Generating NC Code Interactively

This procedure describes how to create NC code from the manufacturing program in your .CATProcess. You can generate subprograms in addition to the main code. The generation is handled by the post processor.
Before you can run this procedure, take the following steps:

  1. On the Tools > Options > Machining > Output tab, select a Post Processor type for your NC code (e.g., ICAM®).

  2. On the Tools > Options > Machining > Output tab, in the Default File Locations area, specify CATNCCode as the file extension, and select output locations.

  3. Assign an NC machine to the part operation.

  4. In the machine editor dialog box for the NC machine (accessible in NC Machine Tool Simulation by right-clicking the machine on the PPR tree, and selecting machine object > Edit), set the Controller Emulator, Post Processor, and Post Processor words table appropriate for your machine and the Post Processor you selected in Step 1.

    The contents of the lists available on the machine editor dialog box depend on the options selected in Tools > Options > Machining > Output.

  1. Right-click the manufacturing program in the PPR tree, and select Generate NC Code Interactively.

    The Generate NC Output Interactively dialog box appears.
    If you select the Associate output NC file to the program checkbox, any subprograms that you generate appear in the manufacturing panel.

  2. Select the desired options and click the Execute button.

    A progress bar may appear.
    The Manufacturing Information window appears.

  3. Click OK.
If you generate NC code and you want to use that code for simulation in another session, then you must save the CATProcess after NC generation. It is not mandatory to save the CATProcess if the generated NC code is not to be used for simulation in other sessions.
Generated NC Code should not be edited using an external text editor. This results in the loss of associativity between the Manufacturing Program and the generated NC Code.