What causes Siemens SINUMERIK alarm 1160?

Parameter or machine data configuration error. Hardware fault on the NC or drive component. Part program error or illegal command. Communication fault between NC and drive or I/O modules. Software or firmware error requiring system restart.

How do I fix Siemens SINUMERIK alarm 1160?

1. Note the complete alarm text including any axis, channel, or block number values. 2. Check for related alarms active simultaneously in the SINUMERIK alarm list. 3. Power cycle the machine to clear transient faults. 4. Review the SINUMERIK machine data for parameters related to the alarm. 5. Consult the Siemens SINUMERIK alarm manual for alarm 1160 detailed remedy.

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Siemens SINUMERIK Controller

System · Intermediate · 30-120 minutes

Alarm 1160

Siemens 840D 1160 - Assertion failed in

Alarm 1160 indicates an internal assertion failure in the SINUMERIK 840D control system, typically triggered by violated runtime conditions in NCK (Numeric Control Kernel) or PLC logic. This critical system alarm reflects a software consistency check failure rather than a typical machine operation error, requiring immediate diagnostic intervention to identify corrupted data structures or conflicting parameter states.

Siemens SINUMERIKSystemIntermediate30-120 minutes

1160

Siemens 840D 1160 - Assertion failed in

Assertion failed in

Root Cause Summary

Alarm 1160 indicates an internal assertion failure in the SINUMERIK 840D control system, typically triggered by violated runtime conditions in NCK (Numeric Control Kernel) or PLC logic. This critical system alarm reflects a software consistency check failure rather than a typical machine operation error, requiring immediate diagnostic intervention to identify corrupted data structures or conflicting parameter states.

Safety

Refer to Siemens documentation
Ensure qualified technician performs repairs

Causes and Fixes

1
Access Siemens HMI > Diagnostics > Parameter > Machine Data menu; navigate to NC kernel parameters and cross-reference against the axis definition MDs (MD1000 axis number, MD1001 axis type, MD1010 axis monitoring) for out-of-range or missing critical values.
Do not modify MDs while a program is running; stop all NC execution first.
2
Verify geometry and kinematic parameters: check MD1018 (axis vector), MD1019 (axis offset), and MD1020 (axis scaling) match the physical machine configuration and active program requirements.
3
Review tool offset table (T-table) and work offset table (D-table) in HMI > Offset > Tool/Work Offset; confirm no NULL entries, NaN values, or excessively large values exist that could violate assertion bounds during interpolation.
4
If assertion persists, perform a backup of current MDs via HMI > Service > Backup, then restore factory defaults for the affected axis group from Siemens engineering data, and reconfigure customized parameters incrementally while testing.
Factory reset will overwrite all custom parameters; ensure complete backup exists before proceeding.

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