Bystronic machines expose their data over OPC-UA, not MTConnect. It’s a different open standard, but the idea is the same: the machine runs a server that publishes what it’s doing, and Spall connects as a read-only client to read it. This guide covers turning the OPC-UA server on, opening the port, and pointing Spall at it. Once it’s flowing you get availability, downtime with reasons, and production counts, same as any other machine in Spall.
Before you start You need a Bystronic machine with the OPC-UA option enabled on the control (ByVision or the machine’s panel PC). If you’re not sure whether your machine has it, Bystronic can confirm. You’ll also need an Ethernet drop, a fixed IP from your network person, and the Spall gateway on the same network. Spall connects as a client and only reads, it never writes to the machine.
What Spall’s OPC-UA connection supports today Spall connects over an open OPC-UA session, with an optional username and password if your server requires one. It doesn’t yet support certificate-based authentication or signed/encrypted security policies (for example “Sign & Encrypt”). If your Bystronic control’s OPC-UA server is set to a secured policy, either set it to an unsecured/None policy for the Spall connection or talk to us before your pilot, this is worth confirming early rather than discovering during setup.
1. Turn on the OPC-UA server
On the machine’s control, open Modules > Administration > Advanced Settings and switch OPC UA on. This starts the server that Spall will read from.
2. Open the port
Bystronic’s OPC-UA server uses port 56000 by default (your machine may be configured differently, use whatever the screen above actually shows). Open it on the machine’s panel PC and on any firewall between the machine and the Spall gateway. Allow both TCP and UDP 56000 so discovery and data both get through.
3. Reboot the machine
After enabling the server and setting the firewall rules, do a full reboot of the machine so the OPC-UA server comes up with the new settings. Skipping this is the most common reason the connection looks dead afterward.
4. Verify the endpoint
An OPC-UA server has an endpoint address that looks like this:
opc.tcp://192.168.1.60:56000From a PC on the network, point any OPC-UA client at that endpoint (a free one like UaExpert works well) and connect. If the server answers, you’ll be able to browse its nodes: machine state, part or job count, and alarms. Seeing those nodes means the machine is ready for Spall.
5. Connect it to Spall
In Spall, add the machine, choose OPC-UA as the source, and enter the endpoint plus a username and password if the server requires one:
opc.tcp://192.168.1.60:56000Assign the Spall gateway, browse to the machine-state, count, and alarm nodes, and map them. Run a job and watch the state change and the count move. Spall handles the OPC-UA session and reconnects for you.
What Spall does with this data
Availability. Spall reads machine state straight from the OPC-UA server and splits the day into running, idle, and down. True availability on the laser or brake, no clipboards.
Downtime and reasons. State changes and alarm nodes catch each stop as it happens. Operators tag the reason, and Spall ranks them into a Pareto so the biggest loss gets fixed first.
Production. Spall reads the part or job count node for target-vs-actual by shift and job, straight off the control.
Quality and OEE. Availability, performance, and quality roll into one OEE view, each loss ranked in dollars so the number points at an action instead of a score.
Quick recap
- Turn OPC UA on (Modules > Administration > Advanced Settings)
- Open TCP/UDP 56000
- Reboot the machine
- Verify
opc.tcp://ip:56000 - Add as OPC-UA in Spall, unsecured session, username/password optional
Different protocol than a Haas or Hypertherm, same result, the machine on one screen in Spall. Hand us the endpoint and credentials and we’ll bring it on with you.