A CNC is a programmable robotic system used to direct the motion and action of a machine tool, which includes anything from a drill or lathe to a milling machine, wood router, or sheet metal works. The typical CNC runs on a proprietary or commercial Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) with little to no support for graphics, peripherals, networking, security, languages, or application development.

Recognizing that software is a vital part of their solution, ANCA Pty. Ltd. built the new 5DX CNC Control System around a software platform that combines the flexibility and adaptability of Microsoft Windows XP Embedded with the hard real-time consistency and reliability of the INtime RTOS from TenAsys, a Windows Embedded Partner. The 5DX CNC is a generational leap forward, because it offers a single hardware platform to service both machine control and user interface functions.

"We needed the 3D data presentation and user interface available on Windows, but had to maintain the precise timing required for numerical control," explains Gerard Cullen, Software Team Leader for ANCA. "Combining Windows XP Embedded and INtime is our magic-bullet—one that gives us an important edge over our competitors."

The technological edge provided by Windows XP Embedded is so significant that ANCA, which originally developed the 5DX CNC for its own grinding tools, has found a large market selling the CNC to other machine-tool OEMs. One example is Techni WaterJet, a Melbourne-based manufacturer of 2D/3D cutting machines that use high-pressure water jets.

Before learning about ANCA's 5DX CNC, Techni WaterJet had been using a Motion Controller Card and a PC running Windows from another supplier. But the solution was highly unreliable and poorly serviced by the supplier.

According to Darren Reukers, Managing Director for Techni WaterJet, "The Windows Embedded-based CNC from ANCA is similar in cost to our earlier solution, yet it is infinitely more capable, reliable, and flexible—and it delivers a far better end-user experience. The fact that Microsoft Windows technology is inside the CNC—and the perceived value that it brings—means we can sell our water-jet cutters faster and get a higher premium for our product."

Based on advanced features found in the Windows XP Embedded operating system, the 5DX CNC Control System introduces several important innovations designed to meet evolving customer requirements. These improvements include a familiar, friendly graphical user interface (GUI); an integrated development environment with rich resources; and support for a vast universe of third-party hardware and software products.

The point-and-click icon-based GUI of Windows XP Embedded is immediately familiar to virtually anyone who has used a Windows-based computer in the past. This is an important benefit for Techni WaterJet's end customers, which tend to be small machine shops and parts suppliers with limited employee training resources.

"A familiar user interface means applications can be quickly mastered by machine tool operators," says Reukers. "Customers love the fact that you don't need a highly paid, experienced trades-person to operate our cutting machine's CNC. The Windows GUI allows even novice operators to master the CNC very quickly, yet it also prevents them from damaging an expensive machine tool by using it improperly."

Windows XP Embedded delivers a rich development platform, which enables ANCA to build the exact device they and their global customers require. "Windows Embedded gives us support for international technologies such as multiple input languages," explains David Fisher, Business Development Manger for ANCA. "We've created machines that support up to fifteen different languages, and swapping the 5DX CNC from one language to another has been significantly simplified."

The powerful tools that support Windows XP Embedded also make it easier to integrate customer applications on top of the CNC, which is critical for selling the CNC to both industrial manufacturers and other OEMs. "Everyone has applications that need to be converted to run on a new machine tool," notes Fisher. "One of the big advantages of Windows XP Embedded is that we can quickly convert a manufacturer's drawings into a custom application to run on our grinders. On the OEM side of our business, companies can rapidly adapt the 5DX CNC to virtually any machine tool system."

"Windows XP Embedded technology allowed us to seamlessly integrate our Softec Waterjet software application with the ANCA CNC in just four months—on time and on budget," says Reukers. "For example, we used Microsoft Visual Studio to program to Windows application programming interfaces, which saved weeks of coding."

Because Windows XP Embedded is a componentized version of Windows XP Professional, developers enjoy support for a wide range of desktop hardware devices.

According to Fisher, building their system on the Windows platform gives ANCA access to new and useful devices, including "USB memory sticks for transferring data and programs, touch screens for complex interactions, and network interfaces that connect our CNC to internal manufacturing networks and control systems."

"We recently integrated a machine vision system into the machine and developed a completely new application and product offering in less than two weeks," Fisher continues. "Writing and installing a device driver with Windows XP Embedded is so easy that we are confident we can very quickly add any new piece of PC hardware that a customer wants. The options are practically infinite," he concludes.