Retrofit CNC Systems to Safeguard Against Cyberattacks

Fanuc America has introduced an upgrade for legacy CNC machines running on operating systems older than Windows 10: The Panel i Replacement program retrofits 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 obsolete operating systems, such as Windows 7, XP or older, no longer are supported by Microsoft and therefore not receiving their critical updates. If machines connect to an online network, this can leave sensitive manufacturing equipment open to major cybersecurity breaches. Retrofitting industrial PCs on these machines allows businesses to safely and securely connect their CNCs to their network and take advantage of Industrial Internet of Things data.

“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, a lot of legacy CNC equipment is 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 allows operations to safety and securely run machines remotely as well as collect important production data critical for business decisions. In addition to offering cybersecurity protection, the Fanuc Panel i Replacement Program provides two screen size options, a faster CPU, more memory and larger storage. 

See also: FANUC America, Inc.

Technologies: Pressroom Automation

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