|
 |
Machine
Tool Links: CNC Panels and Pendants |
This
page is simply a roundup of CNC panels and pendants I've found on the
Internet so you can see what kinds of features others have incorporated.
To understand how to wire up a panel like these, consult my CNC
Lathe panel page or read the Breakout
Board I/O page.
 |
Panels |
|
|
Here's a real nice panel I ran across. Not sure if this fellow
made this panel or bought it. |
|
|
Haas CNC machining center. Functions include (roughly top to
bottom left to right):
- Power on/off
- Spindle load meter
- Emergency Stop
- MPG
- Cycle Start + Feed Hold Buttons
- Setup keypad for establishing tool #'s and offsets
- Auger, coolant, and jogging keypad
- Overrides for feed rate, spindle speed, spindle direction,
and rapids speed (makes you wonder if you want the MPG's to run
at either the feedrate or the rapids rate?)
- Mode commands (e.g. load CNC program, edit, manual programs,
zero/home, and memory contents)
- Numeric keypad (no alpha keypad!)
|
|
|
Very simple panel:
- Touchscreen (of course you can do a lot with one of these!)
- Cycle Start, Feed Hold, E-Stop
- Key Lock
- Alpha Keyboard (touch panel eliminates need for a mouse)
|
|
|
Homemade Panel for Mach:
- Non-Touch LCD (use the trackball)
- MPG
- E-Stop
- Can't read the buttons and LEDs
- Alpha Keyboard
- Trackball (LED's below are unknown
- 2 Joysticks. I assume these are for fast slewing.
Check the guy's CNC machined arm for mounting this thing!
|
|
|
Homemade Bridgeport CNC Retrofit:
- E-Stop
- PC Start (e.g. Power)
- Key emulator button pad is used to call special functions
in Mach.
- Spindle speed pot with RPM and Load LCD's (nice!)
- For stepping the CNC program he has Cycle Start, Optional
Stop, Single Block, and Feed Hold
- Coolant: Force off, flood, mist, or let Mach control it with
"Auto"
- Feed override: You see this one more than spindle override
on "pro" systems.
- X, Y, Z, A Joysticks
- The 3rd Joystick has two momentary positions: left raises
the z for toolchange and right is all axis home.
- Limit Override Button
- Spindle CCW, Off, Auto (under Mach Control), and CW
- Start up button (for the PC)
- Alpha keyboard.
- There is also a separate IR keyboard and mouse as well as
a pendant.
|
|
|
Centroid Lathe Panel:
- LCD screen
- MPG selector and rate controls
- For controlling the CNC program he has Cycle Cancel, Cycle
Start, Feed Hold, Single Block, and Tool Check (Does Mach have a
Tool Check function?)
- Feedrate Override
- Coolant and Spindle Controls
- Tailstock
- Spindle Override
- Alpha Keyboard
- E-Stop
|
|
|
Matsura CNC Mill:
- E-Stop
- Power
- ATC?
- Display
- Alpha Keyboard (Better layout for g-codes?)
- Manual SubPanel with MPG
- Auto Sub Panel w/ Feedrate and other overrides
- Spindle Monitoring w/ Overrides
- Coolant
- Key Lock
|
|
|
Nice Homebrew Panel:
- LCD Panel with "Soft Switches" to right and left
that line up with buttons on the screen.
- E-Stop/Reset for Mach
- CNC Program Control including Cycle Start, Cycle Stop, Pause
(Tool Check?), Single Block, Optional Stop, and Block ???
- Feedrate and Spindle Overrides (Yes!)
- Jog Subpanel with an MPG, Fast Jog push buttons, Axis Select,
Jog Mode, and Jog Increment controls.
- E-Stop (electrical, not just Mach)
- Machine Coordinate Commands: Search Reference, Goto Home,
Goto Tool Change Pos
- Coolant Controls: Flood, Mist, Off
- Spindle Controls: CW, CCW, Off
|
|
|
An Electronic Leadscrew Panel:
- Display with DRO, Spindle RPM/Load, Feed Speeds, and Thread
Settings
- E-Stop
- Rapid Retract Function
- Spindle Direction
- Spindle Speed
|
|
|
SoftServo panel relies heavily on the soft keys along the right
and bottom edges of the screen. You could certainly lay out Mach screens
to make this a very workable design. |
|
|
Homemade Mill Panel:
- LCD Screen
- Manual Spindle Controls
- E-Stop
- Automation Direct VFD Remote Control
- MPG
- ASCII Keyboard
- X, Y, Z, A Joysticks for Jogging
- X-Keys 20 button cluster with: Green/Red Layer, Jog Mode,
Jog Inc, Start/Rewind/Stop, MPG, MPG Axis, 4 Arrow Keys
|
|
|
Ultimax Lathe Panel:
- LCD Touch Screen
- Power On/Off
- Start Cycle, Feed Hold
- E-Stop
- Feed & Spindle Overrides
- MPG with axis select and rates (same on pendant)
- Cycle Mode, Test Run, Coolant Controls
- Keypad and Jogging arrows
|
|
|
Ultimax Mill Panel:
- LCD Touch Panels, 1 for commands and DROs, one for toolpath
- Feed & Spindle Overrides
- Power On, Feed Hold, Start Cycle
- Key Lock
- Step Cycle, Coolant, Tool Select
- Pendant
- Numeric Keypad w/ Jog Arrows
- E-Stop
- Trackball
|
|
|
Fanuc Panel:
- LCD Display w/ Soft Buttons along right and bottom
- E-Stop
- Key Lock
- Spindle & Feed Overrides
- Power On Off
- Alpha Keyboard
- Modes
- Cycle Start/Stop
- Jog
- Rapids
- Spindle
|
|
|
This one is a little harder to see, but you can make out the
usual basic controls plus a waterproof keyboard and monitor. |
|
CNC Auto Panel:
- E-Stop
- Removeable Pendant with Axis, Rate, and MPG
- LCD Display
- Cycle Sart, Feed Hold, Single Block
- Feedrate Override
- Manual Spindle Direction
- Spindle Override
- Coolant
- Brake
- Alpha Keyboard |
| |
|
|
|
CNC Router Panel:
Very cool panel by CNCCookbook reader Kelvin V.
Love the individual axis and spindle load meters. Sweet!
|
 |
Pendants |
|
|
Here is a serious pendant! Looks fatiguing to hold. |
|
|
This pendant is based entirely on keyboard emulation. |
|
|
Pure MPG pendant. |
|
|
Great looking pendant from CNCMasters:
- E-Stop
- Feed and Spindle overrides
- Fast jog joystick
- MPG with axis selection
|
|
|
A nice large pendant. |

Coming along slowly...

Be sure to check out G-Wizard, our Machinist's Software!
Back to CNC Dictionary
Home...
|