Computer Numerical Control Machines are sophisticated instruments that only trained CNC operators should operate them. There are certain rules and guidelines to consider if you are planning to use a CNC machine by yourself.

CNC checklist before startup

Before starting up the Computer Numerical Control Machine, there are safety rules that must be considered first. First important aspect before starting up the CNC machine is to ensure your own safety, therefore wearing protective gear, such as eye glasses and short sleeved shirts is an important dress code during CNC operation. You should also be careful whenever you are handling tools and sharp edged work pieces to avoid any accidents. You must also ensure that the cutting tools are fastened in the machine spindle to avoid any movement during the cutting operation.

Actual Startup, Operation and Machine Setup of the CNC

The Computer Numerical Machine startup procedure varies depending with the type of machine being used but usually there is a main power switch or a circuit breaker to turn it on. Some machines also require hydraulics or air pressure before it starts up.

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When the Computer Numerical Machine starts up, the machine usually starts at its Machine Home Position. The Machine Home Position allows the control and the machine to have a preset starting position for all its axes. After startup, the CNC machine must be sent to this position before the work begins. This position will later be changed to an appropriate location whenever you are machining a particular part of a product.

The Tool Length Offset Value or TLO is the distance from the tip of the tool from the spindle in the Home Position. The TLO must be set for each tool in the current job. The TLO can be set using a height gage, fixture location, as well as the reference tool. When these values are determined, they are stored in the Controller to be used during the program operation.

After setting the Tool Length Offset Value it is time to setup a part origin of a CNC machine. Setting up the part origin on a CNC machine is the same as setting up a conventional machine. It usually involves positioning the axes to a point where the plan designates as its origin. There are many ways to locate the position on the reference point, it is by using edge finders, wigglers or magnifying glasses.

After setting up the whole system for the Computer Numerical Control, it is time to Load the program to the machine. Program loading is different for each machine. Some machines have tape readers to input the program into the Computer Numerical Control Machine’s memory. Newer machines have internal or external floppy devices to input the program to the machine. After the program is loaded to the machine, the CNC machine is now ready to use.

There are certain instances when you have to change the tools in the Computer Numerical Control manually during machine operations. When a certain machining operation is complete, the program will move the aces to the tool change position and display the next tool needed. It is now the job of the Machine operator to remove and replace it with the next tool.

Extra Care must be taken whenever you are starting operations with the CNC machine, any mistake taken during the part of the operation may lead to serious injuries from the machine operator.

Now you can be a confident expert on CNC. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on CNC.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO

If you carve your name on a wood using a very sophisticated font, you’re lucky if you’ll finish your first name in 24 hours perfectly. Years ago, wood crafting and metal crafting are very expensive massive- labor industries because every aspect of the manufacturing is done by hand. There was minimal machine intervention but the designs were still as intricate.

Today, with the help of technology, wood carving, metal molding, cutting and even finishing can be done simultaneously with minimal hands involved. In fact, a company is deemed unproductive if it mass produces products every day BY HAND.

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines are in demand in industries where hands are better off pushing buttons than doing actual labor. Businessmen are raving about this wonder-machine because it is accurate, speedy and flexible.

The CNC machine is actually a factory of its own. There are different parts that have specific functions. Let’s get to know the ?factory workers?.

THE VICE

The Vice is what holds the material which is to be cut or molded. It is important that the vice must be tight; so the material will be held securely. When the CNC machine starts to operate, the material will dash out of the vice if it is not secured. The vice usually works like a clamp that needs to hold the material not just securely but also in the right position.

THE GUARD

The Guard?just like any other guard?works like a ?protection? to the person operating the CNC machine. Once the CNC starts working, scraps of the material can ?shoot off? at high speed. This is very risky for the operator if a piece hits him/her. The guard completely covers all the hazardous sides of the CNC machine.

THE CHUCK

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole CNC story from informed sources.

The chuck holds the cutting tool. Sophisticated designs require maximum chuck precision so the actual design can be realized.

THE MOTOR

The motor rotates the chuck at very high speed. It is hidden and protected inside the machine. You have to take care of this part very carefully. Nowadays, cooling and lubrication is automated in most CNC machines. Usually, if this part doesn’t function well, it is the most difficult to treat. It is advised to have a CNC technician handy all the time.

