I know you said no new options, but...
Proface HMIs plus the SNPX protocol (which Fanuc calls Basic HMI) worked pretty well for me in the past. We outfitted an entire plant in that maner. No plcs involved. It was great.
You can access virtually everything in the robot, from the active alarm, to the current position, to all IO and data registers.
Any particular model of proface HMI, or will the basic level work ok?
