TABLE OF CONTENTS One of the first major steps towards basic understanding of CNC principles and geometrical concepts is thorough understanding of a subject known in mathematics as the system of coordinates. System of coordinates is founded on a number of mathematical principles dating back over four hundred years. The most important of these principles are those that can be applied to CNC technology of today. In various publications on mathematics and geometry, these principles are often listed under the headings such as the real number system and the rectangular coordinates.
One main key to understanding rectangular coordinates is understanding of basic math - arithmetic, algebra and geometry. The key knowledge in this area is knowledge of the real number system. Within the real number system, there are ten available numerals (digits), 0 to 9 (zero to nine), that can be used in any of the following groups:
| 0 |
| 1, 2, +3, 10, 12943, +45 |
| -4, -381, -25, -77 |
| 1/8, 3/16, 9/32, 35/64 |
| 0.185, 0.2, 0.546875, 3.5,15.0 |
All groups are used on a daily basis. These groups represent the mainstream of just about all applications of numbers in modern life. In CNC programming, the primary goal is to use numbers to 'translate' engineering drawing - based on its dimensions - into a specific cutter path.
Computerized Numerical Control means control by the numbers using a...
