MTConnect isn’t a workaround on a Mazak, it’s the vendor’s own story. Mazak has shipped MTConnect adapter software factory-prepped on hundreds of machine models running its Smooth-technology controls (SmoothX, SmoothG, SmoothC, SmoothAi), and Mazak itself publishes the reference agent and a step-by-step setup guide for it. Once the adapter and agent are running, the control publishes run state, program, spindle load, and part count as standard MTConnect, and Spall reads it the same way it reads MTConnect off any other control. Nothing is written back to the machine.
Before you start This covers Smooth-family controls (SmoothX, SmoothG, SmoothC, SmoothAi). Older Mazatrol-only controls without a Smooth CNC may not carry the same factory-installed adapter, check with Mazak or your service rep if you’re not sure which generation your machine runs. You’ll need the MTConnect Adapter and Agent enabled (Mazak ships them, they may just need turning on), an Ethernet drop, a fixed IP from your network person, and the Spall gateway on the same network. The gateway reads only. It never writes to the control.
1. Confirm the MTConnect adapter is enabled
On a Smooth control, the MTConnect adapter and agent are typically already installed, since Mazak preps machines for it at the factory. What varies is whether they’re switched on. Check with your Mazak service contact or your own controls team for the exact enable step on your software version, Mazak’s own step-by-step MTConnect setup document (available through Mazak or your dealer) covers this for SmoothX/SmoothG in detail, since the screen path has changed across Smooth CNC releases.
2. Put the control on the network
Give the Smooth CNC’s network interface a static IP, or a DHCP reservation, in the same range as the Spall gateway. Write it down for the next step.
3. Confirm the agent is answering
Mazak’s reference agent serves MTConnect on the standard port, 5000. From any PC on the same network:
# device definition
http://10.0.4.22:5000/probe
# live values right now
http://10.0.4.22:5000/currentIf /current returns XML, the machine is ready. If nothing answers, the adapter or agent likely isn’t enabled yet, back to step 1, not a network problem.
4. Open the port on your firewall
The agent serves on TCP port 5000. If a PC elsewhere on the network can’t reach the XML, ask IT to allow that port between the Mazak and the Spall gateway.
5. Point Spall at the machine
In Spall, add the machine, choose MTConnect as the source, and enter the control’s address and port:
10.0.4.22:5000Assign the Spall gateway and save. Run state, program, and part count start populating within seconds. Run a cycle and watch execution flip to ACTIVE.
What Spall does with this data
Availability. Every hour splits into running, idle, and down straight from Execution and ControllerMode, no clipboards.
Downtime and reasons. Each stop is caught the instant it happens. Operators tag the reason, and Spall ranks them into a Pareto so the biggest loss gets attacked first.
Production. Spall reads PartCount directly for target-vs-actual by shift and job, standard MTConnect, no Mazak-specific translation needed on Spall’s end.
Quality and OEE. Availability, performance, and quality roll into one OEE view, each loss ranked in dollars.
One thing worth repeating Spall reads. It never writes. The gateway pulls MTConnect data on your network and sends it outbound over encrypted MQTT. There’s no inbound port opened on your firewall for machine data, no VPN, and no changes to your programs or the control. Worst case if it can’t reach the machine is a gap in the chart. The spindle keeps running.
Quick recap
- Confirm the Mazak MTConnect adapter and agent are enabled (most Smooth CNCs ship with both installed)
- Set a static IP on the control’s network interface
- Verify
ip:5000/probeandip:5000/currentreturn XML - Open TCP 5000
- Add the machine in Spall
Mazak built MTConnect in from the factory on most Smooth-family machines. Repeat this per machine, or hand us the addresses and we’ll bring them on together.