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DNC Manufacturing: Automate your CNC with DNC software

DNC Manufacturing: Automate CNC machines with DNC software

View this brief video for more information on how we can help automate your CNC machine.

Via our Software solutions page:

Shop Floor Automations (SFA) uses the top software brands in the manufacturing industry to provide and support the best solutions for our customers. They can make your machine shop more efficient using machine monitoring, job scheduling, DNC, document control, CNC editing, and more.

SFA is committed to addressing manufacturing automation needs of customers with individualized solutions. By offering an extensive collection of software and hardware products, they scale automation solutions to customers of any size and range. SFA’s goal is to build lasting partnerships with customers by understanding their specific manufacturing & production needs.

Ascendant Technologies – Manufacturing industry software applications

  • eXtremeDNC: Drip-feeding & bi-directional communication with over 1000 CNCs.
  • XYZPRO 32 Plus: User friendly G-Code editing & backplotting.

Predator Software – Automate, network, monitor & control your machine shop

  • CNC Editor: Shop floor editing, tracking & control.
  • DNC: Shop floor connectivity, controls & communication.
  • MDC:  Data collection of shop floor productivity metrics to improve operations & decisions.
  • PDM: SFA helps coordinate & control shop documents plus revisions.
  • Tracker: Help for shop floor editing, tracking & control.

Scytec – Data collection to get the most of your machines

  • DataXchange: Tools to measure, analyze & improve your shop floor.

 

 

MTConnect – SFA utilizes this universal factory floor communication standard to enable the efficient transfer of data between devices & software applications. More info here

A desktop computer helps automate the CNC process by running machine monitoring software .

Call (877) 611-5825 for more information

 

Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – July/August 2014

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – July/August 2014 issue.

We’ve added a convenient live chat feature to our website.

You can now communicate with a live person instantly via chat on our site. It is found in the lower left corner.

Our live chat staff can answer technical questions; provide shipment status, stock levels, and general pricing on product or services; help you navigate our website and online store; or help you consult with our sales staff.

Scytec’s DataXchange has updates that add some new features based on customer feedback.

The primary addition is being able to have saved charts and source connection notifications. Several other features include part numbers and counts being displayed on the real-time dashboard, filtering by shift, and having unlimited displays and reporting to clients on PCs, iPads, monitors, and more.

More customers have started adding machines due to the free 2-week trial, during which the payback can be seen immediately.

Leverage the power of Okuma THINC with Predator CNC Service to provide intelligent software-based machine monitoring via an Ethernet interface.

Predator CNC Service supports machine operation modes, cycle counters, variables, feeds, and speeds for all makes and models of Okuma Mills and Lathes with P300, P200 and P100 CNCs. Leverage the power of Predator Machine Monitoring and Data Collection from within Okuma THINC to simplify and track CNC machining and productivity. Contact us for a free 30-day trial.

Over the 16 years we have been installing DNC systems, both Ethernet and wireless, we have been asked many times if there is a way to connect our DNC systems to the RS232 port internally in the CNC control, with a hardware connection to the network, but still being able to leverage the DB25 connection on the outside of the machine. The answer is YES!

We have developed a “Y” interface cable to keep the outside serial port operational to plug in a laptop or external USB Connect device and run the DNC system. If and when things fail, simply plug in the external device and the Y interface cable does it all and keeps your system up and running. Send us an email for more details.

Link to original newsletter

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CMMS from Production Machining Magazine

DataXchange Smartware CMMSProduction Machining Magazine

There is a good article about CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) from Bigfoot CMMS in the April 2014 edition of Production Machining. Shop Floor Automations provides an excellent solution for those needs.

Automation is what is propelling manufacturing today, and I’m not only talking about machine tool automation. Automation can and does occur in the office as well with the implementation of shop management software and tool data management software.

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is one example of a tool that automates preventive maintenance schedules on shop equipment. This system can improve the bottom line through increased labor efficiency, enhanced asset effectiveness, certification assistance with government agencies and certifying organizations, liability protection and more.

