How to warp XY instruction around a cylinder to e.g. engrave text on pens

I might be a little late to the party, but i do rotational axis as X, and make a new config for each diameter of material with the proper scaling for 1 rotation. This is for plasma cutters, makes it easy to use for new clients just by explaining to think of it as a paper sheet folded to a round, so they can design everything in 2D.
Last machine i built needed only 4 configs for 4 material diameters, configs named by diameter.

I agree - simple options first. Particularly if sheet metal is used to form bins, cans, tanks, etc. But then, why not cutting in the flat stock prior to shaping?

I am working right now on engraving periodic patterns, like zig zag lines going around a 'magic' stick. Hopefully soon with some results to show.

The original intension was to link the radius (W) directly to the z-coordinate, with z=0 at the rotation axis. Then it forms just a cylindrical coord sys.

Alltogether saves the need for various configs, maintains trivkins functionality without reloading, and adds some crossover to lath-like operations.

I have cleaned up the kinematics file, the ini config, and the machine with some axis being stuck. 
- Now u,v,w are again free to be used as normal tool offsets.
- Machine Y is mapped on B axis.- A axis is rotation as normal.- The cylinder radius is stored in axis C.
- Machine Y is moved prior to call gcode, using joint4. When cylinder axis lines up with the cutter, G92 B0 will do the job.
- A is used like a tool offset, applied to rotate the part to starting point, like using X. Then G92 X0 A0 Z0 sets the part origin.
All together simple enough to remember in front of the machine. Attached a sample ngc that will cut some periodic zig zag pattern. My machine is far from high-end, but code is running fine. Hopefully I can cut some nice chess figures from hard wood.