Real-time machine monitoring
Real-time machine monitoring in Scout shows you live what is happening on every machine on the shop floor. Reliable monitoring of CNC machines (and others) needs high-quality production data.
Information from production, machines and equipment should be easy and quick to access (in real time) and free from the errors of manual data entry.
That is why machine monitoring in Scout MES is based on reading data directly from the machine’s controller over your factory LAN. For each control we choose the best method (communication protocol) for accessing production data from the machine. Conventional machines are connected through our BIOS-IO-01 module.
Machine monitoring organised this way has several advantages over collecting machine data by hand:
- First of all, data from machines and equipment is collected automatically. For the most popular CNC machines, connecting them to monitoring needs no electrical modifications. This also means machine monitoring can be up and running quickly and fully remotely.
- Data received from the machines is saved in a database and is available straight away in a web browser to everyone who needs it. There is no need to enter it by hand or type it into a computer, e.g. at the end of the shift. The key views can be adjusted to your requirements.
- The machine monitoring system in Scout holds data that is not distorted – exactly what is on the machines. In machine monitoring this is essential.
What is more, machine monitoring in Scout gives you information you could not get otherwise, such as:
- actual run time and idle time
- the program being run
- current speed
- the number of parts made (for some controls)
- feed rate
- the speed override value
- spindle load (for some controls)
Sometimes machine data needs to be completed with information from operators. For that, Scout has the operator panel.