Beckhoff's TwinCAT 3 CNC Features Enhance EDM and Additive Manufacturing Processes

SAVAGE, Minnesota - Oct. 15, 2024 - To empower the world’s leading digital manufacturing companies with breakthrough automation technologies, Beckhoff is adding two powerful functions and two technology packages to TwinCAT 3 CNC (TF5200) software. For demanding electrical discharge machining (EDM) and additive manufacturing applications, these latest features include online adaptation and extended interpolation, plus a technology package for additive processes and another for advanced wire-erosion and die-sinking EDM machines. TwinCAT 3 CNC Online Adaption (TF5262) offers TcCOM interfaces that integrate customer-specific modules for the online control of interpolation functions:

TwinCAT 3 CNC Extended Interpolation (TF5263) enables two-path interpolation, allowing two independent contours to be described in a single NC channel. This feature is particularly advantageous for EDM wire erosion. With conical coupling, the synchronization of path 1 and path 2 can also be used to compensate for additional blocks inserted by the tool radius compensation. The originally programmed connection between the two paths remains unchanged. TwinCAT 3 CNC AM Plus (TF5291) is a technology package for additive processes. Its extended contour preview makes programmed contour elements available to the PLC in advance and can be activated in the NC program or via the standard PLC interface. TF5291 also enables access to future dynamic data, such as axis positions, velocities and accelerations, at configurable intervals. TwinCAT 3 CNC EDM Plus (TF5292) is a special technology package for wire-erosion and die-sinking EDM machines. It combines the powerful functions from the TF5262, TF5263 and TF5292 packages with cylindrical compensation for EDM wire erosion, a single real-time cycle per channel and retraction strategies for die-sinking EDM.

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