Fanuc 18-T questions

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lumley32

Cast Iron

Joined

Jul 18, 2015

• Jul 29, 2020

• #1

I've searched all over but can't find what I need to know!

I have a new to me lathe coming that has a Fanuc 18-T control, and I have questions.

What's the difference between the 18 and 18i?

What I really am interested in is the program transfer, can you network the 18-T?

How much storage dose the 18 have? Are there options to expand it?

 

M

memoryman

Aluminum

Joined

May 24, 2013

Location

Kitchener ,Ontario, Canada

• Jul 29, 2020

• #2

The series come in 5+ generations: A, B, C, iA and iB.
To give you answers, the exact model is needed. The best way is to give the part # of the MAIN type: e.g. A16B-3200-0210 is a 18C. That part # will be on the Fanuc spec sheet, and on the bottom of the actual MAIN board.

 

L

lumley32

Cast Iron

Joined

Jul 18, 2015

• Jul 29, 2020

• #3

Thanks for the quick reply, I've had a look at time lines and by the year it should be a 18iA. This is assuming it was the most modern control available at the time the machine was built, but it is well into the iA time line.

I will try and get the board numbers in the next few days.

 

F

Fancuku

Cast Iron

Joined

Dec 7, 2018

• Jul 29, 2020

• #4

I may be wrong but I think the difference between the two is that the i version has the SuperCAPi conversational programming.

 

Ox

Diamond

Joined

Aug 27, 2002

Location

Northwest Ohio

• Jul 30, 2020

• #5

If you are dooing basic 2x turning - this won't matter, but the one main thing that pertains to me is that the i can nest local subroutines.
If interested, you can google that and it will bring you right back here...


---------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

meowkat

Aluminum

Joined

Aug 18, 2013

Location

IL USA

• Jul 30, 2020

• #6

My Fanuc 16T lathe (w/ live tools+Y) has half a megabyte, but that is probably an option they added way back when. I can actually do some basic 3d surfacing, and in fact I used it on a small job that came in a couple days ago. I am assuming 512kb is around the max on a 20+ year old Fanuc 16. Basic turning stuff won't use near that much memory.

For RS232 file transfer you can buy a little box to transfer programs for you, or connect it to an ethernet RS232 server like a Moxa nport. I haven't done the networked variety of RS232 file transfer personally. Also, it takes literally 10 minutes to transfer 400kb over RS232 at low baud rates. Machine still worth every penny.

 

Ox

Diamond

Joined

Aug 27, 2002

Location

Northwest Ohio

• Jul 30, 2020

• #7

Yeah, I like the Calmation or Shop Floor Automation units for this app.


The i has a card reader beside the CRT.


-------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

L

lumley32

Cast Iron

Joined

Jul 18, 2015

• Jul 31, 2020

• #8

Ox said:

The i has a card reader beside the CRT.

Click to expand...

right, looks like it's not an i then. I wasn't planning on doing much milling on it so it's not a massive problem I will look into the RS232 option.

Edit, just got hold of the manuals, its a 18T-C, so does that restrict me to RS232? are there any memory upgrades available like the 0T?

 

Ox

Diamond

Joined

Aug 27, 2002

Location

Northwest Ohio

• Jul 31, 2020

• #9

Being that it is a lathe, I would expect that it has about the least amount of memmory available.
I would expect that you could upgrade mem on it a lot, but just how much code doo you need in a lathe without a Y?


------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

DouglasJRizzo

Titanium

Joined

Jun 7, 2011

Location

Ramsey, NJ.

• Aug 2, 2020

• #10

Any Fanuc with an i is also possessing increased communications capability and the ability to do things like connect to a LAN.