How to Start Monitoring Your CNC Machines for Free (HAAS Edition)

This guide walks you step by step:

1. Turn on free data output in the HAAS control
2. Grab that data with free tools
3. Put it into a simple dashboard or spreadsheet
4. Add a daily routine so the data does not just sit there

Step 1 - Check What Your HAAS Machines Can Output

Before you start, you need to know which generation of HAAS control you have. That defines how much you can monitor for free.

1.1 Identify your control type

• NGC control (Next Generation) - roughly 2016 and newer
• Classic control - older units

If you have NGC:

• You can use MTConnect output for live data
• You can still use local counters and logs

If you have Classic:

• You can use counters and logs
• For live signals you will need basic I O tapping

1.2 Confirm you have network access

For NGC machines:

• Check there is an Ethernet port or WiFi option
• Confirm your IT or router can give each machine an IP address

If network is impossible today, you can still start with manual counters (Step 4).

Step 2 - Enable MTConnect on HAAS (NGC Only)

If you have NGC, MTConnect is the fastest path to free monitoring.

2.1 Turn MTConnect on

On the control:

1. Press SETTINGS
2. Go to the Network or MTConnect section
3. Enable MTConnect
4. Make sure the machine has a valid IP address

2.2 Test that the data is visible

On a PC on the same network:

1. Open a browser

2. Enter the machine IP, for example:
   http://192.168.1.50/mtconnect

3. You should see XML text with tags like <Availability>, <Execution>, <SpindleSpeed>, <PartCount>

If you see this XML, the machine is already a free data source.

Step 3 - Collect HAAS MTConnect Data With Free Tools

Now you want to move from raw XML to something you can read.

You have two practical choices:

• Option A - use a visual tool like Node-RED
• Option B - use a simple script and spreadsheets

Option A - Node-RED based flow (no coding needed)

Install Node-RED on a PC, small server or Raspberry Pi and create a flow that:

• Polls http://machine-ip/mtconnect every 5 or 10 seconds
• Parses out fields like machine state, spindle load, part count
• Writes the values into a time series database (InfluxDB) or CSV file

Connect Grafana (also free) to InfluxDB and build:

• A runtime vs idle chart
• A spindle load chart
• A part count per hour chart

This gives you live monitoring with no license.

Option B - script plus Excel (simple and enough for one or two machines)

Use a short Python or PowerShell script that:

• Requests the MTConnect XML every 10 seconds
• Extracts basic fields (state, spindle, part count, program)
• Appends them to a CSV file

At the end of each day or shift:

• Open the CSV in Excel or Google Sheets
• Use pivot tables to calculate:
  • Total minutes running
  • Total minutes idle
  • Part count
  • Average cycle time

This is the simplest free monitoring stack.

Step 4 - Use Built in HAAS Counters if You Cannot Use Network

If you cannot get network access yet, you can still start monitoring with what is on the screen.

4.1 Find the counters

On most HAAS controls you can view:

• Power On Time
• Cycle Time
• Feed Cut Time
• Rapid Time
• Parts Produced

Check the Diagnostics or Timers pages.

4.2 Create a free tracking sheet

In Excel or Google Sheets, create columns:

• Date
• Machine
• Shift
• Power On Hours (today minus yesterday)
• Cycle Hours
• Idle Hours (Power On minus Cycle)
• Parts Produced
• Average Cycle Time

4.3 Do a quick daily routine

At the end of each shift:

1. Write down the current counters
2. Subtract yesterday to get the shift values
3. Let Excel calculate utilization and average cycle time

This gives you basic monitoring without touching MTConnect.

Step 5 - Monitoring Older HAAS Machines With Basic I O Signals

If your machine is too old for MTConnect, you can still detect when it is running.

5.1 Identify a clean signal

Common signals:

• Spindle on relay
• Cycle start lamp signal
• Feed hold lamp signal
• Door closed input

Your electrician or maintenance tech can tell you which terminals show:

• 24 V when the machine is cutting
• 0 V when idle

5.2 Add a small free microcontroller

Use:

• ESP32 board
• Or Raspberry Pi Zero W

Connect the signal to a digital input (through an optocoupler or suitable interface) and read:

• 1 = running
• 0 = not running

Send this status via MQTT or HTTP to a Node-RED flow or a simple script. Store timestamps and build the same charts as with MTConnect.

The logic is identical, only the signal source is different.

Step 6 - Turn Raw Data Into a Simple Free Dashboard

You do not need a perfect interface. You need something that answers:

• Is the machine running right now
• How much time was it running today
• How many parts did we make
• Where are the long idle stretches

With Node-RED + InfluxDB + Grafana:

• One panel shows current state of each HAAS
• Another shows runtime vs idle over the day
• Another shows part count and cycle time history

With Excel or Sheets:

• A line chart shows cycle time per part
• A column chart shows runtime per shift
• A table ranks machines by utilization

The important part is to make it visible for supervisors, not just IT.

Step 7 - Add a Daily Monitoring Habit

Free monitoring only works if someone actually looks at the numbers.

Keep it simple:

1. Every morning:

• Look at yesterday’s runtime percent for each machine
• Highlight any machine below an agreed target (for example 55 percent)

2. Once per week:

• Review the longest idle blocks and ask why they were so long
• Review alarm occurrences and see which ones repeat

3. Once per month:

• Compare all machines and shifts
• Decide one improvement action based on data, not on gut feeling

This is how you turn “we have some charts” into “we are actually improving”.

What You Get From This Free Setup

By following these steps, you can:

• See real utilization instead of guessing
• Catch chronic idle time between parts
• Find programs with unstable cycle times
• See which tools and jobs push spindle load too high
• Build a fact based case for adding operators, cells or paid monitoring

You get most of the value of monitoring without buying anything.

When a Paid System Becomes Worth It

At some point you will hit the limits of free tools:

• You want operators to log downtime reasons directly at the machine
• You want automatic OEE with availability, performance and quality
• You want job and order tracking, not just raw machine time
• You want multi-plant dashboards, alerts and reports for management

That is where dedicated platforms like MDCplus make sense. Your free setup will help you prove the ROI before you spend.

FAQ - Free Monitoring for HAAS CNC Machines

How do I monitor my HAAS CNC machine for free
Enable MTConnect on NGC controls, use a free tool like Node-RED or a script to pull the XML data, and push it into a free database or spreadsheet for charts and analysis.

Can I monitor older HAAS machines without MTConnect
Yes. You can log built in counters manually or tap simple I O signals like spindle on or cycle start and feed them into a small microcontroller and free dashboard tools.

What is the minimum viable setup for one HAAS machine
One NGC machine with MTConnect enabled, a simple script that polls the machine and writes CSV, and an Excel file that calculates runtime, idle time and average cycle time per day.

About MDCplus

Our key features are real-time machine monitoring for swift issue resolution, power consumption tracking to promote sustainability, computerized maintenance management to reduce downtime, and vibration diagnostics for predictive maintenance. MDCplus's solutions are tailored for diverse industries, including aerospace, automotive, precision machining, and heavy industry. By delivering actionable insights and fostering seamless integration, we empower manufacturers to boost Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), reduce operational costs, and achieve sustainable growth along with future planning.