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Major improvements in high speed machining technologies are not followed by suitable evolutions of the programming standard ISO 6983, also called G-code. New STEP-NC standard aims at performing high level intelligent NC programming adapted to modern machining issues. The integration of manufacturing level in the numerical chain CAD–CAM–Simulation–CNC allows the implementation of a unique file gathering of all the needed information of a part that is directly machined without post-processing. In this paper, the authors show the new possibilities in terms of the following criteria: integrating simulation and optimization of the machining parameters, providing feedback to CNC controller, allowing modifications of the geometry and machining parameters on the CNC, computing new algorithms for tool-paths generation, adaptation to machine structure and characteristics, etc. A STEP-NC interface has …