THE LATHE BED

Like the sea bed, this is the sturdy base of the CNC machine. It is connected to the headstock and aids the carriage and tailstock to be parallel with the spindle’s axis. It is securely bolted so it remains unshaken by the vibration of the machine when it starts operating.

THE CUTTING TOOL/ CUTTER

This is the where the first-level shaping occurs. The cutter is usually made from high quality steel so as to cut the specific material fed to the CNC machine.

As a businessman, it is important that you get to know your employees, bond with them and earn their respect without scaring them. When you have CNC machines working for you, it is equally important that you understand them well. Do not be fooled by the CNC machine salesmen who court your interest because they are usually just after your purchase.

You have to master what comprises these machines, what makes them dysfunctional and most of all, what makes them stay in your company. Just don’t start talking to them. That would be really, really, dysfunctional.

There’s a lot to understand about CNC. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new site for adsense publishers: Free Adsense Websites

Precision and accuracy

Computer numerical control has been able to help companies in terms of precision. With the need for more complex designs and more complex operations, human workers could not cope with the required precision that comes with advancement. CNC machines were able to alter that idea by allowing increased precision and lesser error ratios with regards to production.

Another important improvement that CNC has brought with it is the increased accuracy. The dimensions of components have to be very accurate. And since an increase in production speed also increases the error ratio, CNC has helped lower that ratio by the increased level of automation and the error detection capabilities that computers have.

Speed

In the industrial sector, speed is of the essence. With CNC technology, the normal production capacity has been increased exponentially. This means that effective and accurate production methods have been developed. Mass production requires more scrutiny for errors and mistakes. However, anomalies can also be corrected. The programming structures of CNC machines can be altered in a fast way. This means that mistakes do not have as serious an impact as they had before CNC was improved to this level.

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Machine versatility

CNC machines have become very versatile with regards to the tools that they use. They can easily be assigned to different tasks and thus can be very productive. Tools and networks can be switched without compromising the speed of the production. Aside from this, one machine can do more than one task at a time. This exceeds the normal human capacities as it allows more tasks to be accomplished at a faster rate than before.

Furthermore, when one machine tool breaks down, it can easily be pulled off the grid to prevent it from affecting the whole production cycle. It can then be replaced or repaired on the spot.

Lesser human intervention

Since component production is a very tedious and repetitive operation, human error skyrockets as time passes. This is due to fatigue and other factors. Furthermore, the ability of a person degrades due to psychological and emotional factors. This means that if a person works on the same job for a certain amount of time, the person may eventually get bored or tired or both. This increases the possibility for the human to commit an error and thus causes a drop in the efficiency rating of that person. A machine, however, does not get tired or bored. A machine does not have any concern at all.

Therefore, a machine increases efficiency ratings by speeding up production and eliminating or reducing factors that threaten efficiency. In this case, one must simply program the machine to start a cycle. Furthermore, humans have to be fed, paid, and rested. Machines only have to be rested when failures occur to often and they do not need to be paid or fed.

This brings us to the conclusion that companies will be able to save a lot in the long run. While investing in CNC machines is not cheap, maintenance will only cost a fraction of what will be paid to manual laborers.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit this new site for my swedish customers: Billigt Webbhotell – from SEK 10:- per month!

Punched tape

The first data transfer method is the punched tape. It consists of a long strip of paper with holes punched in it to store data. The holes represent a set of data that tells the machine how to move and what to do.

This method has proven to be very versatile and very useful. It has proven to withstand the test of time as numerous magnetic storage devices have deteriorated over time even to the extent of being unreadable while punched tape has been shown to be fine decades and perhaps even centuries later. Repair is also not a problem as specially designed splices can put two end together virtually unchanged. Furthermore, punched tape can be visually decoded should the need arise. This means that human accessibility is also not a problem.

Floppy Disk

While punched tape is quite a long roll of paper, a floppy disk is a small magnetic storage device that is more space efficient than punched tape. It can also be used to store simple programs.

Floppy disks virtually revolutionized the way data could be stored and transferred from one point to another. It allowed users to store and transfer data faster than punched tape allowed. Furthermore, the data within a floppy could be easily edited at any point as long as you have the proper program to read it. However, this method has proven to be quite problematic in the long run as floppies have a tendency to degrade alarmingly fast. A floppy could be unreadable after only 3 years.

