shop floor automations newsletterThis is an archive of our Holiday 2016 Shop Floor Automations Newsletter.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from all of us here at SFA!

We have special holiday hours the 23rd & we’re closed the 26th. We are back
the 27th – thank you!

Check out the new Holiday-themed Shop Floor Man comic strip. Enjoy!

CONTACT US
Toll Free: (877) 611-5825

Connect with us on Social Media

See the original newsletter

More about the Shop Floor Man comic series:

“With an eye toward a younger manufacturing audience, the company has launched a Web comic series,” says Jedd Cole of TechSpex. “With the intention of carving out a space for manufacturing-related humor on social media, especially Twitter.”

“The comic appears in two-panel stories in which the main character, Shop Floor Man, shows life with SFA’s solutions compared with exaggerated horrors he faces elsewhere,” Cole continued. “Other comics will riff on familiar trials faced by machinists everywhere, as well as other industry-related humor.”

Shop Floor Automations (SFA) is doing its job to attract a younger manufacturing audience by working its social media channels and developing a comic strip series called Shop Floor Man Presents,” Christina M. Fuges of MoldMaking Technology writes.

 

shop floor automations newsletterThis is an archive of our December 2016 Shop Floor Automations newsletter.

Happy Holidays from SFA!

Shop Floor Automations (SFA) knows that the holidays are different for
all of our customers, and even our employees. No matter how you
celebrate this winter, we hope it is the very happiest and healthiest
of holiday seasons for you!

We would be nowhere without our customers, so from now until the very
start of the New Year, please take advantage of our 10% off sale
going on in our store.

We hope you enjoy the rest of this newsletter, which focuses on Data
Driven Decision Making in manufacturing, as well as a feature on our
Wireless Connect solutions. We would love to help your shop floor
plan a more productive 2017.

Make a New Years Resolution to Go Wireless

Ready to go wireless? We have your shop floor covered with products
from our Wireless Connect line.

Replace your broken cables and increase the speed of file transfers
to your machines. These affordable devices are simple to install, can
be configured with a web interface, and have a lifetime warranty.
Worried about compatibility? Our units work with any CNC control,
regardless of the machine’s age, with RS232 or Ethernet.
Ready to start?

Data-Driven Decision Making for 2017

You wouldn’t make a decision to create a part without having the
measurements and proper software to build it first, right? Then why
not capture data from your machines to make better production
decisions?

Data-Driven Decision Making, or DDDM, is used for HR decisions,
marketing budgets, and even expansion strategies. It’s perfect to
adopt it into your manufacturing habits, too!

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE!
(877) 611-5825 or Fill out a form
Link to original newsletter HERE

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThis is an archive of our July/August Shop Floor Automations Newsletter.

Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans

Shop Floor Automations recently attended an event where
an open house was held for an organization called Workshops for Warriors.

Military veterans from all over the USA come to Workshops for
Warriors in San Diego so they can gain nationally recognized
certifications and get careers in the manufacturing industry.

Get a DNC Safety Net

It goes without saying that your machines are your biggest asset on
your shop floor. New employees can be trained, generators can be used
when the power goes out – the list of safe alternatives goes on and on.

What happens when the DNC goes down? There are numerous ways this can
happen, but instead of running nightmare scenarios in your head, how
about a backup plan instead?

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFO!
Toll Free: (877) 611-5825
LINK TO ORIGINAL NEWSLETTER

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThis is an archive of our May/June 2016 Shop Floor Automations Newsletter.

New Pricing for Floppy Drive Emulators

Do you have machines that are still running with floppy drives?
Our Floppy Drive Emulator is the perfect solution to keep older machines
running with USB devices rather than outdated floppy disks. This device works
on numerous controls and we have an amazing support team to help you over the phone.

The great news is that if you have Haas CNC Machines, the Floppy Emulator is Plug & Play –
you can just order it online and you’re good to go!

Call us to determine what other CNC’s
we can help you with. We’re always happy to hear from you.

“Lights-Out” Manufacturing Through Automation

In many parts of the country, electricity prices are continually rising.
Power providers are charging lower rates to customers who use the majority of their energy
during off-peak hours. By utilizing lights-out manufacturing, machine shops can run during
off-peak hours and save on power bills.

Our solutions such as Predator MDC Software
or Scytec DataXchange can automate processes and allow for lights-out production to become
a reality on your shop floor.

DataXchange Pays for Itself

Decrease downtime by knowing exactly what your machines are doing at all times of the day.

Scytec DataXchange can easily increase uptime by more than 30 minutes per machine, per day! This increase in productivity means the software will typically pay for itself within the first few days of the month.

Imagine the potential savings of knowing when a machine is sitting in
a feed hold, running at a lower feed rate, or if a program stops
altogether. Production will be at an all-time high and the benefits can be substantial.
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION –
Toll Free: (877) 611-5825
LINK TO ORIGINAL NEWSLETTER HERE

NTMA san diegoNTMA Poker Event

Join us at the Belching Beaver for an exciting NTMA poker run event where participants draw cards from table to table while enjoying some craft brew!

Tuesday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m.

The grand prize winner will receive a Portable USB Connect, retail value of $700!

This device acts as an interface between USB memory drives and any CNC machine. Click below to learn more about the Portable USB Connect.

Where: 
Belching Beaver Brewery, 
980 Park Center Drive, Suite A 
Vista, California 92081
 
Cost: $15 (Includes dinner)
More info at the original newsletter

More about NTMA:

Shop Floor Automations is a proud associate member of the San Diego Chapter of NTMA. The National Tooling & Machining Association works to create allies within the San Diego region of the local machining and tool industry by fostering mutual success through education, technology, and communication.

We encourage you to take advantage of what this great organization has to offer. Please check the schedule below in order to find upcoming events held by NTMA.

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archive of our January/February 2016 Shop Floor Automations Newsletter.

Please note that the newsletter sent out had a typo of the date “January/February 2015” in the title, but this email was sent out February 16th, 2016.

The Internet of Things for Machines

How the Internet of Things is Helping Plants with Maintenance Leverage Tablets and Mobile Devices with Touch HMI

Join us on April 14th at 12:00PM PST, to learn how machine monitoringand data collection can make predictive maintenance a reality in your operations.
Bigfoot CMMS and Scytec DataXchange will be coming together to
discuss their software applications and integration options.

This smart technology is bringing the Internet of Things closer to
the shop floor, automating processes that could only be done manually
in the past.

See real-world examples and the benefits of cloud-based machine
monitoring and asset management, and see how high your utilization
and asset management strategy can soar.

Traditionally, a machine shop operator might initiate a process or operation
by scanning a bar code or QR code. With the release of Predator Touch HMI,
simple touch screen buttons can replace these traditional methods.
With one touch, you can send a CNC program to a machine, send email notifications,
display work instructions, or trigger many more customizable functions.

This application not only saves time but allows for an easy to use
process to be implemented with no install needed!
Learn more about Predator Touch HMI and DNC software to see
how you can further automate your machine shop.

Is Your Shop Ready for El Nino?

The recent weather trends have proved problematic to many machine shops.
Lightning strikes, floods and extreme wind can easily take out the power
or cause electrical surges.  In the case of power outages due to extreme weather,
machine shops can’t afford to lose CNC communication.

USB Connect backups are the perfect way to keep producing parts
in the case of an unexpected network error.  Portable or Pendant USB hardware
is a simple solution to keep productivity on schedule during unforeseen problems.

NTMA Member Discounts, Benefits and Meetings!

Shop Floor Automations is a proud Associate Member of the NTMA in San
Diego. To show appreciation for NTMA members across the US, we offer a 10%
off discount on Software and a 5% off discount on Hardware for all
active NTMA members.

NTMA works to cultivate our industry’s community so we can come
together, collaberate and learn from each other.

Are Your Machines Actually Cutting?     

Modern Machine Shop recently released an article about one of our customers
that recently began utilizing data collection software in order to improve efficiency.

This article explains how machine monitoring can improve efficiencies
outside of the machining cycle. Data Collection gives operators and shop managers a clear visual
of what is actually happening on the shop floor. Read the full article HERE.

Link to original newsletter HERE 

Call us for info at
Toll Free: (877) 611-5825

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – NOV/DEC 2015 issue

SFA is hosting an online scavenger hunt to celebrate the holiday season. Participants will have the opportunity to find a Free T-shirt Coupon Code on our website!

There are only ten free “G-Code” T-shirts available once you find the coupon code so hurry up and start “hunting!”

Bigfoot CMMS Software can help you on a day-to-day basis: less downtime, more time for actual work, plus the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are in control.

We are excited to announce the release of the latest Bigfoot read-only free trial.

We encourage you to try out this amazing software for yourself!

NTMA is an organization that works to create allies within the San Diego region of the local machining and tooling industry by fostering mutual success through education, technology and opportunity sharing.

Being an active member in the community and in our industry is an important aspect of what we stand for.

We appreciate the opportunity we had to present to our San Diego NTMA chapter in October.

We would like to thank you for a great year of business. We strive to deliver the best in automation solutions and service.

We value all of our customers and appreciate having the opportunity to deliver value through improving your efficiency and productivity.

We believe that machine shop automation is the way of the future whether it be through Machine Monitoring, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems or Direct Numerical Control. These streamlined solutions have the capabilities to save shop’s time, money and headaches.

High quality, application specific RS232 cables are an essential component in any reliable shop floor communication network. We have put together a system that provides customers with an entire cable solution. Our line of serial port adapters can accommodate any combination of CNC controls and different computer ports.

Customize RS232 cables to work specifically for your shop’s needs in three easy steps: Choose the length you need, select your CNC Control then pick your computer. We will develop a custom cable configuration just for your specifications.

We are so confident that you will love our RS232 cable solutions that we are giving you 10% off a RS232 cable purchase. Use the coupon code “CABLEGUY” to receive your discount.

Link to original newsletter

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThis is an archived copy of our Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – July & August 2015

Did you miss our last webinar on machine monitoring? 

Call us at (877) 611-5825 for more demonstrations!

Quickly begin collecting real-time data from the shop floor with no servers to maintain, works with any type of CNC controller or equipment, and access anywhere there is an Internet connection. There is no limit to the number of users, equipment or licenses using our new “cloud-based” machine monitoring software.
See our recent tutorials on YouTube to learn valuable information about our solutions and products. 

The latest tutorial features how to license the Predator CNC Editor Light product which is promoted in our newsletter.

We also highlighted the Predator CNC Service showing how to gain valuable, rich data from your CNC controller with Predator Machine Monitoring Software.

The Predator CNC Editor free software is perfect for any programmer, hobbyist, or shop floor user to edit, save, print, and modify NC code.

The free CNC Editor can be used with any CAD/CAM software to review NC programs before sending them to the shop floor and you can install the application on any number of computers desired.

DataXchange from Scytec is our product spotlight this month.
Cloud-based monitoring is the way of the future and DataXchange is revolutionizing the way companies can monitor their machines. With mobile applications, you can view and report your data from anywhere. There is a one-time account setup fee and packages start at $45 per month for each CNC.

Link to original newsletter

Archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – May/June 2015.

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterReplace your floppy disk drives and media with USB solutions.

Our proven solution works with a variety of machines and equipment that use 1.44MB floppy disk drives.  All documentation and technical support are included to allow for a quick upgrade.

Simple to install using existing ribbon cable and power cable.  No modifications needed to your machines or special software required.

Are you still using Windows Server 2003 in your facility? There are some things you need to consider.

Microsoft is ending support for Windows Server 2003  on  July 14, 2015 which means no new security updates, hotfixes, assisted support options, or updated technical content.

Among other challenges, businesses will face increased risk from cyber-attack, and lack of PCI compliance. Windows Server 2003 end of support opens the door for new opportunities to introduce your customers to cloud and hybrid-cloud IT. Most companies now using Windows Server 2003 plan to migrate to a newer version of Windows Server, and many are considering cloud options.

“How to Improve Shop Efficiencies using the Cloud”

Join Shop Floor Automations and our partner Scytec Consulting for a webinar on a useful tool to monitor the efficiency of your shop floor.

Learn how you can monitor your shop in real-time and
– Decrease downtime
– Increase productivity
– Receive instant notifications
– View and report on your data from anywhere
– View unlimited dashboards for real time data
– Collect feed, speeds, overrides and more

Did you miss our webinar on Plant Maintenance Management software?

See a demonstration of the highlighted features in this video at your desk or on your mobile device.

We covered the following areas:
– Asset & equipment management
– Work orders and requests
– Inventory and purchasing
– Predictive maintenance
– Built-in reporting & analytics
– Mobility and more!

We have been serving our customers since 1998 and expanded our product lines.  While we have been recognized as the number one reseller for Predator Software for many consecutive years and known for wired and wireless DNC, check out our other product lines.  We specialize in machine monitoring, plant maintenance and job scheduling software to improve the work flow and processes throughout the shop floor. Contact us today for a free consultation on how we can help build a better partnership with you.

Link to original newsletter HERE 

Shop Floor Automations NewsletterThe following is an archived copy of the Shop Floor Automations Newsletter – March/April 2015 issue.

Please join Shop Floor Automations and our partner Smartware Group for a webinar on one of the most modern maintenance management solutions available today, Bigfoot CMMS.

Some of the highlighted features include:

  • Schedule unlimited preventive maintenance tasks and procedures with automatic reminders
  • Create, manage, and analyze work orders with drag-and-drop feature
  • Track and analyze equipment information and history
  • Make maintenance requests from anywhere within your organization
  • Manage and track assets and parts for Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory
  • Analyze historical maintenance issues and help predict future events with built-in reporting and analysis
  • Notify personnel of maintenance events with automated e-mails and mobile access

See a demonstration of Bigfoot CMMS and learn about its simple installation process, technical requirements, and available add-on solutions and services during this informative webinar

Keep your shop floor running in peak performance and upgrade your Predator Software.  Since February 2015, several new versions have been released.

Be sure to check out our support section on our website for the release notes.  Contact your Account Manager before upgrading to confirm you have the proper license, hardware and backup in place.  If you are on a current software maintenance and version upgrades agreement, the new version is available at no charge. If not current, please contact Paula at ext. 1000.

* Predator CNC Editor v10.0.25

* Predator DNC Enterprise v10.0.0.10

* Predator Machine Monitoring v10.0.209

* Predator CNC Service v10.2.0.182

* Predator Product Data Management v10.0.222

Keep your shop floor running in peak performance and upgrade your Predator Software.  Since February 2015, several new versions have been released.

Be sure to check out our support section on our website for the release notes.  Contact your Account Manager before upgrading to confirm you have the proper license, hardware and backup in place.  If you are on a current software maintenance and version upgrades agreement, the new version is available at no charge. If not current, please contact Paula at ext. 1000.

* Predator CNC Editor v10.0.25

* Predator DNC Enterprise v10.0.0.10

* Predator Machine Monitoring v10.0.209

* Predator CNC Service v10.2.0.182

* Predator Product Data Management v10.0.222

Simplify the communications on the shop floor with our USB Connect device.

* Add more memory to your CNC

* Drip-feed (DNC) large part programs

* Use any brand or size USB memory stick

* Works with any brand of CNC controller

* Either a pendant mounted or portable device

Plug in the USB memory stick with the NC program, select the button to transfer and you’re cutting chips with ease.

Did we help your company achieve its goals? Did we do a good job? Did one of our technicians go above and beyond the scope of work?

We would love to hear about it! Perhaps you could send us some feedback that we can post on our new website – and include your name and company. Just reply to this email. If you include your t-shirt size, we’ll send you a free G-Code t-shirt!

While we’re on the topic of performance, if we fell short of your expectations, we would like to hear about that as well – so we can make the necessary adjustments to our operations.

Link to original newsletter HERE