--- title: "CNC Machine Monitoring for Any Brand or Age | IoTFlows" description: "CNC machine monitoring on any brand or age of machine: a magnetic sensor tracks uptime, part counts, cycle times and setup, with MTConnect on Enterprise." source_url: "https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/cnc-machine-monitoring" --- CNC machine monitoring # CNC machine monitoring that works on every brand and every age of machine A magnetic sensor on each machine shows when it runs, counts every part and records why it stopped. It works the same on any brand and any age, with no PLC or controller access. [How it works](https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/cnc-machine-monitoring#any-machine) Any machine ## Every brand, every age, the same numbers A [SenseAi](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai) attaches magnetically in seconds and calibrates in under five minutes. It reads the machine from the outside, so a 1987 Bridgeport and a new DMG Mori report uptime, stops and parts the same way. **No PLC, no controller access, no IT ticket.** Each machine connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or the IoTFlows 4G/LTE router, so older machines with no Ethernet port are covered too. [Install SenseAi on a machine](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/hardware/install-senseai) Parts and cycle times ## Parts counted from the cut itself Discrete Analysis reads each cutting burst and counts the part when the cut ends, so a 1:35 housing and a 2:37 bracket both count right. **No second sensor, no tie-in to the control.** Assign every part a machine runs once. Nobody touches the dashboard at a job change, and each part’s output and cycle times are reported on their own. [Set up part counting on a CNC](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/production/cnc-machines) Setup ## Setup time, finally on the chart On most CNCs the biggest loss is not a breakdown, it is setup. Operators put **Setup / Changeover, Tool Change or Tool Breakage** on a stop in one tap, and short stops for measuring or chip clearing never reach the list. A few weeks in, the Pareto shows what setups really cost, machine by machine, and whether the fix worked. [Analyze downtime with Pareto charts](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/downtimes) Goals ## A goal each machine can reach Uptime depends on how a machine runs: **40 to 60% on a manual machine, 50 to 70% where an operator loads and unloads, 75 to 85% fully automatic.** Set each goal from the machine’s own baseline plus 5 to 10%, and every gauge turns green or red against a number the machine can actually reach. [Set utilization goals](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/oee-goals) Spindle health ## Tool crashes and spindle wear, from the same sensor Mount a [SenseAi Embedded](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai-embedded) at the spindle motor, sealed against coolant, and the same device scores the machine’s health from its vibration and catches the shock of a tool crash. An event rule sends the alert and opens the work order in [Maintain](https://www.iotflows.com/platform/maintain), so the spindle is checked before the next part. [See predictive maintenance](https://www.iotflows.com/solutions/predictive-maintenance) Controller data ## Add the control when you want more On Enterprise, the IoTFlows edge device reads the CNC control over **MTConnect, OPC UA** and other protocols, and IoTFlows writes the driver when one is missing. Program, part count and alarms sit beside the sensor’s data, and a control alarm can open a work order through the same event rules. A project takes one week to a month, priced by scope. [MiRus](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/mirus) connected its own Epicor ERP, pulling every job and correlating it with the performance and cost of each one. Weighing a controller-first system? [See IoTFlows vs MachineMetrics](https://www.iotflows.com/compare/iotflows-vs-machinemetrics). [See custom integrations](https://www.iotflows.com/platform/custom-integrations) Customer story ## Jesel answers machine issues in minutes, not days Jesel builds valvetrain components on precision CNC machines in Lakewood, New Jersey, and reads its dashboard every morning. Minutes to respond to an issue, down from hours or days 100% cycle time accuracy, actual against the bill of material Daily OEE and utilization on every CNC machine ### Challenge Jesel ran capable CNC machines but couldn’t see how well each one was performing. The cycle times in its bills of material were taken on faith, and setup or tooling problems surfaced only after they had caused scrap or rework. ### Solution SenseAi on every CNC machine puts OEE and utilization on one dashboard, shift by shift. The team compares actual cycle times with the bills of material every day and catches deviations while they can still be fixed. ### Products [SenseAi](https://www.iotflows.com/products/senseai), with ideal cycle times set per operation. [Read the Jesel story](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/jesel) > “The IoTFlows Machine Sensors continue to provide us with valuable real-time data that we rely on to measure machine utilization and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). The dashboard has become