RS232

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

This method is actually a set of standards for serial binary signals that connects between computers, terminals, and modems. This is a fast and efficient way to transfer data.

This cable connects a CNC machine to a computer that has floppy disk support thus eliminating the need for punched tape. This allows the operator to input data remotely and even while accomplishing other tasks. However, it need to be used in conjunction with an effective data storage device so as to have backups in case of emergencies.

Networks

Networks are a set of computers that are linked together to make data sharing easier. In an industrial scenario, networks allow a number of different users to individually create a program for the machine to run on.

This method allows multiple users to access and transfer data remotely. This allows for a faster and more efficient check-and-balance system for the programmer and the data verifier. Furthermore, different parts of the program can be completed by different programmers and then compiled by one user. This makes program creation a fast and easy process.

Manual Data Input (MDI)

MDI allows users to input commands directly into the CNC machine’s memory. This may seem to be an effective way of telling the machine what to do but it actually has a lot of drawbacks to it.

Despite it being the fastest way of telling the machine what to do, it is also a very risky and tedious operation as it requires the use of the machine’s terminal. Furthermore, the construction of a program is not as fast as opposed to the network method. It only allows one user to access the machine thus making it a long and drawn-out process.

Another disadvantage that comes with MDI is that it limits the operator to only one task at a time. However, MDI allows the most control over the machine compared to other methods.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about CNC.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit this new site for my swedish customers: Billigt Webbhotell – from SEK 10:- per month!

Acquiring a CNC machine is more than just buying additional equipment; it also has a social aspect in it. Here is the low down:

PEOPLE-WISE

First, you have to consider the people who are working in your shop. How many people will be displaced if you buy a CNC machine? Keep in mind that a CNC machine is multi-operational; so it’s possible that a couple of laborers will be erased from the production team. Experts say that the healthy ratio is at least one-sixth (1/6) of your whole labor force.

You will be saving time and effort, yes, and that is the best thing about having a CNC machine. However, you might be worrying about actually terminating people because, to put it bluntly, you won’t need them anymore. A CNC machine, just like any machine, will need an operator. Instructions used by a CNC machine for operational execution are composed of CNC ?words/codes? and is in the form of a ?sentence?.

Does one of your people ever have experience with a CNC machine before? Can s/he formulate CNC instructions? If the answer to both questions are ?yes?, then that’s absolutely good news. However, if you answered ?no? to at least one of the questions, then there are more things to evaluate.

Are your people capable of fast-learning? If it pains you to terminate them because they have been good employees in the past, train them on how to use the CNC machine and how to compose instructions for it. There are plenty of free training kits online.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

COMPANY-WISE

There’s a corporate adage that goes: ?Innovate or die?. There’s a lot of truth in that. A purchase of any CNC machine symbolizes a company’s decision to innovate to increase productivity. However, there are a few things that you need to note.

Review your company’s history. How long should you innovate drastically in terms of production? CNC equipment is expensive. It is an investment. In the long run, you may be forced to buy new equipment more often. Consider CNC heavily if you feel that your company innovates faster than other companies in terms of the industry that you belong to. After all, you can easily alter designs and material when you have CNC powered operations.

In most companies, ?Innovation? is another word for ?saving?. It means saving time, effort and space. In using CNC machines, the first two factors are sure savings while the third is not. People doing the labor and CNC machines often occupy the same amount of space. Do not romanticize a ?clearing of clutter? effect when you buy a CNC machine. You will keep up, in terms of production; but CNC equipment also occupies a lot of space. So in that aspect, it’s pretty much the same thing.

Another thing that you have to be reminded of is the level of accuracy that your company needs to produce. Intricate patterns on metal/wood will DEMAND CNC accuracy. So any time that you feel your company is ready for such innovation and accuracy, consider employing CNC in your manufacturing.

At the end of the day, the last aspect that you need to evaluate is you, yourself. As the owner/head manager, you have to KNOW AND UNDERSTAND the CNC machine and the software well. This is the biggest battle that you have to face.

The equation to improvement is simple a really good machine plus a really good operator (you). Do not easily be blinded by the salesmen’s poetry.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about CNC.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Adsense Sites and make sure to download the free adsense sites package!

Being a CNC operator may seem a little too easy but take a look at the requirements from companies and you’ll think twice about the difficulty level of being a CNC operator.

