Multi-DNC

by Spectrum CNC Technologies

Multi-DNC v8.1 for Windows 7/ 8/ 2008 and 2012 Server communications and file management system
for simultaneous uploads and downloads to multiple CNC controls using RS-232, direct Ethernet, or wireless
Ethernet connections. Multi-DNC v8.1 includes a full featured CNC Program Editor, as well as an all new
browser based Job BASE and File Compare applications. Multi-DNC is easily connected to CAD/CAM systems
over industry standard networks and is also available in a Client-Server configuration. With the addition of the
Spectrum WiBox and the Monitoring option, important Machine Event data such as which program is running,
Cycle times and Machine Alarms are captured and written to an Microsoft SQL database. Parts Count and OEE %
are calculated automatically. Machine Monitoring Reports can be generated from an Internet Browser from
anywhere in the world.

This is a typical Multi-DNC system showing multiple CNC communication. Two CNC Machines are in Monitoring
Mode (Blue), two CNC Machines are actively sending CNC programs (Green background with progress bar) and
one CNC Machine is in Remote.

1 of 11
Up to 288 Ports of Simultaneous Communication
Simultaneous communication sessions with up to 288 CNC Machines from a single PC use either add-in RS-232
hardware or the Comtrol RocketPort boards or Ethernet based hardware, as well as the Wireless Spectrum
WiBox device. Direct Ethernet communication to those CNC Controls that support this is provided through a
built-in ftp server.

Wireless RS-232 Communications using the Spectrum WiBox

Wireless communication with your CNC Machines is done using the Spectrum WiBox device. Mounted inside
each CNC Control and powered internally, the WiBox uses a short RS-232 cable to enable communications at
the highest possible baud rate. Each CNC Control has its own IP Address on your company LAN. WiBoxes can
also be used in a wired Ethernet configuration. The WiBox Device Manager application lets you administrate
multiple WiBox devices.

Comtrol Ethernet Based Hardware

The Comtrol Ethernet based hardware consists of devices mounted on the shop floor with from 4 to 32 RS-
232 ports per Hub connected by a single Ethernet cable to the LAN. Multi-DNC can use these “virtual” COM ports
over the network. The advantage is shorter RS-232 cabling and centralized network management. Multiple hubs
are used for large shops.

Client-Server Architecture
Client Server is an option that allows multiple Multi-DNC Clients to control one or more Multi-DNC Servers
over a TCP/IP network. Any file can be sent to any CNC Control at any time!

Restart a Program Send

Allows the DNC operator to restart a program from any point in the file in case of tool breakage, or to re-cut parts
of the program. There are multiple Restart methods to give CNC operators the maximum amount of flexibility.
A Safe Start Block Editor lets you easily manipulate the initialization codes that you send before a Restart.
2 of 11
Sub-Program Expander
Sub Expand is a Direct DNC (Drip Feed) feature where Multi-DNC Sends a Main program and automatically
expands out the sub–program calls just like a CNC control. The sub-program is then run in a Direct DNC (drip
feed) mode. Multiple-level sub-programs and sub-program looping are supported.

Local Copy Before Sending

The Local Copy option automatically copies the CNC program from its normal position to the local hard disk
before sending. This is important for Direct DNC (drip feed) if the CNC programs reside on a networked drive,
so that any network problems will not affect the Direct DNC operation.

Diagnostic Tools Dry Run and Data Recovery

Multi-DNC has two diagnostic tools. Dry Run shows you exactly what is going to send from a Machine
Connection when you send a single file or a multiple number of files, without actually sending the data. An
HTML file is created and your Internet Browser shows the data. Data Recovery enables you to manage files on
a per Machine Connection basis that have been received from CNC Controllers using Remote Autoname and
were named according to the Date-Time format due to incorrect formatting or as Unknown Data Files.

Remote Uploads and Downloads Directly from the CNC Control

Remote mode is a unique feature that allows the CNC operator to upload, download, or run the CNC control in a
direct (“drip feed”) DNC mode right from the control itself without requiring any add-on hardware. Remote also
does (10) other unique functions besides the basic uploading and downloading of CNC programs.

