The CNC Control System
The FANUC Advantage
Why Your Control System Matters
The CNC controller is an extremely important piece of equipment that translates the CAD/CAM software and user inputs to accurately move the mechanical components of your CNC machine. To help our customers reach the highest level of productivity, efficiency, and profitability — even under the harshest of manufacturing conditions — C.R. Onsrud chooses FANUC®.
FANUC: The De Facto Standard
FANUC is the largest control manufacturer in the world with more than 3.9 million installs worldwide and ~65% share of the global market. FANUC CNC systems are used across a wide range of industries from small job shops to the largest, most demanding, industrial manufacturing facilities.
High Reliability and Easy Maintenance
You get peace of mind when it comes to reliability and longevity. Parts are guaranteed for the life of the controller, including the controls, drives, and servo motors. So, unlike other controllers, a FANUC controller will not become obsolete. Plus, FANUC boasts 52 years of mean time between failures, providing a stable platform for maximum machine availability that far exceeds any competitor.
Industrial environments require the robustness, speed, and long-term viability that FANUC offers. Other options, such as PC-based control systems, risk component failure and problems with the operating system (slow response, frozen screens, reboots, security updates). While updates to other systems (e.g., PC-based) can cause integration issues and require modifications to your CNC programs, FANUC controls remain upward compatible.
With its “Service First” philosophy, FANUC provides premier after-sales support and service. In addition to FANUC’s own maintenance department, you can receive on-site or remote troubleshooting support from your local factory-trained distributor or our C.R. Onsrud technical staff.
High-Speed Machining for Quality and Reduced Cycle Times
FANUC systems are purpose-built for industrial CNC machinery. From straightforward, standard applications, to complex, high-precision programs, FANUC offers the perfect combination of CNC drives, motors, I/O, and connectivity solutions for consistent, dependable performance.
Using advanced software algorithms to analyze part geometries and machine capabilities, FANUC is able to provide the smoothest tool paths for the specified precision at the highest processing speeds.
Simple Operation for Maximum Productivity
Using the intuitive, standard FANUC control interface or enhanced features, such as the user-friendly touchscreen FANUC overlay (i.e., the C.R. Onsrud’s SeeNC® Interface) enables operators with decades of knowledge or limited machining experience the functionality they need to run the machine confidently and efficiently.
To optimize productivity, C.R. Onsrud developed Osync Machine Analytics.™ This easy-to-use software-native system reads data directly from the FANUC controller to give you real-time visibility into the performance of your Onsrud CNC machines. Osync takes the guesswork out of your productivity decisions, giving you the information you need to recover idle time, stay on top of maintenance tasks, tailor-train your operators, diagnose and repair issues quickly, and much more!
Energy Efficient
Using energy-efficient technologies and strategies, FANUC products are developed to conserve energy to save on costs and strive toward decarbonization. While maintaining accuracy and precision at high speeds, cycle times are significantly reduced. Intelligent drive systems send energy back into the power line which can lower total energy consumption by as much as 50% during axes deceleration.
The Advantage of FANUC Robotics Integration
FANUC America manufactures the most complete line of industrial robots for nearly every manufacturing application, replacing manual processes to safely, quickly, and efficiently produce large volumes and high-precision results while combating labor challenges. The system is simulated before install, so the time to get it up and running on-site is very minimal. If you are looking for the best in automation for your manufacturing operation, let our engineers develop a system with the reliability and performance you demand. (See also: C.R. Onsrud Provides Automated CNC Solutions for Lippert Components and FANUC Robotic Automation YouTube Video).
True FANUC CNC Integrators
To provide unparalleled, seamless connectivity, C.R. Onsrud not only uses FANUC for the controls, motors, drives, I/O, and inverters but also enables all of FANUC’s robust software options, delivering the fastest acceleration/deceleration speeds, extended offset tables, and more. Be cautious of machine manufacturers who carry the FANUC label but aren’t offering this level of FANUC integration. They cut corners to make their systems cheaper, but you won’t get consistently dependable performance, and you’ll miss out on FANUC’s excellent warranty and lifetime parts guarantee.
With full FANUC integration, Onsrud’s Osync Machine Analytics software has direct access to the controller data and proprietary machine data specific to C.R. Onsrud machines, so you have the most comprehensive machine diagnosis and performance monitoring platform.
The Right Choice for Industrial CNC Machines
As C.R. Onsrud is the largest North American OEM of FANUC controls, we get special pricing that is passed along to our customers. FANUC also comes to C.R. Onsrud when they want to introduce new features, so you know you’re getting the latest in proven technology when you buy an Onsrud CNC machine.
FANUC offers the most reliable and robust CNC control platform.
- Ultra high-speed processors
- Fast interpolation times
- 1000-block lookahead
- Up to 10 paths and 40 axes of control
- Up to 24 axes simultaneously controlled
- 9.1 nanoseconds per step per programmable machine control (PMC) ladder
- Up to 5 ladder logic programs simultaneously executed
- Up to 4096 digital inputs and outputs
If you’re already struggling with an obsolete controller, it’s time to consider a modern approach: either a new CNC machine or a retrofit.
Learn more:
- IWF’s (International Woodworking Fair®) #B6410, August 25–28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Modernizing Your CNC Machine: New Machine vs. Retrofit Solutions
- C.R. Onsrud Provides Automated CNC Solutions for Lippert Components
- FANUC Robotic Automation YouTube Video
- Onsrud’s SeeNC Interface
- Osync Machine Analytics Software: Real-Time Performance Monitoring
