Solution for Retrofitting CNC Systems for Cybersecurity

FANUC America, a leading supplier of CNCs, robotics and robomachines, offers an upgrade solution for legacy CNC machines running on operating systems older than Windows 10. The Panel i Replacement Program is designed to retrofit FANUC CNCs with a powerful industrial PC available with touch or non-touch LCD display, solid-state drives and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise.  

FANUC CNCs running on outdated operating systems, such as Windows 7, XP or older, are no longer supported by Microsoft and therefore not receiving updates. If machines connect to an online network, this can leave sensitive manufacturing equipment open to major cybersecurity breaches, according to FANUC. Retrofitting industrial PCs on these machines is said to enable safe, secure connections between CNCs and their networks.

“To stay competitive, you need real-time operational information from your CNC machines to make data-driven decisions,” says Jon Heddleson, general manager of factory automation for FANUC America. “But we realize there is a lot of legacy CNC equipment still in use today. To fill this critical cybersecurity need, this program allows FANUC CNC users to unlock IIoT advantages by connecting their machines to the business network in a safe and secure way.”

Connecting CNC equipment offers operations the ability to safely and securely run machines remotely as well as collect important production data critical for effective business decisions. In addition to offering cybersecurity protection, the FANUC Panel i Replacement Program is said to provide two screen size options, a faster CPU, more memory and larger storage.