The CNC operator “punches” out This Command program requests a file named
% this program, when it is done, he % 123456.NC in the DNC computer’s Send folder for this
O3333 gets the CNC control ready to O8000 Machine Connection. It is stored as a separate program
(SND-1234) “read” and 1234.NC is sent back /F123456 name (O8000) on the CNC control (like a sub-program)
M30 after the pre-set delay time. This M30 and is edited and reused each time for Remote. The
% method works on all CNC controls % string of characters " /F " can be configured to any
that can type in alpha-numeric string, but it should be a non "move" code to avoid any
characters inside comments. problems if this program is accidentally run.

Remote Sends Back Directory Listings

The CNC operator can output a Remote “Command” program with the characters “RMTDIR” and the DNC system
will send back a listing of all of the programs available for downloading in the form of a CNC program itself. The
CNC operator then “marks” which program(s) he wants and sends the list back to Multi-DNC, which then sends
the requested programs.

Remote Lets You Restart Programs

Remote also allows you to restart a program from the CNC control when a tool breaks during direct (drip feed)
DNC. After the CNC operator stops the flow of data he sends a small program back to the DNC system to tell it
to backup a given number of lines, backup to a block number, or backup to a Bookmark. A Block Number,
Bookmark, or code for a number of Repeats can be sent before the requested file name so that you can also
skip forward to start the file at a point other than the top of the file.

Sub-Folder Searching
An option in Remote automatically searches through multiple branching sub-folders for the requested CNC
program. CNC programs can then be managed by customer or project, rather than just by Machine Connection.

3 of 11
Remote Autoname Feature
The CNC operator just needs to punch out the program to Multi-DNC in the normal way; if the DNC computer
is setup in Remote for that Machine Connection, the Autoname function will automatically name the received
file on the DNC computer and save it to the Machine Connection’s Receive folder. The file will be named
according to the first comment like this:

% %
Using Autoname, the file on the left will be stored as “4623-
O5523 O1234
2.TXT” If your CNC control can’t use comments, then using “ O “
(4623.TXT) N1 G0 G90 G80 G40
for Autoname as on the right will also work and store the
N1 G0 G90 G80 G40 N2 G43 Z 2.0
program as “1234” This also works if the CNC control output is “
N2 G43 Z 2.0 Rest of CNC code…..
:1234” and it also can be set up to be stored as “O1234”, by
Rest of CNC code…..
automatically adding the “ O “ to the file name.

Remote Wildcard Feature

Remote can use a Wildcard request for a file, which allows the use of just the first few characters of the file
you want to get in your Remote request. This is very useful if you have long Windows file names for your CNC
programs. If multiple files match the Wildcard, then a Remote Directory listing of the multiple files will be sent
to the CNC Control in the form of a CNC program, so the CNC Operator can “mark” the correct program(s) and
send the request back to Multi-DNC.

Remote Search by Text

Remote can also search for the correct program by specifying a string of text within the program such as an OP
# or internal Job #.

Remote Capture Probe Data

Remote Capture can store data output from CNC Machine probes for measuring parts in-process on the CNC
Machine. Each output of data is Date and Time stamped and can be stored locally on the Multi-DNC PC or on a
networked drive.

More Remote Functions

Remote also allows you to print a hardcopy of the program you are requesting from the CNC Control. You can
use Remote to Login the CNC Operator for the purpose of Monitoring. The CNC Operator can send Remote
Help requests directly from their CNC Control that show up as e-mail or SMS text messages on cell phones.

Files, Packets or Jobs

Multi-DNC can send single or multiple CNC program files to a CNC Controller’s memory or run in a Direct DNC
(Drip Feed) mode.

Or…Packets can be created in the Packet Manager and used in Multi-DNC. A Packet is a series of CNC
programs that are associated together for a particular operation along with notes about the operation; or a
series of CNC programs that must be run in a specific sequence – such as roughing programs before finishing
programs when doing Direct DNC (Drip Feed).

Or…Jobs can be created in Job BASE and used in Multi-DNC. Jobs are linked CNC programs, CAD drawings,
Tool lists, Setup sheets, Digital pictures, Word documents, PDF files, Excel spreadsheets, and all can be viewed
as part of a Job in Job BASE. Multi-DNC “knows” to only send the CNC Programs associated with a Job to the
CNC Control.

