a canned cycle is a way of conveniently performing repetitive cnc machine operations. canned cycles automate certain machining functions such as drilling, boring, threading, pocketing, etc... canned cycles are so called because they allow a concise way to program a machine to produce a feature of a part. a canned cycle is also known as a fixed cycle. a canned cycle is usually permanently stored as a pre-program in the machine's controller and cannot be altered by the user.