OVERVIEW

Writing a CNC program is the final result of manual programming. This last step requires a sheet of paper, or many sheets of paper, that contain the program. The program is composed of individual instructions related to machining and arranged in a series of sequential blocks. Writing does not mean using only a pen or pencil. Modern writing methods employ a computer and a text editor, but the result is still a written copy of a manually generated part program.

Manual program development is the result of a lot of hard work. A short program with a few lines of code may be as easily entered into the control directly as to be written down on paper. However, the written copy will often be required for documentation and other reference purposes.

The need to program by hand seems somewhat backwards in the age of computers, printers and other hi-tech wonders, but it is a method that will not disappear any time soon. Writing a part program manually requires time and is always subject to errors. Manual work means work by hands, so it seems that a need for special computer skills is not required. Is that a correct assessment?

In the traditional way, a program can be written with a pencil and a paper (and a five pound eraser, as an old cartoon claimed). Its final form is transferred to the control unit, a short program may be keyed into the system directly, by pressing various keyboard keys. For...