Being a CNC operator takes a lot more than just being able to handle long hours of staring at the monitor or creating an input stack for the programs. What it means is that you have to have outstanding programming capabilities and at least basic machining knowledge.

Job Requirements

A CNC operator has to be knowledgeable about blueprint reading. This is because, basic design concepts and construction is hinged heavily on blueprints. Furthermore, the components that are being manufactured by companies that have CNC machines are based on blueprints of a whole structure. Therefore, if you do not know how to read blueprints, you won’t know what to program the machine to do.

Another thing that a CNC operator has to have is familiarization with machine operations. If the operator does not know which machine tools are for which job, or how fast the machine can work, or what the rate of feed is for the machine, or even the depth of the cut needed for the operation, then you wouldn’t be productive and the operation would be a failure.

The most obvious thing that an operator would have to know would be the general operating characteristics of the machine. He/she would have to know what the machine runs on?tape, network data input, or floppy. Furthermore, proper data input procedures have to be observed to lower the error ratio. A faulty data input procedure could cause the entire cycle to collapse therefore lowering the level of efficiency.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there’s more to CNC than you may have first thought.

Working with CNC machines means that you will also be dealing with a lot of computer work. This means that you have to be familiar with basic computer operations. In addition to that, you will have to know how to interpret data in the program output stack.

The company’s requirements and the benefits.

some companies require a lot more than what is written above. Oftentimes, they require applicants to be familiar with the system that they use. Other times, they want the applicants to have no less than five years of experience working in a factory or at least working with a CNC machine. Also, some companies require applicants to undertake a specific training program to ensure the employers that the material they are getting is worth the money they will be shelling out.

However, the benefits that can be reaped is quite solid. Salaries and insurances are often negotiable. Working hours are also a snap! All you would have to do is initiate the cycle and then sit back and occasionally check for glitches. Furthermore, these companies often takes care of their operators as there is always a shortage of skilled enough people to take hold of the position.

So, what does it take to be a CNC operator? To synthesize the requirements, you have to be amazingly determined to pass the requirements of the company you are applying for. And then, you have to be able to quickly restructure the program in case of any glitch that the computer might encounter during the process.

The benefits are solid, but passing the requirements is like surviving the gauntlet. Think about this career.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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The normal businessman’s mind is always geared towards profit, profit, profit. No matter how much the company spends, at the end of the day, the revenues should exceed the expenses (including tax). Although innovation is a major requirement to a business’ growth, many small-time businesses just lie back in comfort. They think that as long as they’re earning and they have a steady market, it’s all right.

This holds true for businessmen who are contented with being small-time (though it’s hard to find one). However, for businesses that are aggressive towards getting ahead, acquiring a CNC machine seems to top their list of priorities.

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. A CNC machine is a computer “director” which is composed of machine tools that read a specific set of instructions (in G-code) and is able to ?direct? certain manufacturing tasks repetitively. The top industries that use the CNC technology are the Metal and Woodworking industries.

If you are a regular member of a techie forum for entrepreneurs, CNC may be showered with praises because of its performance. Most businessmen also swear by saving a lot of money and time when they started employing CNC technology in their production processes. However, if you are still considering CNC at the expense of the jobs of your employees, it is best that you prefer CNC at two levels: the logical level and the emotional level.

LOGIC-WISE

CNC machines do specific instructions. They will never assume anything, nor rebel against the program loaded to them. Imagine the security of knowing that you will “reap” exactly what you “sowed”. Let’s say, something goes wrong during the process. Assuming the machine is in perfect condition, you CANNOT put the blame on it because it just performed what you told it to do so.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and CNC experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to CNC.

Secondly, there is the blanket of consistency. It provides a certain level of safety and ease to the head supervisor. If you have overseen the operations today, most likely, it will be exactly the same tomorrow. The feeling of knowing what to expect is always a good thing, especially when there’s money involved.

Lastly, there’s speed. CNC machines do not stop to think. After you do the thinking, they do the power-jobs that they need to do. It’s that simple. There is a minimized set-up time and back-job time pocket.

What you will find a flaw about CNC though, is that logic-wise, CNC machines cannot think of better ways to perform a task (IF there is a better way). A CNC machine is purely mechanical; when it was sold to you; the salesmen never mentioned the word ?creative? or “innovative”. I hope you did not miss that.

