MTConnect Integration Guide

Use MaestroHub's MTConnect connector to collect real-time data from CNC machines, manufacturing equipment, and industrial devices that support the MTConnect standard. This guide explains how to configure connections, query device data, and integrate equipment monitoring into your pipelines.

Overview

The MTConnect connector provides:

• Read-only access to MTConnect agents for device discovery, current values, and historical data
• Four query types – Probe (device structure), Current (latest values), Sample (time-series), and Assets (tools, fixtures)
• XML and JSON support for flexible response handling
• No authentication required – MTConnect is designed for trusted network environments

What is MTConnect?

MTConnect is an open, royalty-free standard for exchanging data from manufacturing equipment. An MTConnect Agent collects data from machines via Adapters and serves it over HTTP. MaestroHub acts as a client, querying the agent for device information and process data.

Connection Configuration

Creating an MTConnect Connection

Navigate to Connections → New Connection → MTConnect and configure the following settings:

MTConnect Connection Creation Fields

1. Profile Information

Field	Default	Description
Profile Name	-	A descriptive name for this connection profile (required, max 100 characters)
Description	-	Optional description for this MTConnect connection

2. Agent Configuration

Field	Default	Description
Agent URL	-	MTConnect agent endpoint (e.g., http://cnc-agent.local:5000) – required, must be http:// or https://
Response Format	xml	Expected response format from the agent (xml or json)
Request Timeout (ms)	30000	Maximum time to wait for agent response (1000-300000 ms)

Agent URL Examples

• http://192.168.1.100:5000 – Direct IP address
• http://cnc-agent.factory.local:5000 – DNS hostname
• https://mtconnect.example.com – Secure endpoint

3. TLS Settings

Field	Default	Description
Skip TLS Verification	false	Skip SSL certificate verification (not recommended for production)

Security Note

The MTConnect standard does not require authentication – the specification states "no logon or logoff sequence is required." Security relies on network segmentation. Deploy agents on isolated OT networks and control access at the firewall level. Some MTConnect 2.0 agents support optional TLS certificates, but this is implementation-specific.

4. Health Check Settings

Field	Default	Description
Enable Health Check	false	Periodically verify agent connectivity
Health Check Endpoint	/probe	Path used for health checks
Health Check Interval (s)	60	Interval between health checks (10-3600 seconds)

5. Connection Labels

Field	Default	Description
Labels	-	Key-value pairs to categorize this connection (max 10 labels)

Example Labels

• environment: production – Deployment environment
• cell: machining-01 – Manufacturing cell
• equipment-type: cnc – Equipment category
• location: building-a – Physical location

Function Builder

Creating MTConnect Functions

After the connection is configured:

1. Go to Functions → New Function
2. Choose the function type: Probe, Current, Sample, or Assets
3. Select your MTConnect connection profile
4. Configure device filters and query parameters

Probe Function

Purpose: Discover device structure and capabilities. Use this to understand what data items are available from a machine before querying values.

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Device	String	No	-	Filter by device name (e.g., Mill-001). Leave empty for all devices.
Path	String	No	-	XPath filter to narrow results (e.g., //DataItem[@type='POSITION'])
Timeout (ms)	Number	No	-	Override connection timeout for this request

Response Structure

Returns device metadata including:

• Device identifiers (id, name, uuid)
• Component hierarchy (axes, controllers, systems)
• Available data items with types and units

Use Cases: Initial setup, discovering available tags, documenting machine capabilities

Current Function

Purpose: Get the latest value for each data item. This returns a snapshot of current machine state without historical context.

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Device	String	No	-	Filter by device name
Path	String	No	-	XPath filter for specific data items (e.g., //Position)
At	Number	No	-	Get values at a specific sequence number
Timeout (ms)	Number	No	-	Override connection timeout for this request

Response Structure

Returns current values including:

• Data item values with timestamps
• Sequence numbers for change tracking
• Component and device context

Use Cases: Real-time dashboards, current state monitoring, snapshot collection

Sample Function

Purpose: Retrieve historical time-series data. Use this for trend analysis, data logging, or catching up on missed values.

