Why should I get a Fanuc control instead of a Mitsubishi?

[TAIWA NUMBA WAAN]

I've owned VMCs with both Fanuc and Mitsubishi controls in the past. The VMC with a Fanuc 0i-M control was a 2018 model, and the VMC with the Mitsubishi M70 was built in 2007. Despite starting with the newer, better machine, I had a much better time using the old VMC with a Mitsubishi control - because it doesn't suck as much to use.

Nevertheless, I know that Fanuc is far more popular than Mitsubishi in the USA. I am here to ask why they are so popular and prevalent, because there must be a bunch of good reasons for it that I am not aware of. I just spoke with the owner of a machine tool company today and he said the Fanuc controls he buys are usually about 20% more expensive for the equivalent of a Mitsubishi in terms of hardware for the whole machine. Am I missing something?

 

[dandrummerman21]

People don't like change.

If a buyer has only used Fanuc at their old jobs, they'll likely buy it because they "know it"


I've been in the industry 15 years and we only have fanuc machines (I deal with 10 cnc mills, with 0, 15m, 21m, and 16i controls). but also had a couple years of machine shop in highschool with a haas control.

If I was in a situation where I suddenly had my own business and had to buy a used machine, I'd probably get something with a fanuc control, because I KNOW the controls very well, and I know decently well how to service them. And I know people who can help out with fanuc-specific issues if I can't.

If I was able to buy a new machine, though, I'd be open to buying something with good user reviews.

 

[Kingbob]

Fanuc is prevalent because it used to be GE Fanuc. General electric and Fuji Automatic Numerical Control got together in the 70's and basically invented the modern cnc control. The have market share because they largely created the market.

 

[SeikiCorp]

Fanuc has a much longer life cycle for control support.
15 years after a control is no longer made, the critical parts are still available or a 'upgrade' replacement is available.

 

[Vancbiker]

Fanuc is prevalent because it used to be GE Fanuc. General electric and Fuji Automatic Numerical Control got together in the 70's and basically invented the modern cnc control. The have market share because they largely created the market.

You need a bit of a history refresh. GEFanuc was established in the mid 80s, long after Fanuc had reached dominance in the controls market.

FANUC's History - About FANUC - FANUC CORPORATION

www.fanuc.co.jp

 

[EmanuelGoldstein]

I am here to ask why they are so popular and prevalent, because there must be a bunch of good reasons for it

They actually support their stuff for decades. I dislike Fanuc a lot but have to admit, their stuff is dependable and lasts forever and you can get parts thirty years after everyone else tells you "Oh that's too old !" on something from 2019.

 

[Kingbob]

You need a bit of a history refresh. GEFanuc was established in the mid 80s, long after Fanuc had reached dominance in the controls market.

FANUC's History - About FANUC - FANUC CORPORATION

www.fanuc.co.jp

You need a bit of a history refresh. GEFanuc was established in the mid 80s, long after Fanuc had reached dominance in the controls market.

FANUC's History - About FANUC - FANUC CORPORATION

www.fanuc.co.jp

Yes sir I understand, I was attributing Fanuc's current large market share in the US to their joint venture with GE.

 

[EmanuelGoldstein]

I was attributing Fanuc's current large market share in the US to their joint venture with GE.

Nope, they weren't doodly at that time. Bendix, Allen-Badley, Cincy had their own, K&T had their own, G&L had their own, the GE2000 was much more advanced, SWINC was even more popular. The GE-Fanuc was kinda low class.

It did get their name into circulation but it was kind of a crappy choice for real machines. Most people were upset that GE sold out. I guess if you had a 1050 you were happy tho

 

[Kingbob]

Nope, they weren't doodly at that time. Bendix, Allen-Badley, Cincy had their own, K&T had their own, G&L had their own, the GE2000 was much more advanced, SWINC was even more popular. The GE-Fanuc was kinda low class.

It did get their name into circulation but it was kind of a crappy choice for real machines. Most people were upset that GE sold out. I guess if you had a 1050 you were happy tho

Right didn't they ride GE's coat tails to the top? I got these ideas from Max Holland's "When the Machine Stopped" though it's been some years since my last reading. Didn't he get into the GE Fanuc story or am I thinking of something else?
I always thought (rightly or wrongly) the the GE Fanuc things was similar to the Burgmaster Mazak situation. Sort of the eager student surpassing the master, and the 1980's hollowing out of US industries only sped it up.

 

[memoryman]

Prior to GeFanuc, there was a Fanuc-Siemens alliance in North America called General Numeric,

 

[Vancbiker]

Fanuc already had a big market share prior to the GE joint venture. GE needed a good CNC and Fanuc wanted GE’s PLC.

Back to the OP’s topic;
IME, Fanuc and Mitsu have very similar MTBF numbers on their controls and drives. Mitsu is far less consistent on long term support. Drives and motors are pretty good, control parts not so much.

