The g-code file

Book · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2024

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15286-3.00002-3· OSTI ID:2329611

Roschli, Alex ^[1]; Borish, Michael ^[1]; Feldhausen, Thomas ^[1]; Barnes, Abby ^[1]; Wang, Peter ^[1]; Macdonald, Eric ^[1]

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1. ORNL

The slicing process for additive manufacturing (AM) involves many steps, including slicing the object to be printed and fitting toolpaths to each resulting layer. The toolpaths define the trajectories that the machine must follow during printing to construct the object. Once the slicing is complete and all toolpaths have been found and properly planned, this data must be transferred to the 3D printer in a way the printer can use to construct the object. This is achieved by exporting a file, usually a g-code file, from the slicing software. The g-code file is a text-based file that contains instructions for the machine, controlling the system and defining the motions for each toolpath. The file, which often contains thousands of lines of code, is mostly composed of numbers that command positions for axis motions. This chapter will outline the contents of a g-code file, discuss various commands and their implementation, then provide example codes and files for object construction.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 2329611
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English