Anyone using 'machine monitoring' software?

[chris m]

Good morning,

 

Are any of you fine folks using any sort of machine- or productivity monitoring software?

 

Our Production management is curious about the lack of correlation between planned and actual production at times, and is interested in some data collection to generate real-time and historical dashboards to understand / display machine productivity.

 

We are currently focusing on MEMEX and MachineMetrics products, due to some partner feedback, but I see that CIMCO also has a product for this.

 

Sharing of thoughts and experience is much appreciated.

 

C

[Newbeeee™]

Chris - a customer of ours has CIMCO and I believe it works ok.

If you want any specific questions answered I can try and find out.

[Jayson Kramer]

Chris what are you looking to know? you can contact one of us on the Cimco Americas team to answer your questions. feel free to email me also. jk AT Cimco.com

[chris m]

Jay, I saw you at the IMTS booth, but you were busy talking with someone so I didn't bother you

 

CIMQUEST is our CIMCO store; anyone over there that can speak to this product? Looking for a general overview of how the software works

[YoDoug®]

At our last open house we had Scytec out to display their product. It looked to be a through product for monitoring machines. One guy was able to connect to a few different machines the morning of the show and have it up and running before customers started showing up. In the newer Okumas they use the MT connect app. For older machines they have a plc Brick to transfer the status.

 

 

 https://www.scytec.com/

[Watcher]

Best ones I've worked with:

 

Freedom eLog from 5ME

Cimco MDC-Max

 

If you already have Cimco DNC-Max, it makes sense to buy this extra module and the services to get it up.

 

MDC-Max is now a mature product yet it gets lots of attention and enhancements from development.

[Guest]

We have this where I am at now....

 

I can't speak specifically to it as I have no involvement with it....

 

http://www.forcam.com/en

 

The people that do use it have liked it so far 

[Watcher]

Chris,

 

Which machines you have? If memory serves me correctly you work on an Okuma shop right?

 

If possible provide some details about the control models and brands and how old they are, and I can tell you some approaches to monitor them.

[chris m]

Thanks, guys

 

Doug, that looks interesting; do you have any customers running this?

 

Daniel, do you run / have you run the CIMCO product yourself? What did you think?

 

John, do you know who the reseller / partner is for that product?

 

We are planning to use MT Connect with P200 and newer OSP controls for now, and connect the Fanucs and the older OSPs down the road.

 

C

[Guest]

Thanks, guys

 

John, do you know who the reseller / partner is for that product?

 

C

MACDAC

 

We go with Cimquest for everything else

[YoDoug®]

Thanks, guys

 

Doug, that looks interesting; do you have any customers running this?

 

Daniel, do you run / have you run the CIMCO product yourself? What did you think?

 

John, do you know who the reseller / partner is for that product?

 

We are planning to use MT Connect with P200 and newer OSP controls for now, and connect the Fanucs and the older OSPs down the road.

 

C

 

Chris, we do not have any customers running it. In April we were getting ready for our open house and I thought with all of the buzz about IIOT this year that we should have a company that handles machine monitoring be involved in our show. Scytec was the first company that responded to my invite and was willing to come and participate. I know he left the show with some good leads but I don't know if any of our customer have purchased. 

[Watcher]

Chris,

 

Been using Cimco since 2007, I know with some intimacy all modules and products they sell, except for the HSM Performance Pack product.

 

MTConnect is a great decision. We're now in what I'd call the 2nd generation of shop floor monitoring technology.

 

The 1st generation was signal based and required hardware and plc mods to make the controls to output their status. Machine builders were not offering this off the shelf.

 

The 2nd generation uses software interfaces and protocols. MTConnect is one of them.

 

Can also be done via Fanuc FOCAS, Okuma API, Heidenhain Option 18,Haas Connect, Mitsubishi DCOM, Netlink Pro, etc.

 

It's the best way, because it's nearly plug and play, more comprehensive in terms of what can be monitored, more flexible and can be enhanced and fixed via software.

 

This industry 4.0 hype made machine and control builders to offer this and much more.

 

Cimco is a good decision because they do support every relevant protocol in the market and they do it remarkably well, keeping it continuously updated.

 

This is instrumental in making a decision because it makes implementations easier and successful. It's common to get a new enhancement or fix a week after a Cimco reseller or field engineer accomplishes a new installation. They are very keen in implementing special requirements.

 

I brought one of their engineers to Brazil in 2013 and in 3 days we're up. But in the following year they implemented dozens of requests I asked for that installation. Let alone someone else's requests. I witnessed a boom in the technology behind their MDC-Max product.

 

Many vendors do the talk but don't walk the walk. Cimco does.

 

Jm2c

[chris m]

Thank you, Daniel, for the information; I appreciate first-hand knowledge very much.

 

We have used CimcoEdit and DNCMax for many years, and Cimco has always been very supportive of us, even though we aren't a huge customer.

 

I will find out what I can about their product before we move much further down the path.

 

C