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Shop Floor Automations: NETWORK ANY CNC CONTROL

lan to cnc La Mesa, CA – March 16, 2015 – Shop Floor Automations (SFA), one of the largest independent CNC Automation Suppliers for the CNC Machine Tool Industry has enhanced the LAN Connect product to add Ethernet to any CNC machine.

The LAN Connect device acts as an interface between commercially available SD flash memory and any CNC control with an available RS232 port. Machine tool files can be sent from CNC memory to the LAN Connect device, SD memory to CNC memory or drip-fed (DNC) from the SD memory.  Flexible CNC communication firmware is built into the unit allowing connection to just about any machine tool control.

The LAN Connect device contains all the necessary hardware to integrate a universal display onto a CNC machine tool pendant. The controller is DIN rail mountable inside the pendant or can be reverse mounted on the display.  A two (2)GB SD card is included and be upgraded by the end user to any size or brand desired to support larger NC programs/storage capacity. Read more below.

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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.

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 Newsletter Shop 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!