AI has already become indispensable for many of us. I definitely understand reluctance on the subject. What do business people hate most about AI? Let's find out, with some help from Grok3! This article is geared towards reluctant and casual users of AI and those looking to get started. As always, we will emphasize issues that matter most to manufacturers, because we live and … [Read more...]
Managed Solutions Guide to CIMCO MDM Integration with Active Directory
This tech tip is designed to provide some insight into how to integrate Active Directory with CIMCO Manufacturing Data Management (MDM). This will enable your IT department to directly manage group memberships, passwords, and add or remove users within the MDM user base. This saves them the time of learning a new tool while allowing them to work in the familiar tools they use … [Read more...]
CIMCO MNT: Streamlining Maintenance Management for Manufacturers
CIMCO has recently released CIMCO MNT, a powerful Maintenance Management System designed to simplify and improve maintenance operations for industrial and manufacturing environments. This new solution brings a range of features to help businesses track errors, schedule maintenance, manage service reports, and oversee inventory, all in one centralized system. Whether you need … [Read more...]
Air-Gapping CIMCO Software: Your Shield Against Manufacturing Cyber Threats
Before diving into this article, we highly recommend reviewing our guide, "CNC Machine Security: The Dangers and Management of USB Devices". The USB port on your CNC control remains a critical vulnerability—even in air-gapped environments. Cyber threats to manufacturing operations have grown increasingly sophisticated, with ransomware such as Black Basta posing … [Read more...]
CIMCO Tech Tip: Create a Workflow to Lock Old Revision Levels in MDM
This article explains how to create a workflow to lock the old revision level and all sub-levels when a new revision level is added. The content below is only for those administrators of CIMCO MDM who have working knowledge and a good understanding of the implications of these changes. (NOTE: This article does not cover the status configuration, look here to learn about … [Read more...]
CNC Machine Security: The Dangers and Management of USB Devices
I introduced a new feature for this article, since it is quite a bit longer than our usual articles. The information covered here is very important, but maybe you don't have time to read it right now and you want some quick advice. If this is you: This article "almost wasn't". While working on the original, I had an idea. I wanted to explore whether OT-Max could directly … [Read more...]
2025 Relaunch of the Five Minute Gemba
Welcome back! After a hiatus, I am excited to reintroduce the Five Minute Gemba newsletter. As we step in to 2025, I want to share some reflections, news, and set the tone for the new year for the newsletter and beyond. Reflections on 2024, LLM Influence Last year I discovered a powerful ally, what I dubbed my "best $20 a month employee" aka ChatGPT. I then started working … [Read more...]
Unlocking Potential with CIMCO Teachware
In the ever-evolving world of manufacturing and CNC machining, staying ahead of the curve isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. One of the most powerful tools for training, documentation, and procedural clarity is CIMCO Teachware. Originally designed to enhance education and training programs, this versatile platform offers much more than meets the eye. What is CIMCO … [Read more...]
CMMC 2.0 and the Encrypted Shop Floor: How OT-Max Helps You Meet Compliance
In recent years, our experience bridging the gap between IT and OT has been called upon often. As time goes on, rules change, standards change, and we're all required to adapt. It's often not simple answers, there is a lot of interpretation about how to achieve some of the loftier requirements. One of them just got a heck of a lot easier, CMMC 2.0 and your shop floor … [Read more...]
CIMCO Editor Training and Educational Resources Revisited
So much has changed in 10 years. This has been for us a very popular page, however due to huge changes in the CIMCO Editor world, it was time to revise it. What has changed since 2014? Multiple new versions, with the latest being 2025. A super fast new Simulation Kernel and Solid Simulation within Editor to compliment backplot. A completely new product - Machine … [Read more...]