User Manual  Chapter 15 
GFK-1742F  Jan 2020 
 
Using the Electronic CAM Feature  333 
15.3.4  CAM Command 
The CAM command is used to program a CAM move using the specified CAM profile. 
Syntax: 
CAM <”CAM Profile Name”>, <distance>, <master mode>, [Cyclic Exit Condition] 
Name of the CAM Profile from the CAM Library (the profile must be 
linked  to  the  CAM  Download  block).  This  name  is  limited  to  20 
characters maximum (also, see Note 3 below). Note that the quotes 
around the name are required. 
Maximum distance the master axis can travel once the CAM is active 
(in user units) 
Distance  can  be  a  constant  ,  a  parameter  or  the  keyword  NONE. 
Allowed Range:   –MaxPosn  …. (MaxPosn-1)  uu/cts 
Master mode can be declared as ABS (absolute) or INCR (incremental); 
this indicates how the master position data is interpreted. 
In ABS mode, an absolute master axis position is used to determine a 
slave value from the CAM table. In INCR mode, the master value at the 
starting  point  of  a  CAM  command  is  assumed  to  be  equal  to  the 
“CAM-phase”  value,  and  the  slave  values  calculated  during  CAM 
motion are relative to this start master value. 
Specifies  an  exit  condition  for  Cyclical  CAMs.  The  allowed  range  is 
CTL01-CTL32. If the CTL bit evaluates to True, the Cam exits at the end 
of the current cycle. Note that this parameter must not be used for a 
Non-Cyclic CAM profile. 
Note:   
1.  The CAM instruction is not permitted in a Multi-Axis motion program. 
2.  A  CAM  command  counts  as  two  instructions  towards  the  1000  instruction  limit  in  a  motion 
program. 
3.  The Profile Names UDT_CAM_1, UDT_CAM_2, UDT_CAM_3 and  UDT_CAM_4 are reserved for 
future usage. 
 
The <distance> argument in the CAM command is used to define the maximum distance 
the master can travel through the profile before exiting. For Cyclic CAMs, the distance can 
be either greater  than  or  less than the length of the CAM  table  (defined  as  the absolute 
difference between the first and last master positions in the CAM table). If the distance is 
less  than  the  length  of  the  table,  the  CAM  command  exits  once  the  distance  has  been 
traversed. If the distance is greater than the length of the table, the CAM will cycle through 
the CAM table until the distance is reached. Thus, the user may set up the number of times 
a Cyclic CAM should be executed. For example, a distance of 2.5 times the length of the CAM 
Table Master Position will cause the CAM profile to execute two and one-half times and then 
exit. For non-Cyclic CAMs, the specified distance cannot exceed the length of the table. 
The  distance  can  also  be  specified  as  “NONE”.  For  a  Cyclical  CAM,  this  will  result  in 
continuous  CAM  motion until  a  CTL  bit  triggers  an  exit or  motion  is  aborted.  For  a non-