Patent ID: 7774088

Claim:
A numerical control apparatus for controlling a plurality of systems, comprising: a PLC controller; a plurality of automatic operation controllers provided for each of a plurality of systems, said each system has assigned, fixed control axes that are automatically operated, where the plurality of automatic operation controllers automatically operate the control axes for the plurality of systems based on signals from the PLC controller; a plurality of manual operation controllers which manually operate, based on the signals from the PLC controller, any axes of the assigned, fixed control axes irrespective of at least one system to which the axes are assigned; a manual operation axis selector which determines whether or not axes selected through the manual operation controllers can be manually operated; and an axis controller which controls the assigned, fixed control axes that the manual operation axis selector determines can be manually operated, wherein each of the plurality of manual operation controllers comprises: a manual operation mode selector which selects, based on a manual-operation-mode selecting signal output from the PLC controller, one of operation modes; a manual operation mode controller which performs control using the selected operation mode, based on an arbitrary-axis selection signal output from the PLC controller, indicating axes that are to be manually operated that includes any axes of the assigned, fixed control axes, and based on predetermined signals output from the PLC controller, specifying operating conditions comprising feed speed; and a manual operation interpolation controller which performs interpolation control of the axes manually operated by the manual operation mode controller.