A CMMS monitors pressure, temperature, voltage and hours run and help operators communicate when maintenance should be completed. It can also track equipment history and grade performance over time. The software can reduce equipment downtime, minimize equipment and cost repairs, maximize equipment reliability and increase efficiency.

Read “Investing in a Computerized Maintenance Management System” for more information about the CMMS.

Other options for shop management software include scheduling software such as the one in described in “Profiting with Shop Management Software” and modular tool data management software  that allows users to take tool data anywhere that it is needed, from purchasing to design and engineering to CAD/CAM to the tool crib and assembly, all in one database. Read more in “Integrated Tool Management with CAD/CAM Connection.”

Get more info or check out the full article in Production Machining

 

Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – May/June 2014

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – May/June 2014 issue.

Are you dealing with minor issues that aren’t big enough to justify bringing in an outside tech, but are constantly frustrating your staff?

Do you need some additional training on a Predator product to make your staff more productive?  Are there machines that do not work and you have gone back to a manual system like floppy disks or USB sticks?  Don’t waste your time and effort, let SFA help you since we are the experts.  Call us and let us remote into your system to fix it or to schedule a “quick fix” service call when we are in your area.

New wireless and serial hardware are available including support for network based CNC machines. Contact Sales for more information.

Check out the SME Education Foundation for more information on how our partners and industry gives back each year. Over $8 million in scholarships have been awarded to students looking to get into our market.

SFA is looking for new talent as well from technicians, a customer service specialist and sales executives.  If you know someone in the San Diego, CA area, please contact us.

With Fanuc I Series controllers, you can monitor your CNC machines with ease.

Let us demonstrate how to collect real-time data such as feeds, speeds, part program, overrides, alarms, cycle time and part counts. Report and chart any data with SQL, Oracle or Access.

MT Connect is also available for Mazak, Okuma, Mori Seiki, Siemens, and others to capture similar machine data with our solutions.

RS232 Serial Cables are a thing of the past and while most shops link the CNC machines this way, you now can upgrade to go wireless.

Eliminate cables, increase baud rates up to 50%.  If you have cabling issues, bad connections, power surges, long cable runs or just want to save time and money, we have the solution for you.

Our wireless units come with a lifetime warranty, all cables and connections and work with 802.11 B/G networks with the latest security encryption.  Works with any brand of CNC controller regardless of age or connection type.

Link to original newsletter HERE 

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Using Software to Support Your Automation Agenda

MoldMaking Technology magazine

We had an extensive article posted in MoldMaking Technology magazine. Learn how to increase the productivity of your shop. Check out the article.

A shop floor focuses on several aspects of automation when working with CNC machines, and software is one tool that can help manage the automation process. When investing in software, consider the entire problem you are attempting to solve.

A key factor in your software purchase should be integration. Many software vendors provide only one piece of a software solution, which makes it difficult to integrate with other software programs being used by the shop. By being able to purchase only what you need or what you are ready to integrate from a single provider, you gain tools that work together as a seamless package.

Scheduling also plays a critical role in optimizing automation. Job scheduling software should deliver and communicate in real time the orders that need to be manufactured, as well as track labor, material, and delays. Whiteboards and spreadsheets do not provide real-time data, so look for a solution that utilizes what-if scenarios, is designed for ease of use and receives buy-in from the operators using the product. Read more below.

Read more

Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – March/April 2014

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – March/April 2014

TRADE IN YOUR DNC SYSTEM FOR 25% OFF THE LIST PRICE

With the ending of support for Windows XP and the shrinking number of vendors that can provide you with the very best DNC system, SFA can provide you a competitive upgrade and save you 25% off the list price—leveraging the same procedures and giving you more value.

Programs are in place to migrate from Surban DNC, Refresh Your Memory, Cimnet, Greco Systems and other companies that no longer support existing systems. Contact Sales for more information.

YouTube & Hardware 

Check out our video series, “Automation Insights,” featuring information on “RS232 Cabling Solutions.” Our Newsroom webpage has also been updated with press releases and publications in trade magazine to help customers automate the shop floor.

