In brief
- CNC machine monitoring without electrical work means reading the machine over the factory LAN, with no sensors and with no changes in the electrical cabinet.
- One system covers a mixed shop: Fanuc next to Heidenhain, Haas next to Mazak.
- Besides real run time, Scout MES stores the names and run times of the programs. You can see how much machine time a part takes, which is the basis of a reliable quote.
- Example from the shop: a process engineer allowed time X for a part, the operator said the cycle was usually 2 × X. Data from many cycles settled the argument.
- You connect the machines to the LAN and prepare a Windows PC. We install and configure SCT remotely, and we connect popular CNC controls within minutes.
CNC machine monitoring is an automatic reading of the machine, taken from the control: whether it is running, which program is executing, at what override, and whether there is an alarm. In Scout MES the data travels over the factory LAN, so we do not fit sensors and we do not modify the machine’s electrical installation.
A shop rarely runs one brand. Each control speaks its own protocol. Below: how one system reads them, which data you get, and what that means for quoting and for the plan. The wider rollout is in the guide to automatic machine monitoring.
What does CNC machine monitoring without rewiring mean?
Current CNC controls have an Ethernet port and expose machine data through their own protocol (for example FOCAS2 on Fanuc) or through a standard such as MTConnect or OPC UA. The machine only has to be on the factory LAN. Scout reads that data and stores it as it happens. Nothing in the electrical cabinet changes.
Scout only reads the control. It does not command machine motion. The machines do not need internet access: SCT on a Windows PC in your network takes the data from the LAN and sends it to Scout over HTTPS. The path is on the machine data collection page.
CNC machine monitoring with mixed controls
A machine shop is rarely uniform. The system has to return the same kind of fact about real work, whichever control is on the machine. That is why each control has its own reading method.
| Control | How we read it | What to check on the machine |
|---|---|---|
| Fanuc machine monitoring | FOCAS2 over the control’s Ethernet port | Network settings and FOCAS2 on the control |
| Heidenhain machine monitoring | Over the LAN: iTNC 530, TNC 620 and TNC 640 | Whether TNCremo works; if not, the TNCOPT (External Access) option. TNC 620 and TNC 640 do not need option 18 |
| Siemens Sinumerik machine monitoring | OPC UA or S7 TCP, for 840D sl and 828D | Whether the machine has the OPC UA option; if not, we read it over S7 TCP |
| Haas machine monitoring | NGC: Ethernet (MTConnect). CHC: RS232 through a converter to Ethernet | NGC: network settings and setting 143 (Machine Data Collect). CHC: the adapter on the RS232 port |
| Mazak machine monitoring | MTConnect | The MTConnect option has to be installed on the machine |
| OKUMA machine monitoring | MTConnect | MTConnect Agent and Adapter on the control |
| DMG MORI machine monitoring | MTConnect (MAPPS II or newer), or directly from a Fanuc, Siemens or Mitsubishi control | MAPPS version, or which control is fitted |
| Mitsubishi machine monitoring | Over the LAN | Network parameters on the control |
| Citizen machine monitoring | Over the LAN | Network parameters on the control |
| OSAI machine monitoring | CNDEX library; from OPENcontrol 3.2 also SOAP/XML | Control version |
| cncGraF / InfoCAM machine monitoring | Built into cncGraF 7 Pro and newer | An activation key from us |
Connection guides for these controls, and for robots, PLCs and protocols, are in CNC machine connectivity. We do not publish a fixed count of supported systems. Further guides are under CNC machine monitoring guides.
What we read from the CNC control
The set depends on the control. Most often it is:
- status and mode — the basis of real run time and stops;
- the name of the program being run;
- feed, spindle speed and override;
- alarms;
- the tool;
- on some controls, a part counter and spindle load.
Example: from a Heidenhain iTNC 530 we read the mode and the program status, the program name, feed and override, spindle speed, the tool, alarms with a number and a text, and the PLC memory. The exact list for each control is on the page linked in the table.
Why program times matter for quoting
In CNC machining a finished part usually corresponds to a program. CNC machine monitoring stores when each program ran and how long it ran. You then know how much machine time the part really takes. That is the basis of a quote and of a plan that can be kept. You also see when the machine is cutting and when it is waiting.
An example from the shop
In one plant, planning and the operators disagreed. The process engineer who prepared the programs had allowed time X for a part. The operator said the whole cycle usually took longer, for example 2 × X.
The process was long, and the engineer had no time to stand at the machine and check it. One measured part would not have been enough: a fair time needs many cycles.
The plant turned on real-time machine monitoring in Scout. Scout kept reading the CNC over the LAN, and the reports were in the browser. Data from many cycles checked both the engineer’s allowance and the operator’s claim. The engineers spent less time arguing and saw the process more clearly. The plant is not named, and X is not a published cycle time. It is an example of the method.
Why paper and spreadsheets fall short
With a mixed shop, the obvious report is a sheet filled in by hand. The operator writes times from memory, short stops disappear, and the office sees the figures late. A reading from the control does not have those gaps: every change of state is stored, with a timestamp, and nobody retypes it. The operator adds on the operator panel only what the machine does not know, for example the job and the reason for the stop.
What about older machines with no network data?
Not every machine exposes data on the network. If the control has no supported protocol, or the machine has no CNC at all, we connect it with the BIOS-IO-01 module. The module reads a run signal, for example from the signal tower, and sends it to Scout over the LAN. It has digital inputs only. Details: legacy machine monitoring.
How to start CNC machine monitoring
You connect the machines to the LAN and prepare a Windows PC. We do the rest remotely: we install and configure SCT, and we connect popular CNC controls within minutes. You then run Scout MES on your own machines for 14 days, free and with no obligation. Prices are on the pricing page. Scout MES already monitors over 1,900 machines for over 130 customers.
Questions
Not on supported controls. We read the control over the LAN, with no sensors and no changes in the electrical cabinet.
Among others Fanuc, Heidenhain iTNC 530, TNC 620 and TNC 640, Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl and 828D, Haas, Mazak, OKUMA, DMG MORI, Mitsubishi, Citizen, OSAI and cncGraF / InfoCAM. The connection guides are in Help. We do not publish a fixed count.
Some do. Mazak needs the MTConnect option. A Siemens Sinumerik without OPC UA is read over S7 TCP. Heidenhain TNC 620 and TNC 640 do not need option 18. We check the machine before we start.
No. The machine stays on the LAN. SCT on a Windows PC in your network sends the data to Scout over HTTPS.
Current cloud prices and the on-premises quote are on the pricing page. The 14-day cloud trial is free.
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