How to Connect to a Machine with Heidenhain Controls (Machine Connectivity)

Introduction

MachineMetrics is able to read data from the HEIDENHAIN iTNC 530 and 640 controls. This article will take you through the steps necessary to configure the iTNC 530 for data collection. Data gathering from TNC 640 controls is performed using an OPC-UA server, covered elsewhere.

Topics covered in this article: 

• Enable Heidenhain DNC
• Networking:
  • Firewall Settings
  • Machine Security Settings

Enable Heidenhain DNC

A required step to integrate your HEIDENHAIN iTNC 530 control is to enable Option 18 on the machine.

iTNC 530: How to tell if Option 18 

With the machine in Programming and editing mode and a program selected, press the MOD button. Then enter “SIK”. This will bring up the display of options available and show if they have been enabled.

The red checkmark beside #18 indicates that Option 18 is enabled (as show below) 

If the option is not enabled, contact HEIDENHAIN - they can enable this option for a fee.

Networking: Firewall Settings

Access to the network settings may be necessary during the integration process. To access these on the CNC, in the Programming and Editing mode of operation press the MOD key. Enter the password NET123. The TNC will then display the main screen for network configuration, including any assigned IP address. A static address should be assigned which will be used by the edge device that communicates with it.

Refer to your User’s Manual for more information about how to modify these settings.

You may also need to make changes to your firewall settings if you want to establish a connection with a HEIDENHAIN control behind a firewall.

The iTNC 530 uses an ActiveX control to communicate via TCP/IP using the LSV-2 protocol over TCP port 19000. To communicate with one of these controls through a firewall, you must enable port 19000.

Networking: Machine Security Settings

Connecting with the HEIDENHAIN CNC over Ethernet carries with it the risk that safety-critical machine functions can be triggered remotely without the operator noticing it. It is therefore considered best practices to control and restrict access effectively.

With the iTNC 530, external access to controls can be limited to specified computers. (In order to activate computer-specific access control, the machine tool builder must enter the configuration datum CfgAccessCtrl, under System->Network.)

When enabled, the list of authorized clients can be edited in the MOD settings dialog under Machine settings -> External access.

Alternatively, the machine operator can enter REMOTE.PERMISSION in the file TNC:\TNC.SYS. The entry can be modified to contain a list of names or IP addresses of computers that are authorized for access. This list should include at least the IP address of the MachineMetrics edge device.

Example: REMOTE.PERMISSION=10.0.100.1

If a control detects that an unauthorized client is attempting to establish a connection, the control will display a corresponding confirmation dialog.

Note: It is possible to disable external access of this kind entirely on the iTNC 530. A soft key for this is shown in the MOD operating mode. (In order for that soft key to be visible, the machine tool builder must enter REMOTE.LOCKSOFTKEYVISIBLE=YES in the OEM.SYS file.)

To view how to configure Part Counting for Heidenhain Controls, visit here.