Node-RED and MTConnect
Recently I noticed a few visitors to this site were searching for information on MTConnect support in Node-RED.
I’ve never used Node-RED before, but thought this would be a good reason to take a first look at it.
…7 Basic Tips for THINC Apps
So you’re developing a THINC application to run on your Okuma THINC CNC. You’ve read the fine documentation in the Okuma Open API SDK, right?
If you’re new to THINC, and you haven’t yet read the documentation, you might have missed out on some helpful tips. So to get you started, here are seven very basic tips for THINC app development.
…AWS Machine Monitoring
Although I no longer work in machining, I still follow news from the industry. This evening I was surprised to see an article on Ars Technica entitled Amazon to roll out tools to monitor factory workers and machines.
Is Amazon getting into the machine monitoring business?
Not in the sense of providing a CNC machine monitoring solution.
Amazon is introducing two new services for AWS (Amazon Web Services). These services, named Panorama and Monitron, use web-connected sensors installed in a facility to feed data back to an appliance or to the AWS cloud, respectively, so that ML (machine learning) can do its magic.
Keeping in mind that I have not touched either of these services, and that my knowledge of them comes entirely from the news articles, here are my thoughts.
…Can I use THINC API to cycle-start my Okuma P300?
Perhaps the most common API programming question I’ve heard asked of Okuma representatives is: can THINC API be used to cycle-start my machine tool?
The answer is no.
But that answer makes for a short blog post, so let me elaborate.
…A Quick Intro to Okuma THINC
What is a THINC app?
In the broadest sense, a THINC app is an application made to run on Okuma OSP-P controls. This is Okuma’s line of Windows-based CNCs.
Even though normal Windows apps will run on the OSP controls, THINC apps are generally built to use the THINC API.
Ok… So what is THINC API?
An API — or application programming interface — that allows applications to interact with the CNC. For example, the THINC API provides methods for an application to read and write common variables, load part programs, read and write tool offsets, etc.
…P/Invoking Native Libraries
You’re a VB.NET developer. You’re writing code, and you need to integrate with a machine tool, automation system, sensor, scanner, or some other bit of hardware.
Lucky for you, the manufacturer provides a library. But wait… it’s not a .NET library. You can’t just “Add Reference…” the DLL.
If you’ve never used P/Invoke, this is where you start.
…Install the MTConnect Agent In Two Easy-ish Steps
A step-by-step guide to installing and configuring the MTConnect Agent, and an update to my earlier article, “Set up an MTConnect Agent in three or so steps“.
…Popular Machine Tool Apps
If you’re curious, like me, about what software tools are being widely used in manufacturing, Okuma has given us a peek at the most popular machine tool apps in their app store.
And number one on their list is… (spoilers)
…The dangers of relying on external infrastructure
This week I was working with TrakHound’s MTConnect.NET library again, but all my test connections were failing.
I had been testing against the MTConnect Institute’s demo agent, which is now run by NIST. I opened it in my browser and got a 404 Not Found. So I went up one level and saw this…
…Access MTConnect data from a web application
About five years ago I wrote 5 ways to access MTConnect data from a web application. This article outlined methods for accessing the MTConnect agent’s data from a client-side web application.
Ignore it. Much has changed in web development since then, and some of the methods mentioned in the old article range from bad to obsolete. If you want to write an MTConnect web application, here are your best options: