The following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – the NOV/DEC 2017 issue.

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterMachine Monitoring Webinar in January

Do you want to improve your shop floor efficiencies? Would you like to get text messages or email notifications if there is a problem on your shop floor? Our machine monitoring solutions empower managers to identify issues and resolve them quickly.

We will be holding a DataXchange machine monitoring webinar on January 10th, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Pacific time.

You will see popular features of the data collection system in action, as well as get a chance to ask us questions.

If you can’t make the webinar, please feel free to contact us and ask about other opportunities to see DataXchange software. We also have quite a few videos on our YouTube channel to check out.

Holiday Discount Code

It is not too late to spend end-of-the-year funds on solutions to help your shop floor. Get a head start on combating productivity issues and eliminating downtime with some of our best-selling solutions:

  • Portable USB Connect – backup for your DNC system
  • Pendant USB Connect – adds USB to any CNC machine
  • Floppy Emulators – replaces the floppy drive on your machine (ask about our Haas Floppy emulator!)
  • Wireless Connect – go wireless with any CNC machine

Use discount code “HappyNewYear” for a discount in our online store. Code expires 1/2/18

DNC Software – The Heart Beat of the Shop Floor

If there was one new piece of technology we would recommend for your shop floor, it would be DNC software. Within weeks or a few months, you will see ROI when you implement this system to streamline your management of CNC programs.

If you want to control which file is delivered to the CNC, you need DNC. If you are still carrying USB sticks or PCMCIA cards out to your CNCs to load programs, you need DNC. If you want a better system to manage your CNC programs while saving time, you need DNC.

Link to newsletter

Call (877) 611-5825 for more info!

The following is an archived copy of our September/October 2017 Shop Floor Automations newsletter:

shop floor automations newsletterModern Machine Shop Case Study

Do you have CNC communication issues? You may be surprised at what can cause these shop floor problems.

One of our customers, Stollen Machine, took the time to explain how replacing their inferior shop floor cabling with our Wireless Connect hardware units helped increase their productivity. Modern Machine Shop published the case study in their October 2017 issue.

Whether it’s hardware or software, we want to help you combat downtime.

MFG Day 2017

Shop Floor Automations is a proud supporter of MFG Day and other efforts to fill the skills gap in the manufacturing industry. It is important not only to us but to the American economy, that manufacturing stays prosperous.

Recently, Hernan from Workshops for Warriors and Jeremy from Edge Factor spoke with us about their roles in helping make manufacturing jobs more appealing. While what they do is different and appeals to separate groups of people, it is still valuable to get these jobs filled.

We also got to interact with a lot of our Instagram followers about why they love working in the manufacturing industry. The answers varied, whether they loved the daily challenges, the creativity, or the fact that they were continuing a family tradition. The common bind amongst them was that they loved their jobs!

Manufacturing Integrators & ROI

Return on Investment, or ROI, is one of the most important elements on a shop floor. You want to make sure everything you purchase for your production adds to your profits.

Have you taken the time to think about the money you spend on paper and file cabinets? Or how much time spreadsheets take to manually update? Are you still taking time to seek out old media for your shop floor, such as floppy disks?

A manufacturing integrator can help you reduce procurement costs, help with time-sensitive efficiencies, and help you maintain a marketplace advantage in a newly-revitalized American manufacturing landscape.

 

For more information on these solutions mentioned above, please call (877) 611-5825

Original Newsletter Here

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the July/August 2017 Shop Floor Automations newsletter:

Communication Issues You Can’t Ignore

You may have heard about DNC Software recently, but what exactly does it do? What benefits does it have that you need?

Here are three quick reasons DNC Software is a necessity on the shop floor:

  1. End CNC communication failures and stop manually managing your programs. One network for thousands of your CNC programs. Drip-feed, download and upload programs that are too big for the CNC memory. Make sure these crucial jobs are actually getting done at the machines on the shop floor.
  2. Hardware just won’t cut it. If you have a small shop with one or two machines, then using a Portable USB Connect may be enough for you, for now. But once your shop grows, you will get more machinery and more employees. You might already be a large company experiencing growing pains, coupled with CNC communication failures or wondering where on the shop floor your programs are floating around. Buying hardware or adding a USB port, though both actions are a great first step, won’t control your programs or get you the latest version of a file.
  3. The value is unmatched. When you invest in Predator DNC, it can be integrated with Predator MDC for machine data collection, or linked up with Predator PDM to help with paperless document control, or used with Touch HMI to make working at the machine easier. There are many integration possibilities – collecting machine trends can help improve OEE, while going paperless saves you time, and Touch HMI can replace old proprietary hardware like bar code readers.

SFA & The MFG Community

Shop Floor Automations loves being involved in the manufacturing community. We see the community is quickly growing as an influx of younger generation workers enters. This is especially true for the manufacturing community’s social media presence.

SFA has been involved with the manufacturing community in a multitude of ways over the last few years. Ask us how!

Call (877) 611-5825 for more info. Link to the original newsletter here.

shop floor automations newsletter

The following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations newsletter from July 2017:

The buzz is out. The Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, lean manufacturing, and OEE for manufacturing are all hot topics for our industry. Machine monitoring is one way to measure what you have before you can start improving, but what does it take to get started?

 

Is it affordable and compatible with your equipment? What about Cloud-based products that are low-cost and hosts data offsite? If you haven’t yet been persuaded, it’s likely because you’re wondering what exactly happens to your data. 

 

Many customers have turned to our Cloud-based solutions not only due to low cost, the ability to get email or text notifications of production issues, and no long term commitments but also because of proven reliability. One of our customers stated they were able to run their five-axis CNC machines for 24 hours a day to increase productivity instead of investing in more machines. That’s a big deal! 

 

“By 2020, a corporate ‘no-Cloud’ policy will be as rare as a ‘no-internet’ policy is today,” states Gartner, which is a highly respected information technology research company. As the current workforce in manufacturing grapples with a mass departure of experienced workers who are retiring, a younger workforce that is likely more adaptive to modern technology trickles in. 

 

If you’re still on the fence about Cloud-based tech for your shop floor, read this blog from our site where we map out how exactly your data is handled for DataXchange machine monitoring. We also have this interesting blog that discovers how IIoT and Cloud tech can help cut down on maintenance costs and help with the current manufacturing skills gap.

Fill out a contact form for more information. Read our original newsletter

Shop Floor Automations Newsletter

The following is an archived copy of the 2017 June/May Shop Floor Automations Newsletter.

Consider Shop Floor Hardware

It is amazing how much hardware changes our daily lives. Your smartphone, your FitBit, your home assistant devices like Amazon Echo or Google Home – hardware helps improve your life in so many ways. Why not invest in some new hardware for your shop floor?

Add USB to any machine. Drip-feed programs that are too large for your CNC memory. Replace floppy disks or poorly insulated cables that are dropping your program transfers. Coming soon, use hardware that can function via WiFi, RS232 Serial, Ethernet, PLC, and the MTConnect protocol, at the same time. There are so many options at a very affordable cost.

Our customers have turned to our hardware to solve many shop floor problems. One customer found that his company could save money and not risk damaging their shop’s laptop by using our Portable USB Connect instead. Another customer who has been with us for over a decade has been using our wireless CNC machine networking devices in their shop for years. Another customer loves the process control and security of his shop’s programs from using our hardware devices. Just ask us about other hardware benefits!

Consulting a Technician Won’t Break The Bank

Have you ever bought hardware from some off-the-beaten-path discount store, or purchased cheap software, and have been dismayed at the lack of support or detailed documentation? It is so valuable when a technology company offers support for their products, and when offered, it may cost less than you think.

SFA is proud to have some of the best technicians in the manufacturing integration business. They not only offer support over the phone and via remote sessions for customers, but they can also come on-site to help.

We have some great resources on our website that explain why it is a great idea to use a technician instead of attempting to do it yourself. Sometimes cabling can be a little more difficult than you may have thought previously, which you can read about via another blog post. We also did a post on how setting up hardware can be a little more complex than you imagined.

For more info, send us a message, or call (877) 611-5825. See the original newsletter

May 2017 Shop Floor Automations Newsletter

If there are production issues at a manufacturing company, it is likely that at one time or another, a conflict has happened between those on the administrative side and those on the machinist side.

While it can appear as if the machinists are not doing their jobs, it is also likely that the machinists have tried to communicate their problems and lack of resources to the front office. With today’s diagnostic culture in mind, it’s a great idea to implement machine monitoring to help smooth over these communication issues.

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterWith machine monitoring data collection from Predator Software via MDC, it can help start a dialogue with your shop floor and its managers. Using the machine timeline dashboard via the Predator Machine Monitoring Client Software can help to plan a stand-up production meeting.

A manager can display this data on a shop floor screen and review with the team what the machines did yesterday during second and third shifts. This can encourage communication and understanding between those who work directly with machines, and those who work in the front office.

Also, the assumption that machine monitoring only works on CNC machines could be causing some shops to avoid investing in machine monitoring. For instance, an aerospace company that paints airplane parts needed their environment monitored for changes in humidity and temperature. We have also helped set up monitoring for a dairy farm, as well as testing the future possibilities of monitoring autoclaves and forklifts.

These unconventional machine monitoring capabilities have been possible with Scytec’s DataXchange and our industrious technicians. It also starts at $45 per month, per machine, which is a great way to get your feet wet with the concept of machine monitoring.

Visit our website for more machine monitoring info 

by clicking below, or by calling (877) 611-5825 today!

Want to try out our software
before you commit to buying it?
Ask about our trial packages.
 
Request a demo! Read the original newsletter

The following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations newsletter – the March/April 2017 issue:

Top 3 Reasons for PDM

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterIs your production flourishing or failing? One of the key factors in having a successful manufacturing operation is keeping organized, so if you feel there are any issues at all with your shop floor, this is a great place to start.

There are many reasons to research Production Data Management (PDM), but these Top 3 Reasons are key: it helps you go paperless, it can make your job easier, and it can help you rest assured that you are following the law, as a manufacturing operation.

What is Edge Factor? 

Has your shop floor been affected by the manufacturing skills gap, or do you wish you knew more about your industry? If so, you should definitely look into investing in Edge Factor.

Edge Factor, which can be described as a Netflix-style video program for the manufacturing industry, is a new asset to this community. It is being used to bring new interest into the American manufacturing industry, and it’s also great for those already in the industry to learn more about it.

Adding Wi-Fi is Easy

Have you ever wished that you could make your CNC machine wireless, but thought it was out of your price range? It may be easier than you think to take a step forward in technology for your shop floor.

The Wi-Fi USB Connect will help you transmit data from an old machine in your shop wirelessly. It adds Wi-Fi to the machine via a USB port, allowing it connect wirelessly to a shared folder. 

As long as the machine in question has a USB port, you are good to go! The best part – you don’t need to drop thousands of dollars or take part in a complicated install process.

For more information on any of the topics above, call (877) 611-5825 or fill out an inquiry form here. Link to original newsletter here

IIoT Newsletter

Adapting to the IIoT can help you stop hovering over machines & waiting for a problem to occur. Shop Floor Automations can easily help implement this new technology. 

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterEmbracing manufacturing shop floor automation and the Industrial internet of things (IIoT) will help the American manufacturing sector as it tries to keep pace with the millions of manufacturing jobs that need filling. Implementing automation tactics such as machine monitoring, DNC software, job scheduling, CMMS, and more, does not intend to replace people who could do these jobs.

But what exactly is the IIoT? “Although there is no exact definition for what this phrase means, it undoubtedly refers to the strategy of linking machine tools, and other shop floor equipment, to a web-enabled network that makes manufacturing increasingly data-driven,” says Mark Albert of Modern Machine Shop in their January 2017 issue.

The power of the IIoT is more than a fad nowadays; it’s revolutionizing maintenance operators. Nearly every asset in a manufacturing environment has the capability to provide critical information. This capability can come directly from the machine using handheld devices, such as pressure calibrators or multimeters, or machine-mounted sensors to collect and feed critical asset data to a single system of record.

Cloud-based software, such as Scytec DataXchange or Predator MDC, can easily monitor CNC machines that already have the necessary interfaces to connect to a network and the internet. For legacy machines that do not have a readily available Ethernet port, SFA has found easy-to-deploy solutions to establish Cloud connectivity.

Want a quick laugh? Check out our machine monitoring themed Shop Floor Man comic strip. Machine monitoring is definitely a big part of the IIoT and we would love to tell you more about it, so contact us anytime!

Quick announcement: Our friends at Workshops for Warriors are holding an inaugural gala aboard the USS Midway here in San Diego on April 20th, 2017. The event will honor military veterans and raise money for their cause of gaining manufacturing industry certifications for veterans.

If you would like to attend or donate, call (619) 550-1620 to see how you can help contribute!

For more information on any of the topics above, call (877) 611-5825 or fill out an inquiry form. Read the original newsletter

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of our January/February 2017  SFA Newsletter.

What is Secure DNC?

If you have taken the steps to invest in DNC Software for your shop floor, you also want to be sure these programs are secure and your manufacturing operation isn’t taken for a ride by hackers and other shady characters. How many new machines do you have that are just plugged into the network?

Ask us about Secure DNC – a Windows application designed to be installed on Windows-based CNC machines, CMMs, test stands, and other equipment.

It supports a wireless or wired Ethernet interface via TCP/IP. It eliminates the requirements of corporate domains, workgroups, or Windows Shares for DNC transfers. Further good news is that it supports older versions of Windows, which reduces the need for costly Windows updates on CNC machines. Read more about Secure DNC!

Consider: Job Scheduling 

“Shops often share their data management woes, so when I came across these five reasons for making the change from spreadsheets to a real-time, graphical job scheduler, I just had to pass them along,” declares Christina from MoldMaking Technology, regarding our article where we boldly declare spreadsheets to be “dead weight.”

Spreadsheets in the manufacturing industry have to be given the boot, for a number of reasons. Having a responsive program that can help you plan up to 365 days into the future for production schedules is a great step forward for your shop floor. We would love to help you transition to this technology. See more about our job scheduling solution JobPack!

Original SFA newsletter link HERE

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThis is an archive of our January 2017 topical newsletter:

What exactly is going on with the welfare of American manufacturing? Are the horror stories of all our jobs going to robots and China unfounded? Here are two good pieces of news, and one factor we should consider, in regards to this industry in the USA:

1) Manufacturing jobs that were already in America continue to grow. With organizations such as Workshops for Warriors training a new workforce, and movements like MFG Day encouraging a younger generation to show interest in our industry, the seeds of growth are being planted. Bloomberg News also declares that manufacturing is the strongest it has been since August 2009, with notable improvements this past December.

2) Manufacturing jobs reported to be moved to America from overseas. There is talk of Apple moving production of iPhones to America, while a Chinese garment company that makes clothing for brands such as Armani, is definitely moving to America. There is also the infamous story of Ford canceling a factory in Mexico and instead, investing Millions into a Michigan facility. With these moves, more manufacturing jobs will be created to keep the Made in America movement growing.

3) Whatever is broken in this industry won’t be fixed overnight, is the hard truth. This article from The Economist is a fascinating read, as they point out that not all of America’s manufacturing problems are caused strictly by globalization. The President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing said it best “America felt left behind as manufacturing jobs disappeared, and no single election cycle can erase that,” said Scott Paul. “As President-Elect Trump prepares to take office, the question becomes how best to restore the American dream for our working people – and that path, for many, lies in the heart of a resurgent manufacturing sector.”

CONTACT US Toll Free: (877) 611-5825

Link to original newsletter HERE