Automatic Placement of CL Commands
You can insert a customized CL command anywhere along the tool path by using the PLAY PATH dialog box (for more information, follow the link under See Also). However, if the tool path changes for some reason, the customized CL command may end up in a wrong location. The Automatic Command Placement functionality allows you to insert a CL command, or a block of commands, before or after a specific event on the tool path (for example, before each pass, or after the final retract), and to maintain its location through subsequent tool path changes.
The CL Commands tabbed page of the Tool Path Properties dialog box provides eight typical locations in a CL file where you might want to insert a customized CL command:
• Before LOADTL—Before the LOADTL statement.
• After LOADTL—After the LOADTL statement.
• After SPINDL—After the SPINDL statement.
• After FROM—After the FROM statement. This option becomes available only if you select the Use FROM checkbox in the FROM/HOME Statements section, immediately above the Automatic Command Placement section.
• Before Each Pass—Before the approach move to each cutting pass on the tool path.
• After Each Pass—After the retract move from each cutting pass on the tool path.
• After Final Retract—After the final retract move on the tool path. This option is not available if None is selected as the Final Withdrawal option on the Clearance tabbed page of the Tool Path Properties dialog box.
• After GOHOME—After the GOHOME statement. This option becomes available only if you select the Use GOHOME checkbox in the FROM/HOME Statements section, immediately above the Automatic Command Placement section.
For each of these locations, you can specify a CL command, or a block of CL commands, by clicking
under the location label and then using the
CL Command dialog box. When you are finished, the first command in the block is displayed in the text box under the location label.
To make the system output the specified commands at the desired location when writing a CL file, select the checkbox next to the appropriate location label.