It's no secret that we love lofty goals. One of this week's features has such a goal. It is literally and figuratively lofty, they plan to mine asteroids. The other subject is near and dear to many of us, bringing those versatile CNC machines we appreciate into the hands of normal people. We know more about Asteroids than we do about the Earth An Affordable Desktop CNC … [Read more...]
Do I have to pay sales tax on my order?
An issue that comes up often with our customers here in California is the issue of Sales Tax. We have customers that at times request that sales tax be added to the transaction for CIMCO Software that is electronically downloaded, but it is actually not required by the State of California Board of Equalization. Specifically this is addressed in Publication 109, Internet … [Read more...]
Making Manufacturing Cool for Current and Future Generations
The Image Problem with Manufacturing in the USA To say Manufacturing in the US has an image problem is putting it lightly. Even Walmart's attempt to rally support for their commitment to US Manufacturing portrayed factories as dingy, dirty, grit encrusted environments. When you talk about manufacturing it conjures up a vision of huge factories in the far east with unskilled … [Read more...]
Two for Friday – Data Collection Standards and Flying Dune Buggies
We're going to have fun today with two completely diverse topics. One of them will make the manufacturing industry better and the other could make your wallet lighter. Are you ready? Data Collection Standards - Siemens names TechSolve as Solution Partner for MTConnect The Dune Buggy that Can Fly - SkyRunner Data Collection Standards - Siemens Names TechSolve as … [Read more...]
CIMCO Editor Training and Educational Resources
There is a newer version of this post! CIMCO Editor Training and Educational Resources Revisited Get the Most Out of Your CIMCO Editor Investment Tools are designed to make us more efficient and in business being more efficient makes us more profitable. CIMCO Editor is a CNC programmers tool, and to get the most out of it requires training and practice. Here are a number of … [Read more...]
You Selected Arizona but Tesla May Build the Giga-factory in California
You might recall earlier this month when we asked you where you thought that Tesla would build their 5 billion dollar battery giga-factory. At the time only Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas appeared to be in the running and you voted fairly overwhelmingly in favor of Arizona. On April 26th New Mexico Watchdog reported that there may be a chance that the factory will be in … [Read more...]
Two for Friday – Shop Classes and Positive Shipments
In this weeks edition of Two for Friday we'll discuss the seemingly conflicted relationship in two distinct topics. It's no wonder people get confused about where things are going. This week we were reminded that high paying jobs exist without candidates to fill them and yet un-employment overall remains high. We also learned that in spite of sentiment being low, shipments hit … [Read more...]
How to Load and Re-Load Common Parameters in CIMCO CNC-Calc
A couple months ago a useful feature was added to CNC-Calc. This feature will enhance the experience for people who frequently use the same toolpath parameters. The change includes the addition of a new tree on the left side instead of a tabbed interface. New buttons allow you to Load/Save and Reset the parameters. Pressing the Load Parameters button will list the … [Read more...]
Attracting the Right People to Manufacturing with STEM Education
As many of you probably already know, our background is as an IT provider. When we took on the opportunity of being a CIMCO reseller in 2006, it was a practical decision. There was a need for someone to answer the calls, fill the orders and help people with servicing their licenses. At that point we had worked with several machine shops in the IT capacity for many years. Then … [Read more...]
Two for Friday – Innovation and OEE
While visiting one of our customers in the Visalia area this week, the visit provoked some ideas about innovation in manufacturing. Luckily there was a tie in to that in the news as well. On LinkedIn we saw several discussions about calculating OEE and looking beyond just OEE so this week's topics are: Efforts to Promote Innovation in Manufacturing OEE and Beyond, What … [Read more...]