Methods and systems for operating a machine in a manufacturing process

A system for operating a machine, the machine comprising moveable axes and an apparatus for emitting an energy beam, the system comprising:

• a computing device or system comprising:
• a program generating unit configured to provide a program for operating the axes of the machine based on a Computer-Aided Design, CAD, file, the program comprising a plurality of controller instructions for operating the axes;
• a data transmission and reception unit;
• and
• an apparatus controlling unit configured to process the program;
• the program generating unit is further configured to add a plurality of apparatus instructions to the program, each apparatus instruction indicating an energy beam radiation configuration of a plurality of energy beam radiation configurations for the apparatus;
• the apparatus controlling unit is further configured to operate the apparatus each time a controller of the machine runs a line of the program that has an apparatus instruction (160a-160m), the apparatus controlling unit operating the apparatus according to the apparatus instruction;
• each apparatus instruction added to the program is a comment for the controller;
• and
• each configuration of the plurality of configurations comprises a scanning pattern, one or more scanning speeds, and one or more of:
• a size of the spot of the energy beam, a power of the energy beam, and a power distribution within the energy beam.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device or system, cause the computing device or system to perform the following steps:

• storing, in the computing device or system, a plurality of energy beam radiation configurations for an apparatus of a machine, the apparatus being configured to provide an energy beam,
• adding a plurality of apparatus instructions to a program with a plurality of controller instructions for operating axes of the machine, each apparatus instruction indicating an energy beam radiation configuration of the plurality of energy beam radiation configurations for the apparatus, and
• modifying an operation of the apparatus each time a controller of the machine runs a line of the program that has an apparatus instruction, the operation of the apparatus being modified according to the apparatus instruction,
• wherein each apparatus instruction added to the program is a comment for the controller, and
• wherein each configuration of the plurality of configurations comprises a scanning pattern, one or more scanning speeds, and one or more of:
• a size of the spot of the energy beam, a power of the energy beam, and a power distribution within the energy beam.