DNC software with easy upload/download

Modern Machine Shop, Feb, 2002 by Elizabeth M. Gruber

Communicate with virtually any NC or CNC machine tool on the factory shop floor. Whether by RS-232/RS-422 serial I/O, networked or behind the tape reader (BTR), Terminator DNC has all the requirements built in.

Features include the ability to queue DNC files for download or upload from any network node or right from a CNC controller, remote queuing and administration, and drip-feeding for sculptured surface operations.

The user can organize machines into groups and assign DNC files to those groups. The files are matched to the machines for which they were intended. Machines also can be segregated into "sending machines" and "receiving machines" so as to organize DNC files in any manner: for proven and unproved files, for files uploaded from CNCs or by jobs, or for customers or any other category.

Simultaneous access is available to all machines for download and upload up to 128 machines/computer. There are no built-in limits to the number of machines that can be configured in the database.

A Mazatrol binary file lends support for downloads and uploads. An optional Mazatrol editor is available. The Autoimport function enables the user to drag and drop files and documents into folders to be automatically imported into the Terminator DNC database. It also strips off redundant file extensions before naming the imported file.

For older NC controllers, the company offers behind the tape reader (BTR) interfaces. Parallel punch (FACIT) uploading is build into the BTRs.

The NC editor features re-sequencing, translation, scaling and mirroring. The user can open multiple files in the NC editor for tasks such as side-by-side copy and paste.