4 of 11
Job BASE – now Browser based
Job BASE is a Production Document Management system for managing Jobs. CNC programs, CAD programs,
Offset Files, Setup Sheets, Tool Lists, Setup pictures and Movies plus other production documents are all
associated under a Job name and description which then becomes a “Job”. When Jobs have been created and
released to production, their CNC programs can be loaded at any Job BASE workstation. A CNC machine
operator can view any previously created job in Job BASE’s easy to use graphical interface, therefore
eliminating all paper documentation. Job BASE is a browser based application that is integrated with Multi-
DNC. Job BASE runs on any browser on a PC in your LAN (Local Area Network), and because it is browser
based, Job BASE can also be used on non-PC devices, such as Apple iPads or Android based tablets, like the
Samsung Galaxy or Kindle Fire. You can also use Job BASE to trigger Multi-DNC to Send the CNC Programs
associated with a Job.

Viewing Files in Job BASE

Support for CNC Programs, plain text files, bitmapped graphics (JPG, GIF, etc), and PDF files. Job BASE will
support the viewing of ANY file format that has a browser plug-in. All viewed files can be printed using your
browsers Print function.

Job BASE Password Levels

Job BASE is passworded on entry and each User is assigned a Password Level. A 100 Level User has FULL
Access to ALL Job BASE functions. This is for the Job BASE Administrator. A 90 Level User has MEDIUM
access to Job BASE functions and cannot Delete Jobs or Edit Categories. This is for a Manager or Programmer.
An 80 Level User has LOW access to Job BASE functions and can only View Jobs and create Notes. This is for
a Shop Floor user. You can setup as many Users as you need to.

5 of 11
File Compare – now Browser based
Multi-DNC has a specialized File Compare utility that is designed to highlight the differences between an
original file sent to a CNC Control vs. a changed file sent back to the DNC system. Because File Compare is
now browser based, it can run from any PC on your network. File Compare can also be used on non-PC
devices, such as Apple iPads or Android based tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy or Kindle Fire.

File Compare can be run in a manual (you choose the two files) or an automatic mode where the returned file
from the CNC Control is automatically setup to compare to the original file sent and the differences between the
two files are sent to you in an e-mail report. If there are no differences, the returned file can be automatically
deleted.

Edit in File Compare

Compared lines can be edited, either from the Changed or Original files. Entire lines can easily be copied from
one side to the other. No need to launch the Multi-DNC Editor for simple edits.

Show only differences

Just the lines that are different between two compared files can be shown and/or printed.

6 of 11
Printer friendly hardcopy
You can print the two compared files and show them side by side with all the differences highlighted in red.
This is displayed with less colors than the screen display to save on printer ink.

Multi-DNC Password Protection

Password protection of up to 24 different Multi-DNC functions can be set up for restricted Users. For example,
to guard against unauthorized editing of Machine Connection setups, or to restrict what files are allowed to send
to a CNC Machine, or what days of the week or time of day that certain restricted Users are allowed to logon to
Multi-DNC.

Event Logs – CNC Viewer

Multi-DNC keeps an on-going Event Log for every Machine Connection as well as an overall "System" event
log. The Event Log gives a view of your overall shop’s DNC system activities on a real-time basis and you can
also see the specific events for each Machine Connection. The CNC Viewer window shows the “live” CNC code
as it is sent or received and allows you to stop and start the data flow for Drip Feed DNC operations.

System Event Log shows all Events – date and time stamped.

CNC Viewer showing “live” CNC Code sending to a CNC Control.

Event Logs Can Be Printed or Exported as HTML Files

The Event Log can also be printed to the current Windows printer or exported as an HTML formatted file to
send to Technical Support to diagnose system issues.

7 of 11
Multi-DNC CNC Editor for Large CNC Programs
Very large CNC code programs (up to 90 MB) can be edited using virtual memory. Virtual memory is fast: a 16
MB CNC program (900,000 lines) is loaded and ready to edit in 3 seconds, and there are no artificial limitations
to the number of lines in a CNC program.

Standard Windows Layout

The Editor uses all of the standard Windows interface functions, so that if you are familiar with using Windows
word processors, it will be easy to learn. Many specialized functions for editing CNC programs have been added
such as 3-D Backplotting, Resequencing, and Colorizing.

Resequence
Allows you to re-sequence the Program “N” blocks for a selected block or the entire file. There are many
options for suppressing N blocks on certain lines or only numbering Tool Change lines.

