A machining center NC operation panel is provided which can serve as a personal authentication system capable of simply and reliably identifying operators and implementing appropriate operational restrictions. The operation panel is provided with an imaging device mounted on its front or on a manual pulse generator for at-hand operation connected to the operation panel. In the operation panel: a storage unit stores an operator list allocated with work information prepared for each of the pre-registered operators, the work information including operations which the operators are respectively allowed to perform at a machine tool main body and restricted operations which the operators are not respectively allowed to perform, and a face image file holding a group of face image data on the operators registered in the operator list; and a control unit includes a face authentication processing unit which searches for and identifies an operator by checking operator face image data obtained from the imaging device against the group of face image data held in the face image file and a work information processing unit which obtains, from the operator list, work information associated with the identified operator and has, based on the obtained work information, a function of displaying work items the identified operator is allowed to perform in the display part.

A machining center NC operation panel is provided which can serve as a personal authentication system capable of simply and reliably identifying operators and implementing appropriate operational restrictions. The operation panel is provided with an imaging device mounted on its front or on a manual pulse generator for at-hand operation connected to the operation panel. In the operation panel: a storage unit stores an operator list allocated with work information prepared for each of the pre-registered operators, the work information including operations which the operators are respectively allowed to perform at a machine tool main body and restricted operations which the operators are not respectively allowed to perform, and a face image file holding a group of face image data on the operators registered in the operator list; and a control unit includes a face authentication processing unit which searches for and identifies an operator by checking operator face image data obtained from the imaging device against the group of face image data held in the face image file and a work information processing unit which obtains, from the operator list, work information associated with the identified operator and has, based on the obtained work information, a function of displaying work items the identified operator is allowed to perform in the display part.