Don’t wait until it happens to you—the computer hard drive crashes, the RS232 cable fails, the serial hardware that links all your critical machines to your network could be the point of failure that stops production. Contact us today to get a backup, portable USB device that can work with any CNC machine.

We hosted our first webinar on DataXchange on April 3 and the feedback was outstanding.

Viewers were able to get a good glimpse of the product and asked questions about the free trial to run on their machines. Ask us about future webinars.

MEET OUR STAFF

Name: Amy Gates
Title: Senior Account Executive
Time with SFA: 13 Years

Q: What is your position at Shop Floor Automations?
A: I am a Sr. Account Executive. I work with customers to determine their needs and help guide them to the products we offer that will be the best fit for them. I help them before, during and after the sale. What I like best about my job are the relationships I build with customers.

Q: How long have you been with SFA?
A:  I’m coming up on my 13th year working for SFA, though it seems like it’s only been a few. Time sure flies.

Q: What are your favorite products and why?
A: My favorite product right now is probably the powerful JobPack Scheduler. It amazes me how many companies don’t have a true scheduling system; most just use whiteboards or an Excel spreadsheet, which is not very dynamic at all. I feel very strongly that JobPack is a great product that would benefit all my customers.

Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I like to go RV camping and 4wheeling and I love to cook.

Q: Tell us something we probably don’t know about you.
A: For fun, I’ve been taking professional “chef” classes at the local community college and I’m working toward a line cook certification. I don’t plan on changing careers, but it’s fun to learn some industry tricks, and it gives me a better appreciation for all the work that goes into running a kitchen in a restaurant.

Link to original newsletter HERE 

New video series called Automation Insights

Automation Insights

We are happy to announce the Shop Floor Automations Insights series, featuring our President Greg Mercurio and other employees. This new series will provide useful information on shop floor concerns.

The videos will help you see that upgrading your shop is as simple as adding hardware and software, instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new machinery.

We also invite you to interact with SFA on social media. We are located on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, plus more! Find our social media pages, watch the premiere of Automations Insights below, and check out our helpful YouTube transcriptions. They are especially helpful for technical aspects.

We would also love it if you subscribe to our YouTube channel. You can do so by visiting our main channel and then clicking the red “subscribe” button.

We aim to have new content every month for our customers, current and future.

Thanks for visiting the site, and we hope you enjoy our videos!

 

Please contact us for more video ideas at info@shopfloorautomations.com

If you want to leave a less than perfect review, we encourage you to reach out to us first. Please call (877) 611-5825 or contact us via this form. We would love the opportunity to fix the situation.

 

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SFA in February 2014 Manufacturing News

February 2014 Manufacturing News

Read our article about DNC in this month’s Manufacturing News issue, “SFA + Predator DNC Software For Windows”

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterShop Floor Automations (SFA), a provider of software for the manufacturing shop floor, installed Predator’s version 9.0.16 through the end of 2013 while beta testing version 10.0 of Predator DNC Software and Editor.

Version 9.0 has been installed at hundreds of different sites. The main benefit is its compatibility with Windows 7 and Windows 2008/2012 server, including both 32- and 64-bit Operating systems.

“The DNC is easily migrated from previous versions running under Windows XP to the latest Predator DNC with our migration tools and hardware program,” said SFA President Greg Mercurio. “Customers have used the same solution for years from us and if it works, they do not want to change anything unless needed. Because of the end to Microsoft’s support for Windows XP, we have created a program to assist customers in keeping their machines up and running without interrupting production.”

SFA can provide end users with new hardware to integrate their existing wired system into wireless 802.11 B/G or embrace Ethernet technology on the shop floor. The use of RS232 serial ports is being phased out and networking CNC machines is becoming more prevalent. Predator Software includes functionality to communicate via FTP or Windows Share, and supports the use of the FANUC FOCAS to simplify file transfers. RS232 standard protocol is also included to support the hundreds of legacy CNC controllers with enhanced file management tools to automate the download and upload process.

