, , , ,

Manufacturing Engineering – Real-Time Manufacturing Data – November 2013

Greg Mercurio in Manufacturing Engineering

President of SFA, Greg Mercurio, is featured in the Manufacturing Engineering November 2013 issue. In the interview, he talks about real-time data and machine monitoring for the shop floor.

“One of the challenges we face every day is trying to educate the manufacturing industry on how critical this data is,” Greg is quoted. “It’s at our fingertips and it’s not being utilized because a lot of manufacturers think it’s too complicated or it’s cost-prohibitive.” 

“Technologies including wireless, bar code readers, touch screens, and tablets have started to drive implementation prices down,” Greg says. “The reality is most shops run only at about 60 percent to 65 percent machine utilization.”

Read the entire piece! Call 877-611-5825 – we invite you to be surprised just how affordable and easy these solutions are!

More about data monitoring (AKA machine data collection and machine monitoring):

Improve manufacturing by supplying accurate shop floor productivity metrics to improve operations & make better decisions. Enjoy automatic, error-free, & unattended machine monitoring for events such as job start/end, setup start/end, log on/off, cycle start/end, & more. Data collected includes cycle time, idle time, setup time, teardown time, machine downtime, & scrap reasons.

Drive improvements based on real-time data. In today’s competitive manufacturing environment, it is more important than ever to be as efficient as possible. Increase machine up-time & drive innovation on your shop floor. What is the overall equipment effectiveness formula? Ask us!

 

 

, , ,

Production Machining – August 2013

Production Machining – August 2013

Check out the latest Shop Floor Automations ad in Production Machining’s August 2013 issue! Our mobile solutions are featured in it. Check out the ad

More about Shop Floor Automations:

Founded back in 1998, Shop Floor Automations, Inc. (SFA) started as a small company focused on distributing the Predator Software product line to the San Diego and Los Angeles markets of California.  Within 6 months, the company expanded to cover the entire West Coast as a reseller with the goal to be the #1 reseller in a year.

The goal was met in 1999 when SFA was awarded the status of the largest distributor of Predator Software in North America. SFA has been ranked #1 in Predator Software Sales, Service and Support for the past 15 years running.

SFA has become the industry leader in Shop Floor Communications and Machine Monitoring Solutions. Totally redefining what “Shop Floor Automation” solutions should be.  With thousands of customers from across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia, SFA was called upon by other vendors to provide other solutions that could be met by our knowledge, support and sales experience of the manufacturing industry.  In 2010, SFA aligned itself with these vendors to close the loop with maintenance management software, job management and scheduling software, hardware manufacturers, and machine tool companies.

, , ,

Modern Machine Shop – June 2013

A banner with several lines of text: "Machine Monitoring and Data Collection. Do you know your machine efficiency? Automation data collection, real time dashboards, reports and charts, OEE." On the left there is a CNC machine with a magnifying glass that has the text: "Cycle status, reason codes, downtime".Machine Monitoring and Data Collection ad

Check out our latest Machine Monitoring and Data Collection ad in Modern Machine Shop, June 2013.  View the ad here!

More about Machine Monitoring solutions through SFA:

Machine Monitoring gives you the ability to see what your machines are doing in real-time. Collect & process data from your machines using software like MTConnect, Fanuc FOCAS, custom macros, or hardware devices. Optional data collection terminals can be used for additional operator input. Run time, downtime, & OEE data is then presented via dashboards, historical reports, & charts.  Emails or text messages can be sent to notify you of production issues on the shop floor.

Improve manufacturing by supplying accurate shop floor productivity metrics to improve operations & make better decisions. Enjoy automatic, error-free, & unattended machine monitoring for events such as job start/end, setup start/end, log on/off, cycle start/end, & more. Data collected includes cycle time, idle time, setup time, teardown time, machine downtime, & scrap reasons.

In today’s competitive manufacturing environment, it is more important than ever to be as efficient as possible. Increase machine up-time & drive innovation on your shop floor.

A good pairing for Machine Monitoring is MTConnect.

MTConnect is an open, royalty-free, universal factory floor communication standard that is designed specifically for the shop floor environment to enable the efficient transfer of data between devices (such as CNCs) & software applications similar to Predator MDC & Scytec DataXchange. Some users have referenced this as the “Bluetooth” technology we currently experience with our smartphones & daily electronic devices. By establishing an open & extensible channel of communication for plug-and-play interconnectivity between devices, equipment, & systems, MTConnect allows sources to exchange & understand each other’s data.  It’s like speaking a common language!

If you want propriety software & solutions, MTConnect is not for you! This new standard will bridge your factory shop floor & link you to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).  Think of the equipment on your shop floor now that has limits on how they connect, can they connect, can you get real-time data from them, & what if you could make them all speak to eachother?  While some equipment would be limited on what can come from it, the information can quickly be displayed on dashboards, smart phones, ERP/MRP systems, & other equipment.

, , ,

Manufacturing News June 2013

Check out our ad on Plant Maintenance Management Software (CMMS) from Bigfoot in the June 2013 issue of Manufacturing News! See our ad!

