What it is
MTConnect is a standard for exchanging data from manufacturing equipment. It defines a common vocabulary and structure, so that a ‘spindle speed’ or an ‘execution state’ means the same thing regardless of who built the machine. It is maintained by the MTConnect Institute and is open and royalty-free.
How it works
Data is collected from the machine control by an adapter and exposed by an agent over HTTP. A client interacts with the agent using a small set of requests:
- probe — what the device is and which data items it offers
- current — the latest value of each data item
- sample — a stream of values over a range of time
- asset — information about assets such as tools
Samples, events and conditions
MTConnect categorises data items. Samples are continuously varying values such as position or speed. Events are discrete states such as execution state or program name. Conditions report health, such as warnings and faults.
What it does not do
MTConnect is designed for reading data. It is not a control protocol, which is an advantage for safety: connecting a machine through MTConnect cannot change how it runs. Commands to a machine require a different, deliberately controlled path.
Why it matters for OEE and analytics
Because machine states are standardised, availability and loss analysis can be built once and reused across machines from different vendors. A platform still has to map vendor-specific details and keep track of provenance.
Standards and further reading
- MTConnect Institute — MTConnect standard documentation
- ANSI/MTC1.4 — MTConnect