Siemens sinumerik 840D sl Function Manual page 692

The tool orientation can be located in any block. Above all, it can be programmed alone in a
block, resulting in a change of orientation in relation to the tool tip which is fixed in its
relationship to the workpiece.
Euler or RPY
Can be switched between Euler and RPY input via the machine data:
MD21100 $MC_ORIENTATION_IS_EULER (angle definition for orientation programming)
Note
It is not possible to program using Euler angles, RPY angles or direction vectors for
kinematics involving fewer than 5 axes. In such cases, only one degree of freedom is
available for orientation. This orientation angle can only be programmed with "Orientation
axis angle" "A".
Orientation reference
A tool orientation at the start of a block can be transferred to the block end in the workpiece
coordinate system only using the ORIWKS command.
ORIWKS command
The tool orientation is programmed in the workpiece coordinate system (WCS) and is thus
not dependent on the machine kinematics. In the case of a change in orientation with the tool
tip at a fixed point in space, the tool moves along a large arc on the plane stretching from the
start vector to the end vector.
ORIMKS command
The tool orientation is programmed in the machine coordinate system and is thus dependent
on the machine kinematics. In the case of a change in orientation of a tool tip at a fixed point
in space, linear interpolation takes place between the rotary axis positions.
Note
Transferring an orientation using ORIMKS is not allowed in the handling transformation
package. With an active transformation, it is not the machine axis angles that are
programmed and traversed, but "orientation angles" (RPY angles according to robotics
definition, see Subsection "Definition of positions and orientations using frames").
Special functions: Handling Transformation Package (TE4)
Function Manual, 11/2006, 6FC5397-2BP10-2BA0
Detailed description
2.5 Tool orientation
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