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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

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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!

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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!

SFA official membership with AMT

AMTAssociation For Manufacturing Technology

Shop Floor Automations is pleased to announce our official membership with AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. We at SFA continue to provide new technology, services and resources to promote a strong manufacturing industry.

We love to see the MFG industry grow daily. That is why we provide many free services via our site.

We have a blog full of topical posts on manufacturing and related issues affecting our industry. We archive our newsletters. We even offer Webinars and Training Videos. We are also part of the San Diego Chapter of NTMA (the National Tooling and Machining Association).

SFA is focused on providing solutions that can be met by our knowledge, support and sales experience of the manufacturing industry.  We offer maintenance management software, job management and scheduling software, as well as DNC Communications, Data Collection / Machine Monitoring, and hardware solutions.

You can follow us on our social media channels (listed here) and call (877) 611-5825 for more information. For more on AMT, visit them online at http://www.amtonline.org/

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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

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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.

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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

SFA is hiring in Houston, TX

Shop Floor Automations in Texas

We are looking for a quality candidate for our Texas Support Department. The Field Technician will be based out of Houston TX or Dallas TX. For more information, go to About Us>Careers

We are also offering a $250 referral reward to the person that brings us our next great employee!

More about SFA and working for us:

At SFA, we are not only coworkers, but we also treat each other like family. There is a reasonably flexible schedule when you work with us, as well as benefits and, if you are in our main San Diego office, Friday company lunch meetings every week.

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 consecutive years. We are also known for our other Software and Hardware solutions from brands like MOXA, Scytec, Smartware, Ascendant, and more!

If you are technically savvy or want to learn more about how to contribute to the growing American manufacturing industry, send us your info. You may be our next great team member!

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Predator PDM Version 10 Release

pdm

Predator PDM Version 10 Release

La Mesa, CA – April 4, 2012 –Shop Floor Automations (SFA) has announced the release of the newest version of its shop floor PDM solution, Predator PDM version 10.
Version 10 of Predator PDM offers the most extensive expansion of features of any version yet, according to the company. Features include: direct integration with Predator DNC systems, including systems utilizing Remote Request; improved integration with Predator MDC (Manufacturing Data Collection) systems; expanded workflow, approval control and history options; new and improved bar code and RFID integration options and unlimited flexibility in definition and naming of PDM vault elements.
“All previous PDM systems have been designed and built with CAD & CAM files and design departments in mind and as such, have rarely been a good fit for controlling access to files on the shop floor,” said a company spokesperson. “Predator PDM is designed to be much more flexible than traditional PDM systems while still retaining the ability to provide absolute control over what files are being used on the floor and capturing a history of those files’ use as well.
“Our basic PDM systems can be utilized to simply control and track access to NC files, but they can easily be expanded to include almost any type of file used on the shop floor, including drawings, tool lists, setup sheets, videos, manuals, etc. While designed to be as simple as possible to implement and use, Predator PDM still has the power to be the single solution for file access control, file viewing, file use history, quality and manufacturing status history, initiation of DNC file transfers (when combined with our DNC software solution) and updating of machine status (both to our data collection solutions, as well as existing data collection systems).”

For more information: fill out a contact form here 

Tel: 619-461-4000, fax: 619-461-5918, toll free: 877-611-5825.

 

The Passing of Shawn Dunne

Rest in Peace, Shawn Dunne

On October 27th, 2011, we lost our dear friend and Co-Founder, Shawn Dunne to cancer. Shawn spent the last 13 years helping to build a remarkable company here at Shop Floor Automations and a business culture that was focused on providing the best solutions to our customers.

He cherished his relationships with all of his customers and enjoyed learning about the wide variety of industries we serve. He will be missed by all of us.

He will be deeply missed by his wife Belinda Dunne, sons Adrian Mendoza, Joshua Reynolds, James Dunne, Jacob Dunne, and Shawn J. Dunne, daughters Aubrianna Morris and Bella Dunne, granddaughters Kylee Reynolds and Eliana Morris, parents Gabriel Rivera III and Sandie Rivera, brothers Bill Dunne, Mike Doyle, Thom Dunne and Gabriel Rivera IV, sisters Sue Doyle, Chris Doyle and Kathleen Gettinger, grandmother Katy Zolman, and extended family and friends.

Shawn lived his entire life in El Cajon where he graduated from Grossmont High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in European History at the University of California at San Diego.

Shawn spent most of his life in youth ministry leadership and was an ordained pastor. He had a passion to reach junior high and high school students because he knew what a critical time that is in a young person’s life. He developed strong relationships and influenced many with his genuine love for people and the Word of God.

Shawn always had an open door policy at his home – everyone was welcome to hang out. His best times were spent serving others – whether it be taking close friends on trips across the country, hosting barbeques or one of his famous game nights at his home, officiating a friend’s wedding, playing DJ for special events, or spending hours working on church camp videos.

Shawn excelled at remembering the little things that most people forget. When someone casually mentioned that they liked something, Shawn would remember that and make sure they received it as his gift for their next birthday or Christmas. Shawn was a dedicated and active member of Foothill Christian Church in El Cajon.

He was a brilliant businessman and business owner. One of his highest priorities was to treat his employees as friends. He felt a deep responsibility to be a good steward of his business and the people who worked with him.