Written by
Mike Lynch and published by CNC
Concepts, Inc.
$60.00
Tutorial format
Over 160 pictures and
illustrations
Practice exercises
and tests (with answers) included in the text
Programming activities
(with answers) included in the text
View the
Table of Contents to see just how
comprehensive this manual is!
Copyright 2009, CNC
Concepts, Inc.
CNC machining centers are very popular in
manufacturing companies. Just about every company that
performs metal-cutting operations has at least one.
Since they are so popular, people beginning their CNC
careers are often exposed to machining centers first.
This makes learning about them an excellent first choice
for people beginning their careers in CNC.
This self-study manual is for people who
want to learn G-code level, manual programming for CNC
machining centers. It is the companion manual to the
Machining Center Setup and Operation self-study manual.
We assume in this text that you understand certain
things about basic machining practices – topics that are
addressed in the Machining Center Setup and Operation
manual. This text can also be used by people that have
some shop experience who are not interested in learning
about how machining centers are set up or how production
runs are completed.
Note that we do offer another self-study
manual that covers all three tasks a person must master
in order to be fully proficient with CNC machining
centers: Machining Center Programming, Setup, and
Operation. This more comprehensive manual also assumes
you have some shop experience. If you are just getting
started with CNC, we recommend that you begin with the
Machining Center Setup and Operation self-study manual.
We use a Key Concepts approach to teaching
you about CNC. This proven tutorial method allows us to
stress the reasons why things are done as importantly as
how they’re done. It provides a building blocks approach
to learning. And it limits the number of things you must
master in order to become proficient. You must
understand six Key Concepts to master CNC machining
center G code level, manual programming.
The six Key Concepts are further divided
into sixteen lessons. Most lessons include quizzes and
practice exercises right in the text (answers provided
close by) and every lesson ends with a test (answers
provided at the end of the text). Many lessons also
include a programming activity (again, answers provided
at the end of the text). This combination of tutorial
text, explanatory illustrations, and lots of practice
truly turns this text a self-study course that will
teach you what you need to know in order to become a
proficient CNC machining center programmer.
Here are the Key Concepts and lessons:
Key Concept 1: Know your machine
from a programmer's viewpoint
1: Machine configurations
2: Visualizing program execution
3: Program zero and the rectangular coordinate system
4: Introduction to programming words
Key Concept 2: You must prepare to
write programs
5: Preparation steps for programming
Key Concept 3: Understand the
motion types
6: Programming the three most basic motion types
Key Concept 5: You must
provide structure to your CNC programs
11: Introduction to program structure
12: Four types of program format
Key Concept 6: Special
features that help with programming
13: Hole-machining canned cycles
14: Working with subprograms
15: Other special programming features
16: Programming rotary devices
When you finish reading this text and doing
the exercises, you will have a firm understanding of
what it takes to program a CNC machining center at G
code level.
A note about G code level
programming
It is at G code level that a CNC programmer
can be the most intimate with the machine. Commands in
the program explicitly tell the machine what to do, one
function at a time. G code level programmers (also
called manual programmers) develop these commands in
exactly the same manner that the CNC machine will
interpret them.
There is another way to create CNC programs
– by using a computer aided manufacturing (CAM) system.
With a CAM system, a programmer works at a higher level,
importing a drawing form a computer aided design (CAD)
system and then specifying how the workpiece is to be
machined. The CAM system will automatically create the G
code level program (the same kind of program a G code
level programmer creates manually).
While CAM systems take much of the
tediousness out of creating CNC programs – and there are
some people in the industry that feel that there is no
need to learn about G code – we feel a firm
understanding of G code level programming is an
important prerequisite to learning how to use a cam
system. Without a knowledge of G code, you will not be
able to determine if the CAM system is generating
appropriate (correct) commands for your CNC machine. And
if programs must be modified at the machine, changes
must be made at G code level.
We compare learning G code prior to
learning a CAM system to learning how to perform
longhand arithmetic calculations before learning how to
use a calculator. A person will not be able to judge
whether a calculator’s answer is correct if they don’t
know longhand arithmetic. In similar fashion, a CAM
system programmer will not be able to judge the CAM
system’s output (G code) if they don’t understand G code
level programming.
Want to know more?
Here are some pages from the text that will
help you see what is included:
