MTConnect is one the standards that MachineMetrics uses to connect to machines. Here's some basic information on it, plus some resources for further learning.

Who Made It: MTConnect协会——一个非营利性,member-run或ganization.

What Is It: An open-source standard for collecting data from manufacturing equipment.

Where Is It Used: Worldwide, originating in North America.

When Was It Made: First released atIMTS, 2008.

Why Use It: The amount and quality of process data, when made actionable, is directly proportional to productivity.

How Is It Made: By rallying machine builders behind one standard and creating adapters (translators) for existing standards (such asFANUC FOCASandOPC).

FAQ:

Q:How do I find out if my machine is producing MTConnect data?

1. Wire Ethernet from your network to the machine and set a static IP.

2. From a desktop, ping the IP address of the machine to confirm that it's connected.

3. In a browser, go to port 7878 on that machine (Example: 192.168.10.11:7878)

4. If no data appears, call machine builder or dealer--you may need a control software upgrade.

Q:What if my machine is not capable of producing MTConnect data?

1. Fear not, MachineMetrics has tutorials available on how to install simple data acquisition modules yourself. Anyone with basic electrical knowledge and a few tools can do it!

2. There are many other MTConnect add-on modules available online. A good place to start is on theMTConnect website member directory.

Q:I'm already gathering data using other standards. Can I use MTConnect applications with it?

1. You can, but MachineMetrics supports all existing data standards. There's no need to switch to MTConnect if you don't want to.

2. If you do want to switch, many existing standards have adapters already written for them. You can find them on theMTConnect Github.

Where can I find more information?

1. MTConnect Wikipedia Page.

2. MTConnect Institute

3. Modern Machine Shop article

4. Control Design Article

-Eric Fogg, MachineMetrics COO