Read the whole piece here! You may also call SFA and ask us about more Predator Software solutions at (877) 611-5825.

The different Predator solutions we are offer: DNC. Touch HMI, EditLock, MDC, CNC Editor, CNC Editor Express, CNC Editor Light, PDM, and Tracker. We have been the number one reseller of Predator Software since 1999 and continue to customize this solution to fit customer needs. Ask about demos and free trials!

 

January/February 2014 Shop Floor Automations Newsletter

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter from January/February of 2014.

Windows XP support is ending

Do you still have computers running XP in your shop? Microsoft is discontinuing support as of April 2014. You don’t want your shop to be running on a system that has no support. We can help you transition and upgrade over to Windows 7. Our team has the expertise to provide a complete, reliable hardware and software solution to keep your CNC machines up and running. Contact us today!

Facebook posts contest for our customers

Amy Gates, our Senior Account Executive, is taking over the daily responsibilities of our Facebook page and updating it regularly. We have noticed people enjoy seeing stories and pictures about our customers – especially in their facilities.  So we started a contest. Get a chance to win a $50 gift card! Post your picture or video to our wall. Ideally, it is of you using or talking about our services or products. Each quarter this year we will choose a winner. You must “like” us to be eligible to win.

Be sure to like our page https://www.facebook.com/shopfloorautomations

Educational videos coming your way via “Automation Insights”

Our President, Greg Mercurio, has begun a new campaign for 2014: educational videos on YouTube! View his message on this year’s campaign.

Feel free to suggest topics you would like to hear about in the future.

Workshops for Warriors Visit 

Last summer, we reached out to our community and found an opportunity to help promote San Diego veterans at a vocational training center called Workshop for Warriors. This site is a safe environment at which veterans receive vocational training, work experience, and job placements, and also have careers in manufacturing. We donated our time to help network a few of their CNC machines and serve as a resource for veterans who wanted to learn more about automation.

Control your file edits with Editlock

Looking for a way to control NC program edits on the shop floor? The Predator EditLock System enables the “hardware” EditLock key switch on the machine tool to be managed using Predator DNC or Predator PDM software. The EditLock System works with any CNC control that has “EditLock” or “Memory Protect” key switch. It simply installs in the machine CNC cabinet on a DIN rail and can be externally powered via the 110vAC power supply, or directly powered via an internal 24vDC power source inside the machine cabinet.

The solution requires a simple dedicated serial connection to enable the lock to control when to “enable” the download into the machine. It works wireless or wired using Predator software. If there’s ever a need to override the functionality, there’s a disconnect toggle switch that maintenance uses. Learn more

Toll Free: (877) 611-5825
www.shopfloorautomations.com
Email: sales@shopfloorautomations.com

Link to newsletter

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Happy New Year! Have a great 2014

Shop Floor Automations 2014

Happy New Year! We hope 2014 turns out to be a great year for you.

A large number of our existing customers have started to expand with more machines and a look toward automation. We added more machines than previously to our machine monitoring software and see a great improvement in productivity and a reduction of downtime.

Because we’ve been so busy, we wanted to make sure you are informed of some of the other solutions in Predator’s new EditLock feature, used with Predator Product Data Management (Document Control) and Predator DNC networking along with JobPack’s scheduling software.

Discover how we can save you more time and money by expanding your existing system today. Call (877) 611-5825 or contact us on social media!

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 largest distributor of Predator Software in North America. SFA has been ranked #1 in Predator Software Sales, Service and Support for many years.

The founders of SFA have many years of experience providing effective solutions to manufacturers large and small from coast to coast. Their expertise in designing and implementing DNC and Shop Floor Networks allows them to take the best hardware and software products to the next level. That level is a fully implemented, turnkey solution tailored specifically for a customer’s requirements and environments.

Shop Floor Automations is appropriately positioned to provide our customers with a complete technology environment. Customers are not looking for products so much as they are seeking solutions to their business problems. Our total solution approach for manufacturing customers provides hardware and software packages, installation and support services, and expert consultation where required. Our principal goal is to help customers save time and make money.