My Mori with Mitsu controls and drives is approaching 30 years old. Things like the touchscreen have not been available from Mitsu for 15 or so. Knock on wood, it has never needed any Mitsu parts or service ever. I’m concerned enough though that recently I bought all the controls, drives, motors, etc. from an identical machine being scrapped.

As far as Fanuc, I needed an 11ma motherboard a couple years ago. That control was about 35 years old at the time. Fanuc had a replacement on the shelf. Expensive yes, but available. I bought one off Ebay for $400 and got that machine going again.

 

[EmanuelGoldstein]

GE needed a good CNC

GE 2000 kicked Fanuc's butt, but GE wanted out of manufacturing and into finance and "services" or whatever they whored the company out as ... and I guess that really is the answer to the question. Fanuc is still here, the rest long gone. And Fanuc still sells parts for controls from that era.

 

[Vancbiker]

I know you're a big fan of old US controls.... I only worked on a couple machines with GE2000 (Whitney punch/plasma combo and a Monarch VMC) and can from experience say, they were nowhere near as good as Fanuc for uptime. If you had one go a year without some kind of trouble it was a fucking miracle. The majority of Fanuc controls of the same era went years without needing repair. On one of my training sessions at GEF, one of the instructors stated what I posted in #11 to be one of the main reasons for the merger

 

[EmanuelGoldstein]

I only worked on a couple machines with GE2000 (Whitney punch/plasma combo and a Monarch VMC) and can from experience say, they were nowhere near as good as Fanuc for uptime.

Ah, but features ! And GE was nowhere near (imo) the leader of the pack, even. GA, K&T D, they would do some stuff ! The D, in the time period of which we speak, had adaptive control, dynamic offsets, the language that dr coelho wants, so much stuff.

But the tortoise won the race, and I admit, Fanuc deserved to. Their stuff isn't that great brains-wise but they are reliable and the company stands behind its stuff. I agree with you, as far as them being a good company.

I just wish some of the other control companies had lasted

 

[TAIWA NUMBA WAAN]

I'm getting the impression from the comments so far that there are no qualitative benefits to Fanuc over Mitsubishi or others, and it's only the "I already know how to use it" factor and the likelihood of long term parts availability that seal the deal for a lot of customers. I am skeptical that Fanuc corporation will be around and in good shape for the next 30 years like it has been for the past 50 years.

Suppose you could choose a VMC with any brand of control, and the price and motor specs were the same. Which would you choose, and why?

 

[EmanuelGoldstein]

Suppose you could choose a VMC with any brand of control, and the price and motor specs were the same. Which would you choose, and why?

I would get the mitsubishi on my fave double-column linear motor vmc because they put 10% into the company and are the only control that comes with it

It is one trick vmc ..... but i don't like vmc's that much so

 

[cnctoolcat]

Fanuc was in the right place at the right time in the critical 1980's decade for CNC machinery. They happened to be the control of choice at the time for many of the Japanese builders that would eventually doom the American CNC goliaths to ashes.

Fanuc probably has an ever-so-slight reliability advantage over Mitsubishi.

Fanuc is an interesting company, have you ever seen the video of one of their servo-motor assembly factories that is 100% robotic? (Man only brings in parts/supplies, and hauls out finished product...) And this was years ago!

ToolCat

 

[ViktorS]

Hands down Acramatic A2100 to be honest ! But spare parts are getting hard to come by if I ever need them.

Everything is easy to use and buttons, parameters etc. are self explanatory.
It really cooks with the touch screen.
No fingerbanging one's and zero's into some obscure parameter list. Easy to set up work. Not one million buttons to press for simple tasks, or advanced tasks for that matter.

Only really three complaints,
1. Long startup/shutdown time
2. No way (known to me) to modify the programs for probing routines.
3. Can't use math when entering offsets on the home screen. Would be really nice to be able to enter /2 to set center of feature when using the haimer probe.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

Mitsu is a decent controller.
This issue seemed to be support.
MTB's and customers don't like hearing "sorry, you'll need a new drive" because some board is smoked after 15 years.
That's why Doosan dropped them, and, yeah, they used to offer Mitsu as an option. However, the support was nowhere what Fanuc's is.

 

[Vancbiker]

Ah, but features ! And GE was nowhere near (imo) the leader of the pack, even. GA, K&T D, they would do some stuff ! The D, in the time period of which we speak, had adaptive control, dynamic offsets, the language that dr coelho wants, so much stuff.

But the tortoise won the race, and I admit, Fanuc deserved to. Their stuff isn't that great brains-wise but they are reliable and the company stands behind its stuff. I agree with you, as far as them being a good company.

I just wish some of the other control companies had lasted

Features don’t keep a machine producing parts. When I was responsible for cap equipment purchases there no way I wanted to have to explain to the CEO that a machine was down was because I chose features over reliability. Seems Fanuc understood that whereas many others didn’t.