430 11 G-Code Edit, Help, & Advanced Features
11.5 Four Axis Programming
11.5 Four Axis ProgrammingAxis Type
The machine builder sets up the fourth-axis as a linear or rotary axis.
The three basic axes are X, Y, and Z. The additional axis is designated
as āUā on the 3500i console.
The following formats are for programming the linear or rotary fourth
axis:
Linear:
Program as Feed Mode (G1) or Rapid (G0) moves. Only rapid and linear
feed moves can be programmed. The U axis can be programmed
along with X, Y, and Z-axis in rapid, linear, and circular moves. The U
axis is always synchronous to the XYZ moves.
Rotary:
Program rotary moves in degrees. The typical resolution is 0.001
degrees. Minutes and seconds cannot be programmed. Therefore,
you must convert minutes and seconds to a decimal value.
Conversion formula:
Converting from minutes, seconds to decimal degrees.
ļ®Minutes to decimal: min/60 = decimal degrees.
ļ®Seconds to decimal: sec/3600 = decimal degrees.
Example:Minutes15 min/60 = 0.25 degrees
Example:Seconds30 sec/3600 = 0.008 degrees
Example:Convert 5 DEG. 30 MIN. 15 SEC. to decimal degrees
5 + (30/60) + (15/3600) =
5 + 0.5 + 0.004 =
5.504
When the U-axis is programmed alone without an X, Y, or Z linear
move, you must program a feedrate for the U-axis in degrees per
minute (dpm).
Format: FU 500.0 = 500 dpm for the U axis.
FU is also allowed when the U-axis is linear. A feedrate is programmed
in in/min or mm/min.