Industrial automation is actually the network connection between machine and machine, and between different parts of work. With the increasing strength of network technology, CNC lathes can be networked, but there are still some problems: for some CNC machine tools with relatively less program requirements, manual keyboard input has always been adopted. The disadvantages of this method are: (1) Low efficiency; (2) Long machine occupancy; (3) Easy to make mistakes. For some CNC machine tools with large input of programs, a desktop computer is placed beside the machine tool for program transmission. The disadvantages of this method are: (1) difficult to  maintain the computer in harsh environments; (2) Most of these computers adopting commercial system software, it's not easy for upgrading; (3) The operation methods is complex, and high quality requirements for operators is needed; (4) Multi-user operation on one computer, confusing management of program files. There are also some enterprises use laptops for program transmission, while the serial interface of laptops is easily burned down due to the frequent plug-and-pull operation of transmission cables.

Embedded industrial computer technology has a wide range of adaptability in the field of numerical control machine tools because of its good computing power and network control ability. The machine tools equipped with embedded industrial computer have higher processing performance than the general automatic machine tool only by changing the input program instructions when the processing object changes, and it can accurately process complex surface, so it is suitable for processing small batch, frequent modification, high precision, complex shape workpiece, and can obtain good economic results.