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Device	String	No	-	Filter by device name
Path	String	No	-	XPath filter for specific data items
From	Number	No	-	Starting sequence number (for incremental collection)
Count	Number	No	100	Maximum number of samples to return (1-10000)
Timeout (ms)	Number	No	-	Override connection timeout for this request

Response Structure

Returns time-series data including:

• Ordered sequence of data item values
• Timestamps for each sample
• Sequence numbers for pagination

Use Cases: Historical analysis, data backfill, incremental data collection, trend monitoring

Incremental Collection

Store the last sequence number from each response. On the next request, use it as the From parameter to collect only new data without duplicates.

Assets Function

Purpose: Retrieve asset information such as cutting tools, fixtures, workpieces, and programs stored in the agent.

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
Asset Type	String	No	-	Filter by asset type (e.g., CuttingTool, Fixture)
Count	Number	No	100	Maximum number of assets to return (1-1000)
Timeout (ms)	Number	No	-	Override connection timeout for this request

Response Structure

Returns asset details including:

• Asset identifiers and types
• Tool life and measurement data
• Custom asset properties

Use Cases: Tool management, fixture tracking, program versioning

Understanding MTConnect Data

Data Item Categories

MTConnect organizes data into three categories:

Category	Description	Examples
Samples	Continuously variable numeric values	Position, temperature, spindle speed, load
Events	Discrete state changes	Execution state, program name, operator mode
Conditions	Alarm and warning states	Faults, warnings, normal status

Common Data Item Types

Type	Category	Description
POSITION	Sample	Axis position in configured units
SPINDLE_SPEED	Sample	Spindle rotational speed (RPM)
LOAD	Sample	Component load percentage
EXECUTION	Event	Program execution state (ACTIVE, STOPPED, etc.)
PROGRAM	Event	Currently loaded program name
AVAILABILITY	Event	Device availability (AVAILABLE, UNAVAILABLE)
SYSTEM	Condition	System-level fault conditions

XPath Filtering

Use the Path parameter to filter results:

Pattern	Description
//DataItem[@type='POSITION']	All position data items
//Linear[@name='X']/DataItems	Data items from X axis
//Controller//DataItem	All controller data items
//DataItem[@category='CONDITION']	All condition data items

Pipeline Integration

Use MTConnect functions in the Pipeline Designer to build automated data collection workflows. Drag the MTConnect node onto the canvas, select your connection and function, and bind parameters to upstream outputs or constants.

Example Pipeline Patterns

1. Periodic Polling: Schedule pipeline to run every minute, collect current values, store in database
2. Incremental Collection: Track sequence numbers, collect only new samples since last run
3. Event-Driven: Trigger on external event, probe device state, route based on conditions

If you're designing larger orchestrations, the Connector Nodes page shows how MTConnect nodes fit alongside other industrial protocols.

Common Use Cases

Machine Monitoring Dashboard

Collect current values from multiple CNC machines and display real-time status on operator dashboards showing spindle speed, axis positions, and execution state.

OEE Data Collection

Use Sample functions to collect historical data for calculating Overall Equipment Effectiveness – availability, performance, and quality metrics over time.

Tool Life Tracking

Query Assets functions to monitor cutting tool usage and remaining life, triggering alerts when tools approach replacement thresholds.

Predictive Maintenance

Collect load, vibration, and temperature samples over time. Feed this data to analytics systems to detect anomalies before equipment failures occur.

Production Reporting

Combine execution state events with part count data to generate shift reports, tracking cycle times, downtime reasons, and production quantities.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Symptom	Possible Cause	Solution
Connection timeout	Agent not reachable	Verify network connectivity and firewall rules
Invalid URL error	Malformed agent URL	Ensure URL includes protocol (http:// or https://)
TLS certificate error	Self-signed certificate	Enable "Skip TLS Verification" for testing only

Data Issues

Symptom	Possible Cause	Solution
Empty response	No matching devices	Remove device filter or verify device name
Missing data items	XPath filter too restrictive	Simplify Path parameter or use Probe to discover structure
Stale data	Agent buffer overflow	Increase polling frequency or use smaller time windows

Testing Functions

Use the Test button in the Function Builder to validate your configuration before using it in pipelines. This helps identify issues with device names, paths, or parameter values.