Who is teaching parametric macros, look-ahead, and smoothing beyond brochure depth? I’m tuning cycles on a FANUC 31i-B (G5.1 Q1) and a Haas with G187, chasing 8–12% time savings by tightening arc filters to 0.01–0.03 mm and restructuring feed scheduling out of Mastercam, so I’m looking for a course or cert with hands-on labs and real sample code that directly impacts cycle time and surface finish.
I’d book FANUC Academy’s Custom Macro B + AI Contour Control lab (404 Error); for CAM-side tie‑ins, @CamInstructor has a Macro B course with real labs. Before any class, A/B a short corner-loop with G5.1 Q1 on/off and G187 P3 E0.02 vs E0.005, log cycle/finish — it’s like moving a garden hose from mist to jet — and watch that too‑tight E can starve look‑ahead; what region are you in?
The only “course” that moved the needle for me was a one‑day on‑machine clinic with the OEM apps guy; classroom alone won’t hit the “8–12%”. Build on @kaitlynr82’s lab idea and cut the same spline three ways: G5.1 Q1 on/off and different G08 look‑ahead on the 31i‑B, and on the Haas run G187 P1 vs P3 with E=0.02–0.03 while logging following error and cycle time. Do you have NCPlot or Vericut to mock up the parametric logic and feed scheduling before the machine time?
If you can swing a hands-on day, show up with a tiny test harness: wrap the op in a macro that toggles three accuracy/filter combos, timestamps with “#3001”, and writes cycle times to comments — prep it in NCPlot first (https://www.ncplot.com). Small caveat: on the Haas you’ll hit diminishing returns if jerk caps, so aim the 0.01–0.03 mm trials at constant‑engagement paths; want a bare‑bones logger template?
Build on @kaitlynr82: run a NURBS (G06.2) vs arc‑fit lab at “0.01–0.03 mm”; big gains if 31i‑B option is enabled.