More about our Plant Maintenance options:

What is CMMS Software? Otherwise known as a “computerized maintenance management system”, a CMMS is a system used by maintenance departments to keep track of preventive & predictive maintenance-related tasks & asset history. Schedule PM’s, track repair costs, assign work orders, manage purchasing/inventory, & run trend analysis reports.  In addition, you can manage spare parts inventories, track safety events, & manage OSHA required documents. Read more below.

Read more

, , ,

Manufacturing News April 2013

Floppy Drive Emulators and Serial Port Accessories

A Shop Floor Automations ad about services for Floppy Drive Emulators and Serial Port Accessories. See our Ads here Southwest Manufacturing News and here Midwest Manufacturing News

More about our Hardware Solutions:

Do you have a small shop? A large shop? Regardless of your number of machines, or types of controls, SFA has you covered with a complete hardware connectivity suite. Don’t shop around & waste time trying to find the lowest prices – using our 18 years of experience & full support (onsite & digital) will pay for itself with working solutions.

We make our own cables & regularly test hundreds of models of controls with our equipment to confirm what works with wired, wireless, USB, & floppy disk drives for CNCs to eliminate downtime.

Introducing, our Connect Series!

Ethernet Connect – Link via Ethernet to your CNCs, wired & wirelessly
Wireless Connect – Go Wireless to any CNC, use Wireless Access Points, & additional wireless solutions
Serial Connect – USB to Serial, RS232 Serial Cables, RS232 Adapters, Testers, Fanuc cables, & more
USB Connect – Add USB to any CNC, plus Mazak or Switchbox USB solutions
Floppy Connect –  Off-the-shelf Floppy Emulators will replace floppy disks with USB media
Multi Connect – One device to do it all for DNC & Machine Monitoring
Tape Reader Connect – Behind the Tape Reader (BTR) users will want these solutions
Accessories – Antennas, Bar Code Readers, & exclusive SFA gear, like our G-code Shirt

Follow the various social media channels of Shop Floor Automations via the resource page here.

Call & speak to our team at Toll Free (877) 611-5825. We aim to understand your needs & deliver the best solutions for them. Let us tell you about the thousands of customers we have served – you have no obligation to make a purchase!

, , ,

Modern Machine Shop March 2013

Shop Floor Automations in Modern Machine Shop

See our latest Shop Floor Automations ad on eXtremeDNC in Modern Machine Shop featuring our own Tech, Joshua.

More info on SFA’s DNC Communication options:

Manage your CNC programs, machine parameters, & offsets. Enjoy a wide range of CNC communication options from your Predator PCs for drip-feeding, downloading, & bi-directional communication. Upload via parallel, RS232, RS422 Ethernet, & wireless Ethernet for thousands of CNC machines. With Microsoft Office  & Windows Explorer-compatible user interface (Windows 10 O/S supported), use familiar features for drag & drop, cut, copy, paste, shortcut menus, object-based menus, toolbars, tool tips, & available online help.

Improve CNC revision control while using existing ERP & MES bar-coded paperwork. Eliminate time wasted walking back & forth between your CNC & PC with a Remote Request function. Consider a 32-Bit, Multi-thread, Multi-tasking, Open-Architecture DNC Software solution that works wired & wirelessly.

Simplify operations with one network for all of your CNC machines, Robots, PLCs, & part makers, grouped by building or cell.

Predator DNC Software

  •  Network all CNCs, EDMs, PLCs, & Robots with singular DNC package
  • Eliminates walking time to & from CNC control & PC
  • Major CNC protocols, including Mazatrol (CMT), Okuma B & Xmodem, supported
  • Send, receive or drip-feed to up to 4,096 devices
  • Highly flexible interface options include wireless, wired, Ethernet, & USB

Ascendant eXtremeDNC Software

  • Simultaneously push/pull files to CNCs from PC/Remotely
  • Reliable RS232 communication via Wireless & Wired
  • Support for all major CNC protocols including Mazatrol, OkumaB, & more
  • Self-Install & SFA install (Remote or Onsite) available
  • Support for Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003/2008R2 – 32bit & 64 bit systems
  • Originally written for Windows NT 3.5 (“C” Language) for future compatibility

Call (877) 611-5825 for more info!

,

Manufacturing News – February 2013

Manufacturing News – February 2013

See our latest hardware ad in February issue of Manufacturing News (AKA MFG News) – one ad is Here (Midwest Manufacturing News)and the other is Here (Southwest Manufacturing News).
More about the hardware solutions we are advertising:

Do you have a small shop? A large shop? Regardless of your number of machines, or types of controls, SFA has you covered with a complete hardware connectivity suite. Don’t shop around & waste time trying to find the lowest prices – using our 18 years of experience & full support (onsite & digital) will pay for itself with working solutions.

We make our own cables & regularly test hundreds of models of controls with our equipment to confirm what works with wired, wireless, USB, & floppy disk drives for CNCs to eliminate downtime.

