The CNC operates the interchangeable tools in the machine, telling the tool how many thousandths of an inch to move, drill, sand, cut, etc. at any given time. The instructions tell the machine how to move are entered into the CNC via an RS-232 or RS-422/485 stream from a PC. This eliminates costly errors caused by manually entering the data. The wrong instructions at any given time can scrap a huge piece of metal or break a very costly tool. When a PC has dozens of pages of instructions to deliver to a CNC it drip feeds it one line at a time because the CNC has a small memory buffer and overruns means dropped lines of instructions which means scrap metal or broken tools. Another pitfall to watch out for is when the CNC is paused the information from the PC needs to stop sending data right away. Otherwise when the CNC is restarted any lines of instructions sent during stoppage will not be re-sent. These dropped instructions result in errors in manufacturing.
To build a wireless network for your CNC machines, you can install a Quatech Wireless Device Server at each CNC, Or, you can share one wireless connection among multiple CNC machines by connecting together a Wireless-to-Ethernet Bridge and a multi-port Ethernet/Serial Hub. If you use a bridge, you may also connect computers or printers to the wireless connection.
A wireless system also requires one or more access points, which provide the wireless connection to the LAN. Multiple access points may be used in different locations to provide a larger coverage area.
The wireless access points can also be used by other 802.11 compatible devices such as portable computers.