CNC Return to Reference
What does G28 Return to Reference Position Do? G28 is one of those odd g-codes that you don’t use very often, but when you need it, it’s pretty darned handy. It’s function is to return to the machine’s reference position, sometimes called the zero position. That zero return position is where most progams begin, most machines will go to this position when you manually home or reference the machine, and it is the reference or zero position for calculating fixture offsets for mills and geometry offsets for lathes. Typically, G28 allows the movement to be done via an intermediate position. The movement to the reference position is done at rapids (G0) speed,and the intermediate position is used to ensure there are no collisions along the way. On many machines, if you have Single Block on, you push the Cycle Start twice–once to go to the intermediate position and once to finish at the reference position. Specifying the G28 Intermediate Position on Mills The intermediate position is speci...