Integrated 3D Backplotting
Displays graphic wireframe tool paths with many viewing options. Graphic manipulation is easy with dynamic
zoom, pan, and rotation. Program can be single stepped both forwards and backwards. Partial toolpaths (such
as a single tool) can be easily shown to lessen the complexity of wireframe graphics. Rapid moves are shown
as dashed lines and each tool shows as a different color. Or different colors can be shown based on feedrate or
speed changes within the CNC program. Canned cycles can be shown as symbols at each hole location as in the
example above.
8 of 11
Graphical Icons for Simplicity
Multiple files can be open in the Editor concurrently, and graphical icons support all of the most used functions
of the Editor, such as searching for the next Tool Change, Speed Change, or Feedrate Change, or instantly go
to the top or bottom of a file.

Graphic Calculators
The Editor has graphic calculators to help with
right angle or oblique triangle solutions, as well as
distances between two points and several arc
calculators such as calculating an unknown radius
from three points on an arc. All of the calculator
“answers” can be pasted back into a CNC program.

Analysis of CNC Programs

The Editor has an analysis tool that determines
the approximate time that a CNC program will take
to run, including individual times for all of the
Rapid, Linear, and Circular moves in a CNC
program.

Colorizing of Text
Allow the use of “Colorizing” to show different
colors for “G” codes, “M” codes or Comments, making it easier to visually locate particular types of Word Address
codes as you are editing the files. The Colorizing is for display purposes only and will not be printed or saved
with the CNC code.

Monitor All or Any of Your CNC Machines

The Monitoring option for Multi-DNC adds the ability to monitor what is actually happening on your CNC
Machine Tools in near real-time. Data on Machine Events is date and time stamped and automatically written to
a Microsoft SQL database. Multi-DNC provides an internal Web Server and offers Dashboards to view the real
time data, and a full suite of Management Reports to view the historical data

Monitoring Connections to CNC Machine Tools

Monitoring is implemented using the Spectrum WiBox device which has a built in PLC that is connected to the
CNC Controllers internal I/O signals to capture events such as Cycle Start/Stop, Alarms and Power On/Off
conditions. Parts Count, Cycle vs. Idle times, and OEE % are calculated from the received data.

Monitoring Database for Parts and CNC Operators

Monitoring also provides a database for monitored parts and CNC Operators that lets you set up performance
goals so that you can track how well the CNC Operators are running their jobs.

Monitoring also tracks downtime reasons

With the addition of the Spectrum SmartBox, a Monitoring system can accept and track production downtime
reasons input by CNC Operators directly from their CNC Controls, such as Setup or the reason for the CNC being
Idle.

9 of 11
Monitoring can Alert you for special conditions
Monitoring can be setup to send e-mails or SMS text messages when certain conditions occur, such as Machine
Alarms, or if you want to make sure the Monitored CNC Machine is in production and there is a gap of more
than X minutes when the CNC is not In Cycle. These alerts can also be setup with escalation - if the condition
is not taken care of in X minutes, then other managers can be alerted.

Monitoring Reports for Management

Monitoring provides a full suite of Reports to show many aspects of the received data. Utilization Reports for
individual CNC Machines or Groups of CNC Machines can be shown. You can see Production Reports over any
time period, including full Production details of each Machine Cycle. Reports are provided for Machine Alarms,
CNC Program Transfers and CNC Operator Logins. Reports of Job performance on a per Shift basis, and CNC
Operator Production Worksheets as well as long-term (Year to Date) Reports of Machine Utilization are all
available to any authorized user on your network. You can also schedule Monitoring Reports so that they are
automatically generated and delivered to your e-mail.

10 of 11
Multi-DNC Help

An excellent Help system is essential when learning or using an application like Multi-DNC. Finding the help
you need is easy - besides Multi-DNC, there are Help Systems for Remote, The CNC Editor, Job BASE, File
Compare, and the Hardware used with Multi-DNC. Multi-DNC uses standard HTML style Help, so it is like
using an Internet browser. All of the Help Systems and Search terms you need are only a click away. Multi-
DNC Help is browser based, so you can access it from any PC in your network, as well as on wireless tablets
such as Apple iPads and Android based tablets.

Spectrum Technical Support

Spectrum offers phone technical support to customers with current SMA (Support and Maintenance Agreements) in
place and also offers Remote Technical Support for all of its software and hardware products. We connect to your PC
over the Internet to diagnose and resolve your issues as well as to do training.

If you have questions about Job BASE or

any of our other products please call us !
Spectrum CNC Technologies
1-877-882-MDNC (6362)
Web Site: www.multi-dnc.com

11 of 11