CIMCO Software Suite
NC-BASE
CNC Program Management
Organise, manage and protect your CNC programs and related production documents.
Save time, work smarter
CIMCO NC-Base is an integrated add-on for CIMCO Edit and the ideal solution for CNC programmers and operators who need to manage part programs and related production documents efficiently.
With NC-Base CNC programmers and production staff can assemble virtual folders containing all the necessary data used by machinists, operators, quality staff, and others who are responsible for finished parts.
Benefits
Always get the right document
Reduce inefficiencies and streamline your document-centric processes. Always get the correct version of a CNC program or document.
Organised and protected
Keeps your documents organised, under version control and safely stored to protect them from disasters such as fire, flood or theft.
Restrict access to documents
Control who is allowed to access, modify, approve or transfer files and to which machines. All actions can be logged.
One central application
One application for managing, editing, simulating, and transfering your part programs.
Streamline program transfers
Send programs to the shop floor along with any required documentation such as tool lists, photos and videos of complicated setups.
Reduce clutter
Reduce paper clutter and printouts by storing all your production documents digitally in one place for easy access.
Features
File overview and preview
Preview and manage CNC programs and associated documents easily by selecting them from a file list.
Associate files to CNC programs
Associate all forms of production documents with CNC programs including setup sheets, tool lists, memos, inspection notes, image files, etc.
Comprehensive search
NC-Base offers advanced search features for CNC programs. Filter by Program-, Part- and Drawing Number, as well as by machine, customer or document status.
Subprograms
Configure relationships and dependencies between programs. Useful for managing common or repeated parts of CNC programs.
File Templates
Automatically create files based on templates such as setup sheets, tool lists, and memos.
DNC Communication
Using either CIMCO Edit or CIMCO DNC-Max, users can initiate 'Send' and 'Receive' transfers of programs directly from within NC-Base.
Document restrictions
Restrict access to files for users and machines by locking or marking them Approved or Unapproved. The Import (approval) Queue shows files awaiting review.
Backup/restore and Versioning
Backup/restore single or multiple files. Compare updates with originals and in-process edits.
User Permission Management
Limit access to files and control the access to functions in NC-Base for individual users or groups.
ALL FEATURES
Sytem components
Fully integrated with CIMCO Edit
NC-Base is managed from inside CIMCO Edit and has its own dedicated tab in the Ribbon Bar.
Powerful database engine
NC-Base has a powerful SQL database engine at its core that can manage hundreds of thousands of programs and related production files.
Basic functionality
Bright and Darkmode, new icons and support for high resolution monitors
Advanced search panel
Find and filter documents with the easy to use, yet advanced search panel.
Overview of folders and documents
Virtual folders, files and documents are presented in a tree structure with columns that can be customised.
Preview of documents
The Preview panel provides an instant preview of the contents of a selected folder or document along with relevant meta data.
Program info dialog
View all the details related to the folder or document you have selected. You can copy program info easily between documents.
Open document
Any selected document can opened in its associated program (based on extension) or in CIMCO Edit.
Basic customer management system
A basic customer management system helps you keep track of key customer information. Customers can be associated with documents.
File management, meta-data
Virtual folders
Store CNC programs and associated documents such as setup sheets, tool lists, memos, inspection notes, image files, etc. The actual files can be stored in different locations depending preference.
Associate documents to programs
Associate all forms of production documents with CNC programs.
Drag and drop support
Dragging a file into NC-Base lets you add and associate it to a certain CNC program or folder, or move a document to a different program.
Subprograms (relationships and dependencies)
Configure relationships and dependencies between programs to manage common or repeated parts of CNC programs. Users can let status changes propagate to subprograms and subprograms can be automatically sent together with the main CNC program.
Vaults for unmonitored documents
Associate Vault-folders with programs to store related files that are not monitored på NC-Base. You can set user permissions for each Vault.
Document data fields (metadata)
Up to nine (9) user-definable data fields are available to help categorise and manage programs the way you want.
File Templates / Auto-create setup sheets, tool lists, etc.
Automatically create files such as setup sheets, tool lists, and memos based on associated information and customisable file templates.
Delete, Undelete, Purge
Deleted documents can be restored using the Undelete function. The Purge function permanently removes a document from the database and optionally from the hard drive.
