Industrial Automation Case Study
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Equipment & Machinery
For nearly two decades, Spectrum CNC Technologies has been revolutionizing the computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tool industry. Its software-based machine tool communications system, MultiDNC, was the first product on the market to enable simultaneous uploads, downloads and dripfeeding of data to multiple CNC controls. Over the years, Spectrum has continued the revolution with innovative products, services and unbeatable support for the best overall value available in the industry. Two years ago, Spectrum began development on a wirelss solution for its Multi-DNC system, something its customers had been asking for. Spectrum knew that a wireless industrial automation solution could bring many new and compelling benefits, including simplified and less costly installation, increased reliability and enhanced flexibility for machine movement. Spectrum CNC also knew that a wireless solution for Multi-DNC would position the company for strong growth. However, company executives did not want to rush to market with an unreliable system. Having worked with Lantronix in the past, Spectrum was confident that Lantronix could recommend the best product to embed wireless networking capabilities into its Multi-DNC system.
While the Multi-DNC Wireless System™ was in development, Lantronix sent a design engineer to work with Spectrum on several occasions. Taking into consideration Spectrum’s desired capabilities and technological requirements, Lantronix recommended the MatchPort b/g, which enables companies to build wireless networking into virtually any electronic device with a serial interface. With this full-featured, turnkey embedded networking module, new products can be wirelessly accessed and controlled over the Internet. And since the MatchPort b/g already meets FCC wireless certification standards, the new system could skip the certification process, which reduced cost and helped shorten time to market. Combining Spectrum’s proprietary Multi-DNC software with the Lantronix MatchPort b/g enabled Spectrum to create the WiBox, which wirelessly connects CNC machines using IEEE 802.11b/g networks and brings incredible benefits to the industrial shop floor. With no cabling requirements, installation is quicker and less costly, and companies are able to move or add machines anytime, anywhere without re-cabling. On a day-to-day basis, the WiBox allows users to monitor machines through a centralized operations console using notifications like cycle time and spindle time. The WiBox Device Manager also provides an at-a-glance overview of the shop floor’s wireless network, making sure every machine is online and running smoothly.
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