE function 326 Lead 244 Lead error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Lead-in motion 13,46,49,176-179,259 Lead-out motion 13,46,179-181,259 Left hand threads 232 Local coordinate offset 129 Local coordinate system 81 Local variables 322 Logical functions 319 AND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 GE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 GT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 LT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 NE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 OR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 XOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

N
Nominal dimensions 58 Normal cutting mode 99 Null variables 322

O
Optional block skip 142 O-ring grooves 222 Overcutting error 60 Overheat alarm 103

M
M00 function 183 Machine zero 114 Machine zero commands 104

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CNC Programming Techniques

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Index
Rigid tapping Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . Possible problems . . . . . . Programming approach . . . Special functions. . . . . . . Spindle speed . . . . . . . . R-level ROUND function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 146 147 147 148 147 134 324

P
Palletization 284 Pallets 283 Transfer methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Types of pallets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Parametric programming 317,327-330 Part orientation 3 Part reversal - lathe 182-183 Part reversal - mill 67-88 Machining process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Program zero selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Programming methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Tool length settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Using work offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Part zero 3-4 Partial arc 35,178 Part-Off 221 Pitch 229,244 Plane selection 251 Planes Angular head setting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Circular motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291-292 Circular motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Cutter radius offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Effect of planes in programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Machine planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Mathematical definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 Preparatory commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Side face drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Side face milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Planes and fixed cycles 301 Pocketing Finishing rectangular pocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Polar coordinate system 149-154 G-codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Planes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150,154 Programming format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Toolpath direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Program development 1 Drawing evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Machining data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Material and stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Part setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Selecting part zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Tooling selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Program stop 183 Program zero selection 169 Pulley grooves Depth calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Insert selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Tool setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 Pythagorean Theorem 34,41-42,178

S
SIN function 324 Single direction positioning 97 Skip command 118 Slot machining Circular slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Linear slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Slot milling 7,16 Slot width 7 Solving triangles 35 Special cutting modes 98 Special purpose G-codes 97-122 Spherical radius 178 Spindle fluctuation 103 Spindle override switch 18 Spindle speed 10 Split soft jaws 192 Spot drilling 8,17 Stepover 162 Stock allowance 172 Allowance for grinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Compound stock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Depth of cut calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Lead angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 U and W programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Stored stroke limits 101 Subprogram Cutting Tool Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Definition and usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Depth control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157,164 Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Drawing evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Roughing and finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 Round pocket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Stepovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Width of cut control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Surface finish 2 Synchronized tapping 146 System variables 322

R
Rear type CNC lathes 62 Recess programming 198 Rectangular coordinate system 151 References and resources 335-338 Revisions 2 Right hand threads 232 Right-angle head 301

T
Table clamp and unclamp 285 Tailstock 186 Using tailstock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 TAN function 324 Tap drill 9 Tapered end mills 89-95 Ball end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91,94 Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Effective cutting diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

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CNC Programming Techniques

Index
Flat end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90-91 Tapered holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Tapered holes 96 Tapered thread 271 Tapered walls 89 Tapers 199-214 Lead-in - Lead-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Taper angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Taper as a percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Taper per foot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199-200 Taper ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199,203 Tapping 9,19 Feedrate reduction (underfeeding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Rigid tapping method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Standard tapping method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Tap holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Thread stripping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Tapping feedrate 19 Tapping mode (G63) 145 Tapping operation 143 Tapping with G32 238 Thread depth 229 Thread depth calculation 229 Thread hob 260 Thread milling 251 Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Cutter radius offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Cutting direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 External and internal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 External threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Helical interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Helix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Internal threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Lead-in and lead-out motions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Selection of tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Simulated toolpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Thread milling in planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Thread milling software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Z-depth calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Threading Depth calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Depth calculation constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Depth of thread calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Distribution of depth cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Hand of thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231-232 Imperfect thread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Infeed angle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237-238 Infeed methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Lead error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Lead vs. pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Long thread programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Restrictions in threading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Special threads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Thread chamfering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Thread forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Threading feedrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 Threading passes 235 TIR 147 Title block 2 Tolerances 2 Tolerances in programming 58 Tool change position 111-114 Tool length offset 45,119 Tool length offset cancel 119 Tool length setting Offset registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

343
Touch-off method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Tool life 58 Tool nose radius offset 62 Tool point length 18 Tool tip orientation 44,62-63 Tooling for grooves 215 Total indicator reading 147 Touch-off method of tool length 123 TPI - Threads Per Inch 229 Trial cut 134 Milling application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Turning application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 TRUE values 326

U
U and W stock in G71/G72 cycle UN thread form UN threads Undercuts Using jaws Using tailstock 173 227 229 198 182 186

V
Vacant variables 322 Variable stock Milling applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Turning applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Variables 319-320 Common . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Null variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322 Variables in CNC program 318 Virtual tool point 171 V-thread 228

W
Wear offset 62-63,126 Width of cut 162 Working with planes 289 Working with tolerances 58

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