Inserting PP Instructions

Open the Dialog Box

You can enter PP instructions with the Post-Processor Instruction command.

Open an existing Machining Process containing Machining Operations.
1. Click NC Machine Control.
2. Click Post-Processor Instruction in the toolbar that is displayed.
3. In the Manufacturing Program, select the activity after which you want to add the Post-Processor Instruction.
The Post-Processor Instruction dialog box appears:
- Position: Lists and lets you select the Setups available in the Part Operation. See Creating a Part Operation.
- Spindle: Displays the name of the current Spindle. It is not editable.
- : Refreshes the PP words syntax to take any modification into account.
- : Replaces the Post-Processor Instruction with a large PP words editor.

Use the PP Words Selection Assistant

You can insert PP instructions using the PP words defined in the PP words table assigned to the Part Operation.

Click Select PP Words
The PP Words Selection Assistant dialog box appears showing the content of a PP words table. Its content varies with the PP words table.
Select the type of Major Words from the list:
- Major words with parameters,
- Major words with text,
- Major words without parameters.
The lists of Major Words and Minor Words is updated accordingly
Select a Major Word
- If a syntax is available, select the one required and follow the instructions that are displayed, if any.
- If no syntax is available, complete the instruction with a Minor Word or a text that you key in under Current Selection.
Apply becomes available once the PP instruction is complete.
Click Apply in the PP Words Selection Assistant.
The PP instruction is added in the Post-Processor Instruction dialog box.
Repeat for each instruction you want to insert in the Post-Processor Instruction dialog box.
Click OK in the Post-Processor Instruction dialog box to insert the PP instructions in the Manufacturing Program and exit the dialog box.

Insert User Parameters in PP Instructions

You can define a PP instruction that references user parameters created in the design part, and output the result in the APT source during the PP instruction processing.

Enter the PP instruction directly in the dialog box.
You could use any syntax, e.g.
```
INSERT GLengthZHeight
```
However, this would make it very difficult to identify the parameters to process in the PP instruction. So it is necessary to respect a syntax rule: to be consistent with the other NC parameters, use the %( characters to identify the beginning of the parameter and the ) character to identify the end of the parameter.
Click OK to create the PP instruction in the Manufacturing Program.
When the PP instruction is processed during the APT code generation:
- The execution program retrieves the parameters to be processed.
- Then a search is done in the design parts related to the Part Operation being processed to find the user parameters and corresponding values.
- These values can be output in the APT source file. The APT source file corresponding to this example (if Length is 80.5mm and Height 75.8mm) can be as follows:
```
PPRINT OPERATION NAME : 
         Post-Processor Instruction.1
         $$ Start generation of : Post-Processor Instruction.1
         INSERT G80.5 Z75.8
         $$ End of generation of : Post-Processor Instruction.1
```
Note:
- The name of the parameter to be retrieved during the processing is the name of the parameter that is created or displayed with the f(x) function.
- In the case of a product referencing several parts, the parameter Length of Part1 is identified by Part1\Length.
- This name must be used in the PP instruction definition.
- The advantage of this is that the user parameters can be added in the PP table in order to reuse them later, or in other NC commands.