Structure of NC control data

Definitions for understanding:

NC-programs are, besides tool data, zero offsets, etc., a constituent of NC control data. NC-programs describe the flow of processing steps.

Separating characters reveal that a sequence of characters has concluded. The decoder evaluates the block end character, the space character, the tabulator, the character with the ASCII representation /0, the file end character or the comment as a separating character.

Comments contain non decodable ASCII information, which must remain between the character "(" and ")". If within a comment, an additional "(" is found, the corresponding ")" is expected. The block end character and the file end character conclude the comments.

Mathematical expressions are constructed out of numbers, parameters, operators, functions, etc. (see the paragraph 2.4.1 "Mathematical expressions). These are evaluated by a built-in computing function.

Examples: "100", "100+20", "100+P10", "100+PP10", "100*[2+P3]", "DEXP[2]", "100+SIN[P10+PP20]".

A NC-program consists of:

• Comments,
• Definitions of local subroutines, consisting of:
• String "%L ", followed by a subroutine name having a maximum of 14 characters, where either the block end character, the space character, a tabulator, the character with the ASCII representation /0 or the file end character concludes the program name.
• Several NC-program blocks,
• A code, identifying the end of the subroutine (M17 or M29),
• Definition of the main program, consisting of
• String "%", followed by the main program name, where either the block end character, the space character, a tabulator, the character with the ASCII representation /0 or the file end character terminates the program,
• Several NC-blocks,
• A code identifying the end of main program (M02 or M30).

If in a file outside the comments, a character is noticed as the first character that is neither a separating character nor a "%", then this character is evaluated as the first character of an unnamed main program. This also means that in front of "%", no block numbers may be programmed.