Two Important Steps to Guard Against CNC Memory Loss on Fanuc Controls (series 16,18,21,16i,18i,21i,0i,30i,31i)
Ask any CNC repair tech what he thinks is the most costly problems that you might have in terms of time and money and he’ll probably mention machine memory loss issues. CNC parameters, PC parameters, pitch error data, all your programs…gone.
Now, if it’s common practice at your facility to back-up your data regularly, congratualations, you may not have had to deal with this. This is not the case at most places I’ve been to.
From my experience, there are a few common causes for loss of data on a machine:
- Low battery voltage
- Hardware failure
- Improper key operation
- Power outage resulting in corrupted data
- Accidental battery disonnection or removal
If you lose your data and don’t have a recent backup, your options are somewhat limited. An older copy may be uploaded to get the machine running, but any recent changes or additions will obviously not be present. Part programs, macro programs, tool offsets, or any service related parameter changes (i.e gridshift or backlash adjustments, option parameters) may change back to older, now incorrect values.
You may be able to contact the machine builder or their distributor and request a copy that they may have available. For example, I know that Mori Seiki has back-ups of most machines going back about 15 years. They certainly have them for all machines going back 10 years. They can often produce paper copies parameter settings for machines that are really old. If you can load the data, then it’s likely that the machine will be operational once again. But you still may have an issue with parameters or other data being incorrect or different than it was prior to the data loss. This the builder nor the distributor can help you with.
Another option may be to hand-load at least the NC and PC parameters from a paper list that came with the machine. Some builders and distributors would probably be willing to fax you the paper “generic” copy as well. The problem is this: the newer the control, the longer the list. You could be standing at that operation panel for hours…or days. There is also a rather significant possibility that you may mis-type an entry and you may not even know you did it. Not until later, anyway.
One more issue with hand-loading the data from a paper list: you have to know how to do it. Certain data must be input first. The NC will require power off/on at certain points in the process. Data tables may have to be setup before you can load them with PC parameter data. Most people are not very familiar with this process.
So that’s the gloomy side of the story. The good news is:
THESE DATA LOSS ISSUES ARE PRETTY EASY TO AVOID.
There are two simple and important countermeasures that you can take to avoid having this happen to you:
1. Regularly perform an SRAM Data Backup (new controls)
2. Install a Battery Replacement Unit
Let’s look at the SRAM data backup.
Doing an SRAM data backup will save all CNC parameters, PC parameters, part programs, pitch error settings and more. All this crucial data is saved in this one operation.
You will need a card onto which you can save the data. For newer controls, you will be able to use a compact flash card. However, I have tried the backup several times on early ”i” Series controls and got an error when using the compact flash card. In order to avoid any card compatibility issues, an SRAM card is recommended. If you have a Fanuc 16-B with the card slot on the CNC in the electrical cabinet (as opposed to the card slot on the left-hand side of the operator screen) only an SRAM card will work. Also, should you need to load or extract data from a Power-mate unit (controlling the magazine for Mori Seiki SH Series machines), only the SRAM card will work. There are some draw-backs to the SRAM card vs. the CF card:
- The SRAM card is more expensive
- It requires a battery (good for about 1 year)
- It requires a specific card driver in order to recognize the card
It also has it’s advantages:
- It will work on just about any Fanuc control every time
- Depending on your control, you can use the SRAM card to transfer other data (part programs, NC parameters, PC parameters, ladder program, etc.) from machine to PC and back.
The other defense against memory loss is to not lose the data to begin with. This can be done by the use of a Battery Replacement Unit. In particular, the Memex MxBRU Battery Replacement Unit.
Check out www.pinpointcnc.com for machine repair information, procedures and other products
Go to www.cncalarm.com for machine alarms and details
Go to www.toyookivalve.blogspot.com for information on Toyooki products
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