PCTurn has proven its reliability in the every day’s use.
Continuous improvements and enhancements guarantee a current
state-of-the-art.
PCTurn is variably applicable in the moled making and pattern construction
as well in the development, in fine mechanical shops,
schools, training centres, as in all fields of model making. No matter if
it is concerning single parts or small series with high repeat accuracy,
there is no limit to variety.
What is PCTurn?
Lots of solutions on the market are isolated applications. This means
for the necessary processing steps:
1. generate a CAD drawing
2. have the milling tool path calculated by a CAM software
3. output them by a post processor to
4. the control.
To do so, the user needs different software packages.
With PCTurn you can work with one single harmonised package.
With PCTurn for Windows, the philosophy is to draw in the same way as
on scale paper, which can be taken out of the DOS versions.
E.g. a software for drawing, simulating and processing.
The hardware interface
PCTurn for Windows uses a hardware interface to output the steps at
the control.
This has several advantages:
- There are no complicated release codes, which need to be sent back
and forth by email.
- Each demo version becomes a full version by the "dongle". Updates
to higher versions are possible without replacing the dongle.
- There are generally no problems with the compatibility between differentWindows
versions as the interrupt core of the operating system
is not being influenced. PCTurn for Windows is working with: WIN98,
WINDOWS 2000 and with WINDOWS XP operating systems.
- As the hardware interface takes over calculating power of the PC, an
under-performing PC is still enough to control a machine tool.
- The hardware interface which we have developed with the principle
to process steps as “driving packages" will ensure at any time that
the steps are always generated precisely timed. The capability of real
time is generated by a buffer function.
- Due to its very modern micro controller no control box is required, the
interface fits into the same housing where the dongles had been locatedunder DOS.
- Due to the high processing speeds of the micro controller circular
archs are running down more smoothly. Therefore, higher feeds are no problem.
The Simpleness
It is initiated by a clear structure of the menu and of the program interface
and is continued over the drawing up to the setting of the milling
parameters.
For PCTurn for Windows the CAM data are immediately generated when
drawing. The user will not be aware of it. Thus it is possible e.g. to create
a hole by triple mouse clicks.
The drawing functions are quite simple when using the mouse. You can
for instance select several intersections in order to shift them, etc.
The whole compensation of the installation is reduced to clicking on the
existing machine, the used control and the entry of the required steps
to overwrite the spindle clearance.
There are lots of helps available in the program for unexperience CNC
users, which facilitate the work with the machine.
There are for instance feed values for preset materials which guarantee
immediate success without risk of broken die.
The safety
Before outputting a drawing at the control, the whole milling tool path is
being calculated and displayed on the screen. This way, you can see
where the program had to perform a compensation of the clearance or
where you have to enter accelerating or braking ramps or if the cutter is
leaving the working area.
Before chipping, PCTurn for Windows will notice if milling depths have
been followed or if a collision of the cutter e.g. with the vice might occur
and will indicate a corresponding warning.
The help system
The speciality of pcturn for Windows is the 4-step help system.
Each command button is provided with a reference text,
which shows up when the mouse stays on the button for a
little while.

For each action which you perform with pcturn for
Windows, the software will give you important information
in the status row.
Example when drawing a rectangle:
- The status row
For each action which you perform with pcturn for
Windows, the software will give you important information
in the status row.
- The "permanent" manual
With this manual, we stroke a new path. It is an active
manual which is displayed as HTML pages via the Internet
browser. The individual pages are linked among one another
with the main directory and the subdirectories.
Each window contains its proper pages of the manual.
Therewith it is guaranteed that the user will always get the
correct information, which he is searching for. And this at
any place in the software. The manual is standarly opened with the green buttons:

- The capability
There are no more limits concerning the size of drawings or
of the processing speed.
With pcturn for Windows you can control four axes. Three
axes can interpolate linearly as well as in a curve (helix).
In the three-axes operation, the interpolation speed reaches
a pulse-frequency of up to 30KHz. This way, it is possible
to achieve very rapid movements or also feeds at high
resolution.
For the first time a "Look ahead" function is being included.
It estimates the tool pathes for milling and accordingly
switches the function of the ramp on or off. This way, circular
pathes or 3D objects can be created with feeds in the
range of rapid movements.
It is possible to perform any common machining methods.
Pocketing with cycles, clearing, drilling, etc.
With the EXTRAS functions further options available: For
example laser gas cutting.
CAD
Drawing
- lines
- holes
- circles / ellipses
- rectangles / square
- dividing plate object
- prefab components (projected)
Changing
- chamfer corners (projected)round corners
- radius on a line
- rotate
- move
- scale
- copy
- delete / cut out
- paste
Presentation
- one-, two- and three window mode
- grid on / off
- tool path milling on / off
- intersections on / off
- zoom / scale down
- shift
- increment 0.001 to 999 mm or freely definable
CAM
Simulation and processing in three axes
Processing
- inside / outside / center
- infeed at several depths
- clearing (PLUS software) (projected)
- finishing
- without
- with
- multiple
- feed motion pattern (projected)
- milling direction right / left
- cutter plunge at point (projected)
Tool data
- diameter
- cutter length
- total length
- maximum feed per milling path
- tool replacement (PLUS software)
- origin position
- speed control (PLUS software projected)
Control
Machine
- load
- change
- save
- clamping material and dimensions
Electronics
Step motor ramp setting
- separate ramp X- /Y- and Z-axis
- load
- change
- save
- Look ahead function
- linear / exponential
Hardware interface (standard)
- 8 bit microprozessor
- 8 bit microprocessor
- serial / USB input
- protected transmission protocol
- parallel output
- 4 x cycle-, 1x direction output
- 1 x speed output (8 bit)
- 4 x reference switch input
or
- 4 x cycle-, 4 x direction output
- 4 x reference switch input
- maximum pulse-frequency in threeaxis
- interpolation: 30KHz
- seperate power supply unit

Version Windows Standard version
· Adapter RS 232 on LPT1 · Cable RS 232
· Dongle · CD-Rom · Power supply unit
Hereyou can download the printing version of pcdreh (pdf-file) |