Many manufacturers ask whether they should use FOCAS 2 or MTConnect.
💡 If you are just starting, look for the "FOCAS Library Document" (HTML help file) included with the FANUC drivers. It contains the exact syntax and return values for every function available. If you’d like to dive deeper, I can help you with: fanuc focas 2
FANUC FOCAS 2 is a set of API (Application Programming Interface) libraries that allows developers and system integrators to create applications that communicate directly with FANUC CNCs (e.g., Series 30i/31i/32i, Power Mate i, Series 0i) over Ethernet. Many manufacturers ask whether they should use FOCAS
FANUC FOCAS2 (FANUC Open CNC API Specifications) is a set of library files (DLLs) designed for developers to create custom Windows applications that communicate directly with FANUC CNCs via Ethernet or High-Speed Sub-Board (HSSB) If you’d like to dive deeper, I can
By continuous polling of the machine status (Running vs. Idle vs. Alarm), OEE software (such as MTConnect adapters, Memex Merlin, or custom dashboards) can calculate exact utilization rates, identify bottlenecks, and categorize downtime reasons automatically. Predictive Maintenance
: Avoid frequent small data requests; where possible, use bulk read operations to retrieve multiple data points in a single call. Adjust polling frequency based on actual monitoring requirements rather than defaulting to unnecessarily high rates that waste network bandwidth and CNC processing resources.
Before the widespread adoption of APIs like FOCAS 2, collecting data from a CNC mill or lathe was a game of workarounds. Companies often relied on macro variables or clunky hardware sensors attached to the outside of the machine to detect if the spindle was running.