Ethernet Connect – Link via Ethernet to your CNCs, wired & wirelessly
Wireless Connect – Go Wireless to any CNC, use Wireless Access Points, & additional wireless solutions
Serial Connect – USB to Serial, RS232 Serial Cables, RS232 Adapters, Testers, Fanuc cables, & more
USB Connect – Add USB to any CNC, plus Mazak or Switchbox USB solutions
Floppy Connect –  Off-the-shelf Floppy Emulators will replace floppy disks with USB media
Tape Reader Connect – Behind the Tape Reader (BTR) users will want these solutions

Call (877) 611-5825 for more information and insight on how to improve OEE on your shop floor! We are also on social media – tweet us, like us, follow us, and check out our photos!

, , ,

SFA Offers Predator Basic Machine Monitoring Software

Predator SoftwarePredator Software Machine Monitoring

Shop Floor Automations (SFA), a distributor and service center for Predator Software Inc., has announced the Basic version of Predator’s Manufacturing Data Collection (MDC) Software.

“For many years now, Predator has offered their fully automated, real time MDC system for larger corporations,” said a company spokesperson. “Now they have released the Basic version of the same software targeted toward the small to medium size manufactures looking to capture utilization, with alarm status and part counts.”

MDC Basic is designed to be an affordable way to collect real-time and historical data from the shop floor. It allows for no operator input at the CNC to capture running or idle status along with alarm mode. The customer can also record good and scrapped part counts directly from the CNC interface.

All the collected data is recorded into one of three database platforms: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQLo r Oracle. Decision makers will have various reports and charts at their fingertips regarding production history, said SFA. Read more below.

Read more

,

SFA in August Modern Machine Shop

Modern Machine Shop

Shop Floor Automations was in Modern Machine Shop for our Cloud-Based software Tracks Cycle Time.

Shop Floor Automations’ cloud-based Software as a Service (Saas) data collection software is designed to capture utilization, downtime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) information without upfront purchase costs or the need to install or maintain database or reporting servers.

The system can track multiple types of cycle time, including from a hardware adaptor or through MTConenct or FANUC FOCAS, and report on metrics such as utilization and efficiency. The system can also run both sets of cycle time and then compare data.
The company will also showcase various hardware products, including a wireless device for connecting controllers to networks and USB Connect for adding memory sticks to CNCs. The latter product is available in either a pendant-mounted version that can be attached to a control or a portable unit for use with a variety of machines.

Read more….

Featured in – Modern Machine Shop – Website www.mmsonline.com

More info on MTConnect:

MTConnect is an open, royalty-free, universal factory floor communication standard that is designed specifically for the shop floor environment to enable the efficient transfer of data between devices (such as CNCs) & software applications similar to Predator MDC & Scytec DataXchange. Some users have referenced this as the “Bluetooth” technology we currently experience with our smartphones & daily electronic devices. By establishing an open & extensible channel of communication for plug-and-play interconnectivity between devices, equipment, & systems, MTConnect allows sources to exchange & understand each other’s data.  It’s like speaking a common language!

If you want propriety software & solutions, MTConnect is not for you! This new standard will bridge your factory shop floor & link you to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).  Think of the equipment on your shop floor now that has limits on how they connect, can they connect, can you get real-time data from them, & what if you could make them all speak to each other?  While some equipment would be limited on what can come from it, the information can quickly be displayed on dashboards, smartphones, ERP/MRP systems, & other equipment.

,

SFA Software featured in Manufacturing Engineering Media

Manufacturing Engineering Media

We at Shop Floor Automations were interviewed in the July 2012 edition of www.ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com for our Manufacturing Software. The Real-Time Viewer application, which can be customized by Scytec, offers user and company based configurable dashboards for shop floor monitoring of OEE data.
Read more….

“We’ve looked at certain solutions that don’t meet all of our customers’ needs and we fill in where the software lacks,” Greg Mercurio says of SFA’s add-on software plug-ins developed for applications like Predator MDC and other packages. “We build some customized software for that and sell it as a solution. One of the biggest things now is smartphones and Androids.

“Shop-floor data management in some aspects is like an ERP or an MRP system, which is what I refer more to as an accounting system,” Mercurio notes. “It’s more involved with ‘Here’s what we should be doing; here’s the order, here’s the traveler, here’s the delivery date that the customer is expecting. But the reality is shop-floor data management or data collection, with Predator or even our solution, differentiates us from an ERP and MRP solution.

“Mostly we are more machine-centric, more concerned about what’s happening on the machine,” he adds, “and so we have the capabilities of tapping into the machine and saying ‘What are you currently doing? Is the machine currently cycling? Is it currently not running because of a certain reason? Is it down because of coolant leaks, or maybe it’s down because of preventive maintenance. Maybe there’s a quality problem or a programming problem as well. From a data-management side, we can actually collect and report real-time what’s happening with the machine, and this can be displayed on some kind of dashboard or on a Web interface. This could be in an office, or across the Web. So the idea is, in real-time, they can see what we advocated—if you put something in front of the operator, they can know where they stand and can be measured themselves.”

For more info on machine monitoring solutions through SFA, please call us at (877) 611-5825