The Tormach ZA06 Robot uses Python as its programming language. Just as one doesn’t necessarily need to know how to write G-code to run a CNC machine, robot programs can be created in PathPilot without any knowledge of Python programming. However, Python is very easy to learn, yet very powerful as well. Its huge popularity means that many tasks you might want to accomplish in Python (for example, sending yourself a text message) have already been written by other programmers. Knowing enough about Python programming to glue other authors’ code into your robot programs unlocks a massive portion of the Tormach robot’s potential.
If you are new to Python, there are endless online resources to help you get started. Youtube, https://www.learnpython.org/, and Google are your friend. You can also post questions on the Tormach Robot community forum.
In general there are three ways to create robot programs:
Using the conversational tabs of the user interface (documentation: Conversational Tab Reference )
Using a CAM system like AutoDesk Fusion or SprutCAM in conjunction with the Tormach ZA06 post processor
3. Using a text editor to write (or modify) programs “by hand”.
Each of these methods is discussed briefly in the following sections.