establish communication between LV-17 & Siemens - Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC Controller.

[fagcontrols]

Hello All,

I need to establish communication between LV-17 & Siemens - Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC Controller. I am new to this type of communication and need help to understand how I can achieve this. I tried searching multiple threads on NI and other links but failed. 
I came across couple of links where I understand OPC Servers may help but no concrete confirmation. Are there any free OPC servers available to try out. 
Is it possible to achieve communication through TCP-IP directly as controller has ethernet port? Please let me know if there are more inputs needed.
Your help in this regards is highly appreciated. Thanks.

[James_W]

LabVIEW has many TCP-IP examples in the help and support library, although I would hope that you have some sort of good Programming skills and LabVIEW foundation before you try and control a machine as complex as a CNC machine - especially an advanced one like that!

Without contacting Siemens directly, you can't know if you can control the machine remotely, but if a program can be written in any language to communicate with the CNC machine, then LabVIEW should be more than capable of doing it.

Google a thorough read of the manuals (and if necessarily a contacting Siemens support) will let you know if remote control via TCP-IP, RS232, Modbus or any other protocol is possible.

I just hope you haven't been told to automate this and chosen LabVIEW because you think it would be "easier" to code than C, Python or Java. If that is your sole reason then you aren't ready yet.

James

[fagcontrols]

Thanks James for your inputs. 

I am having good knowledge and foundation on LV and completed few projects by using TCPIP and other protocols. I have read controller manual and found that Modbus is not the protocol used for this controller. Yes you are right, without Siemens help, we won't be able to proceed. I am trying to connect with Siemens team since couple of days to get more inputs on it. Let us see.

Also there is application written in other language on same controller. So I am confident that Labview has that capability. I am trying to get more information on how that application is communicating with CNC, may be this will help understand type of protocol and driver used for that communication. I will update once I get something fruitful.

Thank you.