Service Tip: I/O Systems Made Easy

The I/O system in a machine tool is essentially the nervous system of the machine that controls movement and provides sensory input and feedback. Just like every system it requires maintenance and troubleshooting when things don’t work as desired. Most CNC control manufacturers rely on the ability and knowledge of the user to navigate through PLC ladder logic to troubleshoot and investigate the I/O status, which in most cases requires trained experts or a manufacturer’s representative to assist in the process.

I/O Systems at a Glance

Since the introduction of the OSP-5000 control in 1981, Okuma has pioneered a new method of monitoring and troubleshooting I/O systems by providing an I/O Check screen. This screen shows an overview of the I/O names and their real-time status arranged in the order of their physical assignment. This made navigating through the PLC logic unnecessary and enabled users of all levels to quickly navigate and identify the I/O state at a glance.

Related: OSP-P300 Control Comes Close to Reading the Operator's Mind

Eight Generations of Improvements

Eight generations of controls later, Okuma continues to provide this method of I/O monitoring with additional improvements and functionality. These improvements were a result of advancements in technology and enabled us to implement our customer suggestions over the years. It is now possible for the user to quickly search the I/O by name as well as using wildcard characters if the exact name of the I/O is not readily available. Once the I/O is displayed, a full description of the I/O is also displayed in a text box on the screen. For more details you can reference the OSP operations manual provided with your machine tool.

Unique Advantage of Okuma’s CNC Control

Okuma’s CNC control provides another advantage that’s unique in the marketplace. The OSP control allows the user to interrogate the I/O state from the part program and react accordingly. For example, the program can interrogate the setting of the override switches on the machine panel that ensure several things: proper feeds and speeds of the program are executed at 100%, the program is not being executed in single block, and block skip is not enabled. More details on this functionality can be found in the OSP programming manual under the User Task 2 function.

Thanks to Joe Alhafi (Principal Engineer, Okuma America) for providing this Service Tip.