EMOTION-WISE

CNC machines are also assets of the company. When assets like this are purchased, there is little or no emotional investment that goes with it. You won’t even train it! It is expected to do certain tasks and that’s saving you a lot of time from all the explaining, demonstration and reminding.

Also, when a CNC machine is performing its task, it is void of any emotion. So no matter how hot the weather is, or how noisy the workplace is, the CNC machine will do its job just like any other day. It is different as compared to people – who have the tendency to space-out when doing very mechanical and tedious jobs.

Although the CNC may want to, it also cannot complain. That’s really convenient. What you will need to note now is your electric bill. Beware, for when getting CNC machines, it may betray you in the form of lofty bills. All the emotions you’ve saved might just be unleashed.

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Remember that any CNC machine can also be programmed to do special one-time tasks such as a dry-run, which will help the operator oversee what will happen when s/he leaves the CNC machine to do its tasks alone. Accuracy also goes hand in hand with repeatability. Again, once the program is perfected, the CNC machine can perform that task PERFECTLY even until 7 or 7000 times.

Lastly, versatility also works in the form of ?task memory? that these CNC machines have. Once a program has been performed even for just one production run, it can be easily recollected the next time that the company needs the program. This saves time for setting up and loading of different programs.

The CNC sure simplifies the work of thousands of factories and machine shops worldwide. However, no matter how great CNC sounds like, it is something that doesn’t fit in some industries. Like, perhaps, in the cosmetic industry, or in the show-business. Those examples are way too obvious. On the other hand, in these two major mechanical industries, CNC is almost synonymous to ?hero?.

THE METAL INDUSTRY

Think of Metal. Metal. Perhaps the easiest metal that you can imagine is that of?a spoon. Now, imagine ANY spoon done with bare hands. After that, imagine a thousand spoons done with bare hands. It’s so tedious you might even consider suicide if you are assigned to such a job.

The metal industry has been operating on CNC for ages. In fact, if you search CNC in the internet, you will instantly find metal companies topping the list. The major CNC centers that you will find in most metal machining processes are ?CNC turning centers?, ?CNC machining centers?, ?CNC grinding centers? and ?CNC drill and tap centers?.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Some of the CNC programs that are connected with the metal industry are milling, drilling, reaming, boring and tapping. Moreover, any metal that has any curved side have experienced some form of knurling, grooving, turning and/or threading.

Fabrication, in manufacturing, refers to processes that are executed on thin plates/sheets. These sheets are cut, punched, and bent to form their finishing shapes. CNC also stars in almost every aspect of metal fabrication.

THE WOODWORKING INDUSTRY

While the most beautiful wood-worked products are most likely hand-made, you cannot deny that a wide array of tools and furniture HAVE to be NOT hand-made to save time and for mass production levels. There’s just too much work and not to many hands. In light with this, CNC has worked wonders for this industry.

Important woodworking processes include cutting, framing, carving and engraving. The most useful woodworking CNC product is the CNC router table. It is capable of carving elaborate 2D and 3D designs. Moreover, it is also capable of material change while repeating the same design. Since contemporary furniture is often a splash of different materials (e.g. Wood, aluminum and/or plastic), any CNC router is capable of reproducing the same design EVEN in different kinds of materials by just altering the router bit.

Although many local, middle-sized enterprise owners are skeptical about using employing CNC in their manufacturing operations, there have been many success stories to sway them to using it anyway. In the Metal and Woodworking industries, CNC has proven itself time and again to be efficient.

It saves time and efforts in production and (more importantly) back-jobs. If you’re venturing to one of these industries, remember that the word “labor” isn’t something social anymore – it’s technological. And start calling CNC your best friend.

If you’ve picked some pointers about CNC that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won’t really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don’t use it.

About the Author
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Manufacturing anything that requires exact measurements requires cutting edge precision and nimbleness from the worker. Most of the time manufacturing these kinds of products requires weeks or months to finish therefore slowing down productivity as well as consistency of the manufacturers.

Computer Numerical Control or more commonly called as CNC’s are the new trend in machine shop manufacturing and practice. Any manufacturing environment owns one or is basically acquainted to this kind of device because of its capability to increase productivity as well as consistency on the products being produced.

Benchmarked from Numerical Control (NC) during the late 50’s, Computer Numerical Control incorporate the functionality of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), meaning you could program it to execute different functions depending on the type of manufacturing that the industry needs.

