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# 12. Programming Tool Compensation

Tool compensation can mess up the best of nc code programmers. But it can be a powerful aid when used to help an operator get a part to size. By setting and reseting length and diameter of tools in a single tool table, offsets can be made durring a production run that allow for variation in tool size, or for minor deviation from the programmed distances and size. And these changes can be made without the operator having to search through and cange numbers in a program file.

Throughout this unit you will find ocasional references to cannonical functions where these are necessary for the reader to understand how a tool offset works in a specific situation. These references are intended to give the reader a sense of sequence rather than requiring the reader to understand the way that cannonical functions themselves work within the EMC.

Subsections

- 12.1 Tool Length Offsets
- 12.2 Cutter Radius Compensation
  - 12.2.1 Cutter Radius Compensation Detail
    - Programming Instructions
    - D Number
    - Tool Table
    - Two Kinds of Contour
    - Material Edge Contour
    - Tool Path Contour
    - Programming Errors and Limitations
  - First Move
    - Programming Entry Moves
    - General Method
    - Simple Method
    - Other Items Where Cutter Radius Compensation is Performed.
    - Algorithms for Cutter Radius Compensation
  - Jon Elson's Example
    - Endnotes