Fanuc Controller + FOCAS + PC = real-time data transfer?

[shubh]

Hi,

I have gained interest in reading and understanding about Fanuc Controllers and CNC machines. I am interested to know if it is possible to:
1. Connect a CNC machine with Fanuc Controller (0i-TF Plus), having USB and Ethernet Slot (and possibility to activate FOCAS) to a PC or a Raspberry Pi
2. Transfer real time data from Controller to PC/Raspberry Pi (eg: part count, cycle rate, idle time or any other data it is already recording)

If yes, please walk me down with what all tools, software and hardware I require. As per my research, theoretically, no hardware is required (I am just a beginner, so feel free to correct me) - we only need to establish connection between Controller and PC/Ra Pi using FOCAS and/or FTP (correction needed) and then write a code to transfer data from Controller to PC/Ra Pi (validation needed).

Can somebody experienced guide me and validate my thought process? Is it possible to do this with Ethernet+FOCAS+PC/Pi or additional hardware is required? Is there any other way of doing this?

Thank you,
Shubham

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

For NC Code I/O, the USB or PC card by themselves will work and that's how most people do it.
The Ethernet is nice if you want to access a server somewhere, but not necessary.

 

[shubh]

Hey Douglas, thanks for your reply.
I want to make the Controller data (part count, current program, idle time, etc) available remotely via a Dashboard/Website.
For this, what should I be doing? Simply plug an Ethernet from my Controller to PC?
Or I need to setup some connection, software or change other settings?
I will be really obliged if you could assist.

 

[Brigham42]

There are multiple companies that offer machine monitoring software which will allow you to view everything from your PC. If you are wanting to make your own setup, I unfortunately don’t know much about what is required for that. Seems like you would need some sort of code/logic on your PC that would take the FOCAS data and convert it into something easily viewable.

 

[cmisztur]

Ethernet, Focas, and Linux/Windows is all you need. Here is our open source Focas adapter. https://github.com/ladder99/fanuc-driver

 

[shubh]

Ethernet, Focas, and Linux/Windows is all you need. Here is our open source Focas adapter. https://github.com/ladder99/fanuc-driver

First of all, thanks a lot for your help. I have set it up in my linux, however, I don't see certain data fields in the dashboard that I need, namely: Idle Time, Down Time, Part Count, Production (daily/hourly), Cycle Rate, Current Program Running, Efficiency - while I understand some of these can be calculated if some data point is available; but I have no clue how to find even some of these data points.
Will these data points automatically appear once I connect this system to the live Fanuc Controller? Or there is custom coding required? Please suggest.

Second, how can I connect 8 such machines to a single industrial PC? Will I have to run 8 different setups or there is some other way?

Please guide me in the right direction.

 

[cmisztur]

Hey shubh. To answer the last question, you can use a single PC. The machine YAML file lets you configure multiple machines. From experience, each machine utilizes about 10% CPU, so if you have multiple CPUs, you should be fine.

As far as the data points.... well, each Fanuc can be different with regard to part count, program name, etc. The other items, such as durations do have to be calculated. There is a program running timer in the control, but other stuff has to be calculated.

Did you setup MQTT or MTConnect output from the driver? What dashboard software are you using?

 

[shubh]

Hii cmisztur, Yes, I've set up ladder99 with both the Fanuc driver and MTConnect agent. For my dashboard needs, I'm utilizing Grafana, and the database backend is Postgres. Currently, I'm able to visualize some data like temperature on my dashboard.

However, in my Grafana Dashboard, when I'm adding a new panel, I often get confused about which query I should use because I don't know from which Schema/table I can get these details.

Could you guide me on how to access and display these metrics on my Grafana dashboard?

Thanks for your help!"

 

[Billy_C]

How to do you feed the data you already have to Postgres?

 

[shubh]

How to do you feed the data you already have to Postgres?

Currently, we are testing with Ladder99's demo data, assuming this data will be pulled automatically once we connect it to the Controller (please rectify if my assumption is wrong)

 

[Billy_C]

Sorry, I misunderstood. It sounded like you were using Postgres for another application and wanted to bring the additional data from focas into that. I haven’t messed around with all of the ladder99 stuff yet, didn’t know that was included out of the box.

 

[shubh]

Hey shubh. To answer the last question, you can use a single PC. The machine YAML file lets you configure multiple machines. From experience, each machine utilizes about 10% CPU, so if you have multiple CPUs, you should be fine.

As far as the data points.... well, each Fanuc can be different with regard to part count, program name, etc. The other items, such as durations do have to be calculated. There is a program running timer in the control, but other stuff has to be calculated.

Did you setup MQTT or MTConnect output from the driver? What dashboard software are you using?

Hi cmisztur,

Can you help me understand, if I have successfully setup Ladder 99 in my system, do I just need to connect my PC with Fanuc Controller and make IP Settings in my Controller? Or do I need to initiate connection using certain code or command? I am stuck here.

Also, the current demo data doesn't show running timer, part count, program name.. could you help me understand how to call for them? If I need to code, can you give me a template/sample command on which I can explore and do my work?


Thank you for reading