The Use of MMS for Remote CNC Control

Traditionally, plant floor communication systems in metal removal operations have been used for two purposes: downloading NC programs to machine tools, and data and status reporting and gathering. However, in a fully automated factory, the communication system will have to support many more functions. As a first step in such a development, we have designed a remote operator's interface to a NC milling machine, using the Manufacturing Message System. (MMS) soon to become EIA standard RS.511. MMS is planned to be part of MAP specification 3.0, providing an application layer service for plant floor communications. The functions supported are those which an operator would do normally at the console of the NC machine including requesting program load, setting the machine into single step or automatic operation, reading status information, starting and stopping program operation.