11 An Introduction to CNC Milling
11.1 Understanding Coordinate Systems
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The user defines the point of origin, and the machine will measure X, Y, and Z coordinates from that
point. The machine home position is almost never used as the point of origin, so the coordinates of the
home position are seldom (0,0,0).
The point of origin can be located anywhere on the workpiece, but is often set to the front, top left
corner of the workpiece, as shown below.
To define the origin as illustrated above, jog the tool to the front, top left corner and define the
coordinates as (0,0,0).
11.1.4.
Multiple Coordinate Systems
For more advanced operations, such as milling multiple parts on the same piece of stock, set up multiple
coordinate systems.
For information on how coordinate systems are activated in an NC program, see
For example, if you have an NC program that machines a complex shape and you want to machine that
shape in multiple places on the same part, use the following procedure.
Procedure: Using Multiple Coordinate Systems
1.
Move the tool tip to the work coordinate point of origin (0,0,0) using the
Set Position
command from the
Setup
menu.
2.
Select the
Coordinate Systems
command from the
Setup
Menu.
