MTConnect is a manufacturing technical standard to retrieve process information from numerically controlled machine tools.

As explained by a member of the team that developed it,[1] "This standard specifies the open-source, royalty-free communications protocol based on XML and HTTP Internet technology for real-time data sharing between shopfloor equipment such as machine tools and computer systems.

No session must be established to retrieve data from an MTConnect Agent, and no logon or logoff sequence is required (unless overlying security protocols are added which do).

[6] The first public demonstration of MTConnect occurred at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) held in Chicago, Illinois September 2008.

[8] Subsequent demonstrations occurred at EMO (the European machine tool show) in Milan, Italy in October 2009,[9] and the 2010 IMTS in Chicago.

[12] The maintenance cost and losses in productivity with unplanned downtime for machine tool components such as spindle bearings and ball screws could be reduced if one could proactively take action prior to failure.

With the added transparency of the machine tool health information, one can take proactive actions before significant downtime or productivity losses occur.