Milling Programming

Branden Paquin
 Program Structure and Format

The sequence of events necessary to successfully develop a CNC program will

be discussed in detail in this
unit.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this unit, the student will:
1) Be familiar with the proper sequence of events that should be followed
when developing a CNC
program.
2) Be able to define “Safety Line” and be familiar with the codes it contains.
3) Understand critical information that must be included before and after
each tool.
4) Be capable of following an existing program and explain the sequence of
events that it follows.
5) Understand the definition and purpose of “default” values.
What Codes Are
Responsible For
 Most Commonly
Used G Codes

*Some of these you will probably never use. You

are not required to memorize all of them, but a
certain amount will be used in every program
so you will get used to them.
Most Commonly
Used G Codes
Cont…
Most Commonly - Remember, M codes are used to control
Machine and Miscellaneous Functions

Used M Codes - Different machines with different options

will utilize different M Codes depending on
features of the machine and needs of the
part. Ie Chip Auger, High Pressure Coolant,
Laser Detection System, Coolant Port Fan,
etc…
- The ones listed on the left are considered
standard and should not change from
machine to machine
Remember the - Yes, we talked about the Cartesian
Coordinate System when we did lathes,

Cartesian however I believe it may be even more

important when it comes to milling

Coordinate
System??
Cartesian - By knowing how to use the Cartesian
Coordinate System, it can make your job

Coordinate System as a programmer easier. Figuring out

where to place your zero, will let you

Cont… choose what quadrant all of your X’s and

Y’s will be in.
- By knowing the system, it can make your
life easier, such as having all your X’s and
Y’s be positive
Plotting Points Exercise Plotting Points Exercise
Program Format - Program format, or style, is an important
part of CNC machining. Each individual
will have their own way to format their
programs differently but in most cases, a
programmer could not identify a program
written by them 6 months after they wrote
it. -
- A programmer needs to be consistent and
efficient by writing code in the way it is
listed and in the order it appears in the
program. For example: X, Y, Z, should be
written in order of appearance. The
machine will read X, Y, or Z in any order,
but we want to be consistent. Write X first,
Y second, Z third
Program Format
Cont…
Program Number - By this point we should all know that a
program number is an O followed by 4-6
numerical digits.
- Out in industry, program numbers often
correspond with Part #’s. This makes for
less confusion when it comes to selecting
already proven programs
- NEVER start a program with O9###, the
first digit being 9 are protected programs
by the machine and are used for things
like the probing cycles
Safety Line - G17 Selects X-Y Work Plane, this ensures
we’re using the correct coordinate system
- Inch Programming, ensures we’re using
our freedom units
G17 G20 G40 G49 G80 G98 - G40 Cancels Cutter Comp, we’ll get plenty
into cutter compensation later
- G49 Cancels Tool Length Offset, gets rid of
any previously held information by the
machine
- G80 Cancels Canned Cycle, we’ll get into
plenty of information regarding Canned
cycles later
- G98 Initial Point Return for canned cycles
Tool Call -
-
T** M06
Instead of asterisks, use the tool
number you intend on using (ex. T01,
T10, T25)
- M06 denotes a tool change to the
machine, this tells the machine to
enter its subprograms and use that
data to change the tool
First Move & -
-
G00 G90 G54 X__ Y__ S_____ M03
G00 Preparatory function for a Rapid

Spindle On -
Movement.
G90 Activates control to be in ABSOLUTE.
- G54 Selects work coordinate system No.
1.
- X__ Axis move to initial “X” position.
- Y__ Axis move to initial “Y” position.
- S____ Informs the control that you are
setting the RPM for whatever your desired
RPM is for this tool
- M03 Turns the spindle “ON” in a clockwise
direction at whatever speed you set with S

*YOUR FIRST X AND Y POSITION SHOULD NOT

BE ON THE PIECE, START OFF THE PIECE AT
LEAST THE DIAMETER OF THE ENDMILL*
Start & End Error Identification
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s9ANCOC9bALFBjPpjKx
EGCetxU-5PwjV7JLCOMfG4pw/edit?tab=t.0
Cutter - We will be using the codes G40, G41, and
G42 in order to use Cutter Compensation

Compensation -
on the mills.
The purpose of this is for it to
COMPENSATE for the diameter of the
cutter, this useful for cutting profiles or
pockets.
- You often do not want your cutter to travel
on its centerline as it would require doing
more math to get your coordinates correct
- The next thing you need to consider is
whether you are doing a Clockwise or
Counterclockwise path
Climb Milling Vs. - You have to know which direction you plan
on making a profile before you choose

Conventional -
your cutter compensation
Knowing the difference between Climb

Milling Milling and Conventional Milling can make

your decision for you
- Lets take a look at the difference
- Conventional vs Climb Milling On A CNC M
achine - CNC Basics – WorkBee

- Understanding Check

Climb vs. Conventional Milling Understand

ing Check
Cutter Comp - So now that we know what cutter comp is,
where do we turn it on?

Cont… - Cutter Comp is usually turned on once we

have made a move in the Z negative
- The cutter comp code must also have a D
code along side it. Unlike our usual D
code, it does not mean depth, it is a
callout for the diameter of the tool, so it
knows how much to compensate
- A movement must also be made in the X
or Y axis for cutter comp to activate
- This is why we always start off the piece
Getting our - So we have our machine ready to cut
something at this point, but we have to

Coordinates -
get the coordinates to cut a profile
Doing a straightforward rectangle is easy,
however it gets a little trickier when you
get to radii or angles
- Unlike lathes there is NO doubling of X
when it comes to getting your coordinates
- Just subtract or add the radii, let's do
some examples
Coordinate Sample
1
Coordinate Sample
2
Coordinate Sample
3
Coordinate Packet