Introduction to PI Connector for FANUC Focas

PI Connector for FANUC Focas allows monitoring of computer numeric control (CNC) machines that support the FANUC Focas communication standard. FANUC Focas is a software library that can be embedded into software applications and allows software applications to establish communication with the CNC machines using either Ethernet or High Speed Serial Bus (HSSB). The FANUC Focas communication standard provides a wide range of functions that provide access to process related information stored inside the machine such as:

• CNC status

• part count information

• program details

• positional data

• alarm number

• alarm text

PI Connector for FANUC Focas incorporates the FANUC Focas library as part of its communication operations and retrieves data from any CNC machines supporting this standard. The connector models a CNC machine by creating a PI AF hierarchy/structure in PI Asset Framework, and PI points in Data Archive. You need to prepare a configuration file required by the connector to:

• Specify the data scan behavior.

• Build the PI AF hierarchy/structure and PI points.

• Define the data to be collected.

Based on the configuration, the connector periodically initiates function calls defined in the FANUC Focas library to request data and sends the data to the PI AF structure and PI points.

PI Connector for FANUC Focas supports a subset of functions defined in the FANUC Focas library. The supported functions are limited to:

• Acquiring connection to the CNC machine.

• Polling data from the CNC machine.

• Releasing connection from the CNC machine.

The connector does not write data to the CNC machine and does not interfere with its normal operations.