an essential tool in our daily operations.” Pete Gonella, Director of Manufacturing, Jesel [Storm Power Components](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/storm-power-components) runs SenseAi on its CNC machines, lasers and presses and doubled machine utilization. [MiRus](https://www.iotflows.com/customers/mirus) ties its machining to every job in its ERP. ## Questions people ask ### What does IoTFlows CNC machine monitoring include? A SenseAi or SenseAi Embedded on each machine, mounted magnetically near the spindle, the tool changer or the motor, on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or the IoTFlows 4G/LTE router. From it: each machine’s live running and stopped state on the Assets page; uptime per shift against a goal; part counts and cycle times with Discrete Analysis, for every part the machine runs; downtime with reasons such as Setup / Changeover, Tool Change and Tool Breakage, ranked on a Pareto chart; machine health and shock events that alert people and open work orders in Maintain; Operator View at the machine and wallboards on a TV. On Enterprise, the IoTFlows edge device adds data from the CNC control over MTConnect, OPC UA and other protocols. ### Can IoTFlows monitor CNC machines from different brands? Yes. The sensor reads the machine’s vibration from the outside, so it works the same on a Haas, a Mazak, an Okuma, a DMG Mori or any other machine, and on manual machines with no control at all. Every machine reports uptime, stops and parts on the same scale. ### Does it work on older CNC machines without Ethernet or MTConnect? Yes. SenseAi needs no connection to the machine: it attaches magnetically in seconds and calibrates in under five minutes, and connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or the IoTFlows 4G/LTE router, which keeps it off the plant network. A machine from the 1980s reports the same numbers as a new one. ### How does IoTFlows count parts on a CNC? With Discrete Analysis. The sensor sees each cutting burst and the fall back to idle when the operator loads, inspects or changes a tool, and counts one part when the cut ends, so cycle times can change from part to part. Assign every part the machine runs at once; each part’s count and cycle times are reported separately. Validate the set-up against ten parts counted by hand. ### How accurate is the uptime number? It is measured, not reported. The sensor decides running or stopped every second against a threshold set during calibration on 5 to 10 real machining cycles, and you confirm the mount by running the machine cutting, then idle, and checking that the two read differently. A short-stop cutoff keeps measuring and chip clearing out of the downtime list. ### How is setup and changeover time captured? Every stop the sensor detects lands on the downtime record. Operators classify it at the machine or on a phone, for example Setup / Changeover, Tool Change or Tool Breakage, and routine stops can classify themselves with automatic rules. After two to four weeks the Pareto chart on the Downtimes report shows what setup costs on each machine, and the same chart shows whether a fix worked. ### What uptime should a CNC machine reach? It depends on how much of the cycle an operator carries: 40 to 60% on a manual, operator-intensive machine, 50 to 70% when an operator loads and unloads, 75 to 85% fully automatic, and 85 to 90% for a lights-out cell. Set each machine’s goal from its own baseline plus 5 to 10%; a goal the machine has never met teaches operators to ignore the number. ### Can IoTFlows read data from the CNC control? Yes, on Enterprise. The IoTFlows edge device reads the control over MTConnect, OPC UA and other protocols, and IoTFlows writes the driver when one is missing. Program, part count, alarms and process values sit beside the sensor’s data and feed the same event rules, so a control alarm can alert people and open a work order. A custom integration typically takes one week to a month and is priced by scope. ### How much does CNC machine monitoring cost? SenseAi is $149 and SenseAi Embedded $199 per machine, bought once. The Pro plan is $119 per device per month billed monthly, less on annual and three-year contracts and from 10 devices, and 50 or more devices are quoted. Controller data through the edge device is part of Enterprise, priced by project. A pilot puts IoTFlows on 10 to 25 machines for four weeks with no commitment to buy. ## Documentation Want the detail? These guides walk through each feature step by step. - [Configure tracking for CNC mills and lathesDiscrete Analysis, every part assigned at once, validated by hand.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/production/cnc-machines) - [Install and power up SenseAiWhere to mount near the spindle, and how to check the mount.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/hardware/install-senseai) - [Manage downtime categoriesSetup / Changeover, Tool Change and the rest of your list.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/downtime-categories) - [Set OEE and utilization goalsOne goal per machine, from its own baseline.](https://www.iotflows.com/docs/monitoring/oee-goals) ## Monitor your first CNC this week Start with 10 to 25 machines for four weeks, with no commitment to buy. A SenseAi goes on the machines you already run.