Raiders of the Lost Arc (position, that is)
from our friends at Tormach
There are two ways to program G02 and G03 arcs, radius format and center format. The syntax is as follows:
G02 X_ Y_ Z_ A_ R_ (for radius format)
or
G02 X_ Y_ Z_ A_ I_ J_ (for center format).
While radius format can be convenient for programming, it’s really not suitable for some of the most commonly hand-coded shapes, namely full circles and semi-circles. Because the center point is not explicitly programmed, but rather calculated from the given radius, a small rounding error in the arc end point will have a magnified effect on the position of the center point of the arc, effectively ensuring your circles and semi-circles will be out-of-round. For these cases, programming in center format is the only way to go.
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