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Manufacturing News

We have opened a new regional office in Houston, Texas. In the ad, pictured here on Southwest Manufacturing News, we speak about the services we offer.

“Manage. Measure. Improve,” SFA declares. Among the services offered, we will continue to provide machine monitoring and OEE, job scheduling, DNC software, MTConnect, plant maintenance (CMMS), document control, and more future solutions.

Also, SFA gave a window into how USB can replace Floppy Drives. Our advertisement for more detail is here at Southwest Manufacturing News.

With machines such as Fanuc, Fadal, Haas, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Mazak, & Yasnac, a company can convert from using floppy disks to USB for CNC controls.

Please Contact us for more information toll free at (877) 611-5825 or tweet us at @SFA_inc

Add USB to Any CNC Machine


Add USB to any RS232 CNC machine with an RS232 comm port on your shop floor. Eliminate floppy disks, PCMCIA cards or manual data entry methods of CNC communication by adding USB to any machine, any brand with our USB connect solutions.

Let Shop Floor Automations provide you with a simple to use, easy to connect and flexible system to transfer your CNC programs to your machines. This eliminates the downtime resulting from failing floppy disks or disk drives that no longer read the CNC programs you spend hours to create.

Add USB to Any RS232 CNC Machine with USB Connect Solutions on machines such as Haas, FANUC, Mazak, Okuma, Fadal, Mori Seiki, & more. The compatibility list is updated frequently!

We offer a model that can be mounted on the CNC control pendant so operators can quickly select the files they want to download, upload or drip-feed to CNC machines. The USB connect comes with all necessary cables and includes a 2GB memory stick.

If you have several machines or need a backup to your DNC system, our portable USB device is the perfect solution. The unit can be configured to work with machines that have different baud rates and leverage colored USB sticks for specific program types.

Visit us at shopfloorautomations.com or call 877-611-5825 to learn more about how we can help automate your shop floor.

DNC software for CNC communication


Shop Floor Automations has been providing DNC software to communicate to CNC machines since 1998. We provide two leading software product lines: Predator Software and Ascendant Technologies.

Most companies have methods to deliver files to machines, but are limited to using floppy disks, USB sticks, PCMCIA cards, and tape readers—or even manual typing. Theses methods use several hours to load programs, but offer no revision control, management of proven or released files, or traceability.

With our solutions, we can implement a product that improves productivity and tracks every upload, download or drip-feed to the CNC, while decreasing the time it takes to load programs. Every minute on the shop floor counts, and if we can save you 5 minutes a day, your new system could be paid for in months.

We offer wired and wireless solutions, personalized to meet your specific needs. Want to learn more? Visit us at shopfloorautomations.com or call us at 877-611-5825. More info on our DNC Solutions:

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.

We offer the following DNC Communication solutions: Predator DNC, Ascendant extremeDNC, Predator TouchHMI, and Predator EditLock. We also have many pieces of hardware to help your shop floor achieve wireless DNC.

CNC West Magazine

Be sure to pick up the Feb-Mar 2013 copy of CNC West Magazine and see our latest ad on adding wireless, ethernet or USB to any CNC.

More about our Hardware services:

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. Call (877) 611-5825 for any of the services listed below, as well as software needs.

  • 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