  The current language for CNC programming is G-code which dates from the
beginning of the eighties with the norm ISO 6983. With the new technologies,
G-code becomes obsolete. It presents drawbacks that create a rupture in the
numerical chain at the manufacturing step. A new standard, STEP-NC, aims to
overtake these lacks. A STEP-NC file includes all the information for
manufacturing, as geometry description of the entities, workplan, machining
strategies, tools, etc. For rough pocket milling, the ISO norms propose
different kind of classical strategies as bidirectional, parallel or spiral
contour, etc. This paper describes a new way of toolpath programming by the
repetition of a pattern all along a guide curve. It presents several advantages
as building fastness and easiness. The integration of pattern strategies in
STEP-NC standard is an other step for the development of these strategies but
also for the enrichment of STEP-NC possibilities. A complete STEP-NC numerical
chain was built, integrating these pattern strategies. The implementation of
this approach of building pattern strategies was made by the development of
tools for the complete manufacturing cycle, from the CAD file to the machined
part. Several application cases were experimented on machine tool to validate
this approach and the efficiency of the developped tools.
