Originally Posted by
kstrauss
There are several issues that worry me about remotely operating the actual machine controller.
You mentioned that the machine will usually continue running the current job but with a possibility that certain remote failure modes might leave a jog or other actions in progress. This soft of failure could be disastrous and needs careful analysis. However, a more dangerous situation may result from losing control due to a failure of the remote (or the link to the remote) and having a machining code failure. It could take many seconds before the operator realizes what happened, walks to the machine and hits the eStop.
Security is also a huge issue. I don't just mean a malicious hacker that connects to your WiFi while parked outside. Many shops have multiple Tormachs. Consider the results of connecting to the wrong machine and commanding it to start machining!