[squarewoodcraft1980]

I am rebuilding One of these older SCM machine centers. I have dealt with the older PLCs for years and we are not user friendly if you are not familiar with them but if you are they can be the fastest most efficient machines out there. The problem is getting information if you need it. Forget about SCM group because they will do everything but help so you buy new machines or newer computers. One of these softwares I found to be very helpful over the years was Aspan which is a CAD-based software that allows you to draw any patterns you want or enter DXF files from AutoCAD drawings that already made and pull your parts from there. Now here's the secret that not too many people seem to know. That can cam software is good when you want to do routing patterns but if you want to use the drills and construction holes efficiently it is done faster at the machine using subroutines. In other words you write a pattern called hinch plates on X 0 or shelf holes pre-written with the center on X 0 when it comes time to write your programs all you have to do is hit s enter the name of your subroutine and place it at X 3.5 If that's where your hinge plate will end up from the bottom and the shelf holes at the center of your board Y 2 for 2 in back. It's extremely efficient and there are so many different shortcuts that you can use along the way. I could program construction holes as fast as the machine would work when I did custom kitchens. By the time the guy in the office would be done making every pattern with construction holes on Aspan I had the job done and moved over to the building already. The sad part about these machining companies and the way they sold is they kept you away from the really efficient way to use them. It was all one direction or none. When the reality is nobody knows your business better than you certainly not a machine salesman that's never seen your operation in details. The fastest way to the end of the job is a straight line whatever that may be. It's doing half your programming on a cat-based program to save all the geometry that you would have to do at the machine in the office on a CAD cam program that makes all the sense in the world but when it comes to construction holes it slows you down. I remember the last two SCM machine centers I purchased in 1998. The technician was setting up the Aspan CAD cam program which I was already familiar with. As he was teaching a few of the guys House of program that way I asked him why he was slowing the operation down. I told him I could be way faster out on the machine using subroutines. His exact words were You're right but I'm not supposed to be teaching you that. That was an eye-opener as to the direction the American sector of these woodworking machines wanted to go.

I would be interested in talking with you and having you review our programs to see if you can improve our process. Can we chat?