Re: CNC PRO

Tim Goldstein wrote:

> If I remember correctly, Jon Elson or Matt Shaver was telling
> me there is a g-code that you can use to run the same program
> repeated a number of times for the same purpose.

M99 will cause a loop back to start. I use this all the time, at the end
of the program using a pause or tool change, then looping back to start
. In production, it's faster than having to restart the program.
However, I wasn't aware of any ability to use this to loop a finite
number of times.
This however, isn't the same thing. When using subroutines as I
mentioned, the part geometry is generally programmed in incremental
mode. I only have to lay out a single part and program in incremental.
This becomes the subroutine. The main program moves to the starting
point for the first part, and calls the subroutine, which then goes into
incremental, machines the part, switches back to absolute, then returns
to the main program which in turn moves to the starting point of the
next part. Sometimes I will use G92's instead. I can follow absolute
code, mentally tracing the toolpath, but I find it harder to do this
with incremental code. I sort of straddle the lines here. I'm self
employed and can't afford a full size CNC mill, so I do what I can with
my MAXNC, always looking to get the biggest bang for my buck, but I
really like the DIY approach. I need more power than a strict hobbyist
and jumping through too many hoops starts to diminish the already
marginal usefullness of the MAXNC in a commercial application. Heck, for
all I've invested in this thing, time and labor, I probably could have
put half down on a nice new CNC knee mill. However, I've got more time
than money....

Jon