OpenNest/docs/cincinnati-ci-fiber-post-output.md

Cincinnati CI Fiber Post Output Reference

Project-written summary of OpenNest.Posts.CincinnatiCIFiber, not a vendor manual or a machine-operation guide. For the separate CL-series post, see Cincinnati output.

Controller reference used during development: Beckhoff TF5200 | TwinCAT 3 CNC Programming manual, version 1.33, May 19, 2026 (TF5200_programming_manual_en.pdf). Obtain the applicable documentation from Beckhoff and Cincinnati. Vendor PDFs and full-text extracts stay outside source control; redistribution permission has not been established.

Output contract

The current writer uses the Cincinnati machine-sample convention, not a generic TF5200 laser API:

• Header: nest/configuration/material comments; V.E.MATERIAL, V.E.THICKNESS, V.E.X_SIZE, V.E.Y_SIZE, and V.E.UNIT. Sheet weight is omitted by default.
• Startup: G90, L PROGRAMSTART.NC, then P3=V.E.R3, $GOTO NP3:, and N0:.
• Parts follow plate order. V.E.R4 identifies the part within its sheet; numbered contour labels and V.E.R3 count up through the program for restart lookup (they restart at 1 in each per-sheet program).
• Each contour: /L "L0", restart number, rapid to pierce, then interior /L "L2" with G41 or exterior /L "L4" with G42; linear lead-in, /L "L6", cutting moves, and /L "ZHSOFF".
• Tail: /L "L0", L PROGRAMEND.NC, the pallet-change code (M50), M30, and %.
• Motion endpoints are sheet-absolute XY. Arc I/J are offsets from the arc start, matching the G162 convention; the post does not explicitly emit G162.
• Parts and sheet cut-offs post in the plate's cut sequence (Plate.Parts order, as set by Set Sequence or a sequencer). A cut-off is not moved after the parts. Each segment is an open line with no lead-in: rapid to its start, /L "L4", /L "L6", the G1, and /L "ZHSOFF". No G41/G42 is selected, because the line is the beam centreline and has no inside or outside. Whether the L4 macro runs correctly without a following lead-in move has not been confirmed on the machine.
• Hole subprogram geometry is inlined. Suppressed moves and, by default, wholly scribe contours are omitted.
• Files use UTF-8 without a BOM and CRLF lines. Default accuracy is three decimal places: coordinates trim trailing zeros; dimensional header values retain them.

Configuration and boundaries

See CIFiberPostConfig for macro names, material mappings, unit codes, precision, and table limits. The post is named for the machine family; table size belongs in configuration. In the desktop app these settings open in a sectioned editor (Machine, Sheets, Material, Program output, Macros) with a material-code table; values are validated and saved only when OK is pressed.

• Assign linear lead-ins before posting, including circular holes. The writer rejects missing or arc-first lead-ins. Its conservative rule cites the G238 compensation-selection restriction in TF5200 §13.2.4.1; do not generalize it to every controller compensation mode.
• /L calls are skippable; L PROGRAMSTART.NC and L PROGRAMEND.NC are not. Macro bodies, process settings, restart handling, and compensation cancellation belong to the machine configuration. The post does not emit an explicit G40.
• InchUnitCode defaults to 1; MetricUnitCode defaults to 0 but remains unconfirmed. Table limits compare directly with nest dimensions, without unit conversion. Do not assume changing the unit code establishes metric support.
• Plates without parts are not posted. With One program per sheet (the default) and more than one sheet, JOB.cnc is written as JOB-1.cnc, JOB-2.cnc, ..., each a complete program with its own sheet size and pallet change. This follows the CL-series batch rule (EM-423 §7.4: one sheet per program; the operator sets repeats). A single-sheet nest keeps the chosen name. Plate quantity is not written; repeat the program at the machine.
• With the option off, every sheet goes into one program: /L "L0" and the pallet change separate sheets, and the header carries the first sheet's size. Sheets of different sizes are rejected in this mode. Posting to a stream always produces one program, so it rejects a multi-sheet nest in per-sheet mode.
• PalletChangeCode defaults to M50, the Cincinnati pallet change: the machine sample ends L PROGRAMEND.NC, M50, M30, moving the cut sheet out for unloading before the program ends (CL-series manual EM-423 §3.50; confirmed by the machine owner).
• Release blocker: the single-program sequence between sheets (/L "L0", then M50, then the next sheet with no new header or start macro) is inferred, not observed. Confirm it against a Cincinnati multi-sheet sample before release, or keep One program per sheet on, which matches the single-sheet sample.
• All programs are generated and every sheet is validated before any file is written, so a failed file post writes nothing. A failed stream post may leave partial output; discard it. Successful generation and tests do not establish that a program is safe to run on a particular machine.

Verification

Output-contract tests cover a square with a hole, coordinate transforms/formatting, lead-in rejection, cut-off sequencing and output, table bounds, suppression/scribe handling, and multi-sheet output in both modes. Run:

dotnet test OpenNest.Tests/OpenNest.Tests.csproj --filter FullyQualifiedName~CincinnatiCIFiber

Keep this summary aligned with the implementation and tests. Cite the relevant manual section for controller rules and distinguish those rules from Cincinnati-specific macros and behavior observed in a machine sample.