Search, File Compare
Comprehensive search function
Find programs and files that match your search criteria by using wildcards like * or ?, advanced fields, search for string in files or a certain status.
Custom search fields
Use custom search fields in your search queries to filter by more options. Search for any data that can be extracted from G-code.
Find programs on the Import Queue
Find the programs received from a specific CNC or auto-imported from elsewhere and placed on the Import Queue.
Find by date/time
Shortcut functions to list the programs that have been modified within the last 24 hours or last 7 days.
Find by status
Shortcut function to find all Locked/Unlocked, Read/Write, Read-Only or deleted programs and files.
Side-by-side document compare
Select any two files to compare them side-by-side. The differences found are color coded.
Export search results
Export search results to a file or a print-ready version.
Backup/recovery
Backup and restore documents
Select one or more documents to backup or restore. Each backup has a version number. You can restore any previous version.
Document versioning
Each backup of a document has a version number with the latest revision being the working version.
Version history
The version history can be viewed for any document and all changes to documents are automatically logged.
Compare or Open versions
Versions of a document can be compared side-by-side with differences clearly marked. Any version of a document can be easily opened.
Version (history) Report
Auto-generate a Version Report with all the changes between each version.
System-wide backup and restore
The entire NC-Base database can be easily backed up to a single archive (.ncb) - and easily restored if needed. The system-wide backup process can be automated.
File transfers / CNC communication
Basic CNC communication
NC-Base provides basic Serial and FTP capabilities for file transfers to/from CNCs. This option can be suitable for small setups with a few CNCs. Transfers can be initiated from within NC-Base.
Advanced CNC communication
CIMCO DNC-Max is used for large setups with hundreds of CNCs. NC-Base is fully integrated with DNC-Max and file transfers to/from any machine can be initiated from within NC-Base. See CIMCO DNC-Max.
Request file from CNC control
A CNC operator can request a specific program from NC-Base by sending a trigger message with a few parameters. NC-Base will then transfer the program to the CNC. This option requires CIMCO DNC-Max.
Document import
Import Queue
Programs that are modifed outside NC-Base or saved off from networked CNC controls are placed on the Import Queue for approval by authorised users.
Automated imports
Save time by auto-importing documents during the initial installation process or documents created inside CIMCO Edit. Imported documents are placed on the Import Queue. Also supports importing folders as .ZIP files.
Auto-import from network CNCs
Allows you to automatically add programs to NC-Base when they are saved off from networked CNC controls. Imported documents are placed on the Import Queue.
Import file under different name
Accept the imported file with a new program name. This option is useful if you want to avoid overwriting or duplicating existing programs.
View imported file
Programs and documents on the Import Queue can be previewed before being acceped or rejected.
Drag and drop import
Programs and documents can be imported by simply dragging them into NC-Base.
Document status control
Lock/Unlock documents
Secure files by blocking editing and communication access. This also applies to subprograms and the programs that depend on them. This avoid accidental or unauthorised changes or deletions of your CNC programs and documents.
Read-only/Read/Write
The status of documents determine if they can only be viewed or if it can also be edited.
Notifications
Users can be notified in NC-Base of status changes to documents that require their attention. Notifications can be a sound or prompt.
Security
Management of User/Group permissions
Define different users and groups with different access profiles and permissions. Control who is allowed to access, modify, approve or transfer files and to which machines.
Clearance Levels
Clearance levels provides fine-grained control over access to programs and files. Any program, file, or group can be assigned a Clearance Level number and can only be accessed by users who have an equal or higher level.
Login/out / Windows login
Users are required to log in (and out) to use NC-Base. They can also use their Windows Username as login for convenience and simplicity.
Machine Groups
Associate and restrict programs to a group of machine(s). Machine Groups are further used for programs transfers and connected to specific DNC ports in CIMCO DNC-Max.
System and event logs
All events are logged across NC-Base. Logs can be viewed or exported to Excel. Certain events, such as a document change, can be configured to prompt the user to input required information.
Automatic logout
To enhance security and free up licenses, users can be logged out automatically after a certain time with no activity.
Scalability
CIMCO DNC-Max: Advanced CNC communication
NC-Base is fully integrated with CIMCO DNC-Max for advanced program tranfers to/from CNC controls.