Machine commands | GO2cam Production Help

This manual applies from version 2026.11 onwards. The interface may change from one version to the next.

A machine command is a named sequence of machine moves or actions stored in the machine command file mac/<machine>.XML (same name as the machine file). It is recalled in the program with the techno function Machine command, then written in the NC file and replayed in the simulation.

1. Available machine commands

Every type has a Duration (simulation time, in seconds) and most have an Attribute. Program lines and Tool mount/demount have no duration.

Type	Description	Parameters
Positioning	Moves the selected axes together to the positions recorded at creation. In GO2Robot, if the machine has no programmable external axis, the 6 robot axes are taken; otherwise a list asks which axes (robot and/or external axes) the command drives.	Duration (s, default 4) Attribute (integer passed to the post-processor, default 0) Axis positions: the current positions when the command is created
Robot joint move	Joint (point-to-point) move of the robot to the target.	Duration (s) Position type: Joints (6 joint values) or Cartesian (TCP pose in the part origin, solved with the mounted tool when the program runs) Attribute Target: the current robot position when the command is created
Robot linear move	Linear move of the robot TCP to the target.	Duration (s) Position type: Joints or Cartesian Attribute Target: the current robot position when the command is created
Program lines	Instruction lines written as they are in the robot program by the post-processor (for example a subroutine call on EFORT). A post-processor that does not handle them drops them with a warning. Used alone in the program, or as the command run at the target point of a Robot approach retract.	Instruction lines, one per line Duration: always 0
Robot approach retract	Joint move to the approach point (the target backed off along the tool axis), linear move to the target, the chosen command at the target, then linear retract along the tool axis.	Duration (s) Position type: Joints or Cartesian Attribute Approach distance (mm, default 20) Retract distance (mm, default 20) Command at target point: None or a Program lines command Target: the current robot position when the command is created
Tool mount/demount	Mounts or demounts a tool at a tool position of the machine (for example the spindle).	Choice: Mount tool used in next machining cycle / Demount current mounted tool / Mount a specific tool (then the tool Tn in a list) Tool position Duration: always 0

2. Create a machine command

Go to Tooling.
Click the XML icon: the Command editor opens.
Click Create (the icon next to the command list).
Enter a name for the command. The name must not already be used.
In Edit the order, select the type in Select order type. The fields change with the type (see the table above). Fill them in, then click Validate.

The move types (Positioning, Robot joint move, Robot linear move, Robot approach retract) record the current position of the axes: move the robot and the external axes to the wanted position before you create the command.

Positioning: an external axis must be set as Programmable in the machine to be driven by a machine command.

3. Edit a machine command

In the Command editor, select the command in the list and click Edit command: Edit the order reopens to change the parameters (duration, attribute, position type, approach and retract distances, command at target point, program lines, tool choice), then click Validate.

With only robot axes, a move can be changed between Positioning, Robot joint move and Robot linear move. The other types cannot be changed.
Changing the position type does not convert the target: the current robot position is recorded in the new form.

Example: editing a Robot approach retract command with a Cartesian target and a program-lines command at the target point.

4. Insert a machine command into the machining tree

Right-click Machining (the title of the machining tree).
Select Machine Command.
Select the command in the list at the top of the screen.
Click an existing element of the machining tree: the selected machine command is inserted after it, shown as Command (<name>).

5. Edit a machine command from the machining tree

Right-click the machine command in the machining tree and select Edit XML. Tooling opens with the Command editor on that command and the robot at its position. Then modify it as described in sections 3 and 6.

6. Other options of the command editor

Select a command in the list. With Move to position after selection ticked, the machine goes to the position of the command. The table shows the axes and values of the selected command. The buttons of the Edition panel:

Button	Action
Change to current position	Move types only: replaces the recorded positions with the current axis positions (a Cartesian target records the current TCP pose again). Move the axes to the wanted position first, then click the button.
Delete command	Deletes the selected command.
Clear all commands	Deletes all the commands of the file.
Export XML file	Saves the commands in another XML file.

Every change is saved at once in the machine command file.