G-code
| Paradigm | Procedural, Imperative |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| First appeared | 1950s (first edition) |
| Filename extensions | .mpt, .mpf .nc and several others |
| Major implementations | |
| many, mainly Siemens Sinumerik, FANUC, Haas, Heidenhain, Mazak. Generally there is one international standard—ISO 6983. | |
G-code (also RS-274), which has many variants, is the common name for the most widely used numerical control (NC) programming language. It is used mainly in computer-aided manufacturing to control automated machine tools. G-code is sometimes called G programming language, not to be confused with LabVIEW's G programming language.
G-code is a language in which people tell computerized machine tools how to make something. The "how" is defined by instructions on where to move, how fast to move, and what path to follow. The most common situation is that, within a machine tool, a cutting tool is moved according to these instructions through a toolpath and cuts away material to leave only the finished workpiece. The same concept also extends to noncutting tools such as forming or burnishing tools, photoplotting, additive methods such as 3D printing, and measuring instruments.
The first implementation of a numerical control programming language was developed at the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory in the late 1950s. In the decades since, many implementations have been developed by many (commercial and noncommercial) organizations. G-code has often been used in these implementations. The main standardized version used in the United States was settled by the Electronic Industries Alliance in the early 1960s. A final revision was approved in February 1980 as RS-274-D. In other countries, the standard ISO 6983 is often used, but many European states use other standards. For example, DIN 66025 is used in Germany, and PN-73M-55256 and PN-93/M-55251 were formerly used in Poland.
Extensions and variations have been added independently by control manufacturers and machine tool manufacturers, and operators of a specific controller must be aware of differences of each manufacturer's product.
One standardized version of G-code, known as BCL, is used only on very few machines.
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