What is lean production? One can view it as an alternative term for lean manufacturing, but we wanted to take a deeper look. “Lean production is centered on determining what activities or processes add value by reducing other aspects,” this Techopedia article explains. So there is our concept: instead of focusing purely on the bad […]
In the latest round of digital coverage for Shop Floor Automations (SFA), which includes a few MoldMaking Technology pieces: SFA highlighted two of our customers and one organization we work with for a MFG Day piece. We thank MoldMaking Technology (MMT) for sharing it. Thanks to MFG Talk Radio for publishing our piece about automation ROI. […]
Lean manufacturing is a hot topic these days. It’s more than a buzzword, though. It’s becoming a necessity. “Lean manufacturing is a system of techniques and activities for running a manufacturing or service operation.” This quotes comes from Lean Enterprise: A Synergistic Approach to Minimizing Waste from ASQ Quality Press. Basically, do you want to eliminate […]
The following is an archived copy of our Fall 2018 newsletter. Decisions to make for Q4 Fall has begun, and before you know it, Winter will be here. Then, surprise, it’s suddenly Q1. Where did all that time go?! Take a moment to think if you have any of the following issues on your shop […]
Aerospace. Medical. Defense. Skateboarding?! Shop Floor Automations loves fulfilling needs for unconventional manufacturers, so when we learned our customer Professor Schmitt (Paul Schmitt of PS Stix Inc) was going to be the focus of the Edge Factor documentary “Happy Accident”, we were very excited! “Happy Accident” premiered at in September 2018 with a great response. Jeremy Bout and Larissa Hofman […]
MFG Day is here again. A great time to celebrate the growth of American manufacturing. It is also a time to address the issue of bringing a new generation of workers in the doors. In the upcoming documentary “Full Circle” from Edge Factor, the film addresses the oncoming “silver tsunami” AKA the previous workforce soon […]
We often encounter customers who are running old versions of Microsoft on their shop floors. We strongly advise that customers read this quick blog on Windows 10 migration for your manufacturing operation. Countdown to January 2020 Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. This means people will be upgrading their PCs […]
Sam Wilkins, Technical Operations Manager at Shop Floor Automations, has earned a spot in the SME 30 Under 30 List. We are very proud that Sam made the Honorable Mentions list from this distinctive Society of Manufacturing Engineers lineup for 2018. Sam’s love of technology began at age 16, when he took up computer systems […]
As American manufacturing grows, efficient machining is key. SFA is often asked about secure and quick CNC to PC communication. Here, we take a look at CNC remote request procedures. Otherwise known as a CNC remote call, remote request operations provide the following benefits: Keeping operators at machines allows for better productivity Eliminates walking back […]
CNC Revision Control is overlooked on the shop floor. Raw material and time are wasted when old programs run at machines. “Revision control is the management of modifications done to software applications, sites, documents or any set of information,” This definition is from Techopedia. Benefits of this concept include better record keeping, performance analysis, collaboration, […]