CNC Controller fault
We were recently called to a SMC CNC router after a report of a main controller failure, a Dell desktop PC. The failure was reported has the operating system would not load when the machine was turned on. Usually PCs and IPCs (industrial PCs) are not within our remit; however, due to it being a show stopper for a regular client of ours we went to see what services we could offer. As a small overview, the SMC router was manufactured and put into production in 2002. The operating system that runs the G code and user interface (Xilog) is windows XP, which is no longer supported by Microsoft. When we got to site, we checked over the obvious things such as power supply and network cable issues. None of these stood out to us as an issue. We removed the PC and took it back to our workshop where it was handed to our IT system expert, a man of many talents ranging from part design to control network configuration.
He striped the PC and after some investigation, it was clear that a RAM card had failed causing the operating system to malfunction. The PCs got 2 x 4gb cards of RAM. Once the fault card was removed the system booted. We replaced the faulty 4gb RAM, sometimes its good to keep new old parts laying around. While we had the machine in our workshop he took the time to remove the hard drive and create an image and clone of all software/ driver files which were transferred onto a spare SSD. In the unlikely event of hard drive failure we had a back-up ready to be given to the client. Due to the PC having a mechanical hard drive it seemed like the only logical option to us. We booted the system off the new Solid state drive and connected it back to the machine it was removed from. Machine ran fine with no issues.
If you are struggling to find a new controller or have any concerns about your CNC or machine controller, whether it be, PLC systems such as: Omron, Mitsubishi, Fanuc, Beckhoff or Siemens. Or, like in this case, a PC, we can provide breakdown support, routine maintenance and software back-ups so that you shouldn’t have any issues pop up that halt production.
Below shows the SMC CNC record router control system overview. This is used to highlight the importance of the brain of the whole system, which in this case, is the Dell Desktop PC.
SMC Record CNC Router control system overview.
