Dudes,
Don't know how useful this is for big-dick cadcam matchinists, but for little-dick cadcam-less hack matchinists, this is perty neat.
Passed parameters (yer R words) can be attached to virtually any g-code word: xyz, of course, but also S, F, H or D, E's (for a kind of inneresting G91, if put in a macro), AND, even the L word, for subroutines.
Now, how could a variable in an effing L word be useful? Mostly in housekeeping, but useful housekeeping.
For example, I'm making the analogy to the sides of a mitered picture frame, with different sizes, and even different "handedness", which is a real pita -- in short pieces of 1/2" round alum.
Each size/handedness gets a different hole pattern along its length, for attachment to a base.
So, bein without cadcam, I put each hole pattern in a subroutine, and call that subroutine in whatever G83, g82, or g84 is at hand. That's nice in itself, being able to drill a whole hole pattern from a g83 and an Lxxxx.
BUT, for holes, you typically have 3 steps to the process, spot, drill, tap, and each time you change the hole pattern, you have to go to each tool, and change the subroutine. Not a biggie, but it becomes fool proof (nothing like having different hole patterns in the drill and tap cycles, eh?) with passed parameters, as such:
#r8=201 (or 301, 401, however many hole patterns there are m6t1( spot g82 L+r8
m6t2( drill g83 L+r8
m6t3( tap g84 L+r8
NOW, when the next part/hole pattern comes up, all's you do is change the subroutine number in the #r8 line.
#r8=301 etc.
This strategy can also be very handy in fine-tuning feeds, if you can group "feed types" together, and assign F+r1, F+r2, F+r3, in their "grouped contexts". Then, as the machining process "evolves", you can change whole groups of feeds just with one R variable.
The problem with this is, however, at least with the HS88 fadal control, is that you only have R1 thru R9, ie, nine variables, before you have to start swapping, which can get messy/confusing.
I called them up about updates, and, according to them, nothing of real note is available, except li'l niddly stuff which the guy told me not to even bother with.
fwiw, I in fact have a near-fullblown copy of SW (legal), good for 5 months, before it times out. I haven't loaded it yet, cuz that starts the clock. I'll need someone to hold me, or even better, to adopt me, before I get the nerve to load it. goodgawd....