Given this kind of quality what does the Computer Numerical Control do in the practical application concept? CNC can do a variety of things depending on how the machine operator would program the system. The more acquainted the machine operator is to the CNC machine the more complex applications as well as programming can be made. Practical applications of CNC range from drilling, lathes, multi-axis spindles, milling machines, laser cutting machines, and wire electrical discharge machines.

Let’s discuss some of these common applications further. In Metal fabrication, Computer Numerical controlled Lathe’s are used to fabricate metal sheet by shearing, flame or plasma cutting, punching, laser cutting, forming and welding. Most CNC Lathe’s are used for designing modern carbide tooling. The design could be created with the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) process, and when done, the CNC could start creating the product automatically with little supervision from the machine operator.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of CNC is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about CNC.

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is the process of removing metal with the use of electrical sparks to take away the metal. These Electrical Discharge Machine has two types, the vertical EDM and wire EDM. Vertical EDM uses an electrode that is the shape of the cavity to be machined into a work piece. Wire EDM is used to create punch and die combinations in the fabrication industry. Computer Numerical Control EDM’s are not usually known because it is mostly incorporated to other CNC process.

Drilling is the most common machine process. Computer Numerical Controlled Drilling is used to create precise right circular cylinders over a certain material, the CNC could be programmed to create holes on different standards, most of the time this is the gaps between these holes. Drilling is commonly used in wood working manufacturing process in which other process is also involved such as milling, turning and grinding.

Several tools for creating holes with CNC’s involve varied hole sizes as well as drill press for creating different depths on its holes. CNC drills are equipped depending on the type of hole that the machine operator is drilling.

Applications stated above are just a few examples on what the Computer Numerical Control could execute. Depending on how you want it to perform, more complex designs can be made and a lot of things can be made in a shorter period of time, therefore the key concept for the proper use of CNC’s is that the machine operator must know what he or she wants to do.

This makes the CNC an indispensable tool for the Manufacturing Industry nowadays.

As your knowledge about CNC continues to grow, you will begin to see how CNC fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

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All of these motion types may seem different but they share two things in common, which would be that they are all modal and the endpoint of each motion is specified in motion command. By being modal it means that the motion type would be in effect until changed otherwise.

3 common motion types:

1.)Rapid Motion Type

Rapid motion type is also called Positioning. The way this motion type is used is through utilizing the fastest rate possible of the command motion of the machine. Example uses of rapid motion are moving to clear obstructions, placing cutting tools to and from the desired position, and any program that provides non-cutting in their schemes.

The command that is usually programmed to a CNC machine is G00 because in this command, the end point for the rapid motion would be specified.

The CNC machine, with most controls given, will be able to move as fast as possible in all commanded axes. In the case of rapid motion, one axis may be able to reach its end point before other axes. Straight line movement will not occur with type of rapid command function and the programmer of the machine must take into account that there are no obstructions to avoid. Straight line motion will happen even during rapid motion commands when done with other controls.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about CNC, keep reading.

2.)Straight Line Motion

This type of motion would allow the programmer of the machine to command perfectly straight line movements within the machine. Unlike the rapid motion type, the straight line motion would allow the programmer to vary the rate of the motion or feed rate to be used during the movement. Examples of using straight line motion would be turning a straight diameter, taper, when milling straight surfaces, and when drilling for this is because these examples require straight cutting movement.

The common word to specify a straight line motion into a machine would be G01, for within this command the programmer will include the preferred end point within each of the axes.

3.)Circular Motion

This motion type would cause the machine to move in the direction of a circular path and is used to generate the radii in machining. When talking about points on circular motion feed rate, it is equal to that of straight line motion.

Other than that of straight line motion and rapid motion, there are two G codes that are commonly used when programming a circular motion into a machine. These are G02 and G03. G02 is used when the programmer desires a clockwise motion into the machine while G03 is used to make an anti-clockwise motion. To know which of the commands to use, the programmer must view the movement with the same perspective as to what the motion of the machine will be, may it be clockwise or anti-clockwise.

Another requirement that would be programmed into a machine that would be using circular motion is that the programmer must specify the radius of the arc that is to be generated. With brand new technological advances in CNC, an ?R? word is now used to specify the radius.

For older controls in CNC machinery, an ?I?, ?J?, and ?K? are used to specify location of the center point of the arc.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!