Reason #2 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Real World Cycletime Estimating

#2 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Real World Cycletime Estimating

No matter what you use or how you perform your cost estimating ... the basics of a good and profitable cost estimate begins with an accurate machining cycletime estimate. Looking at a part and saying "That should take us about 2 mins. to machine" ... is not cycletime estimating ... it's guesstimating ... and it WILL be FATAL !!

That's why we choose REAL WORLD CYCLETIME ESTIMATING as our #2 Reason Why Kipware® SAVES YOU MONEY!!

KipwareCYC® was born from the experiences of creating machine justifications while working as an Applications Engineer for a major Japanese machine tool builder. Companies came to us and wanted to know the age old question ... How long is it going to take to machine our parts on your machine? Based on the cycletime estimates I created ... they would either purchase the machine or walk away. If they purchased the machine ... life only got tougher. Now we had to make that cycletime stick ... in the real world. Just like shops do in the real world every day. KipwareCYC® was enhanced and further developed while working as a Manufacturing Engineer in a high production, large volume machine shop ... I had to insure that the machining time estimated was realistic and accurate. Those Real World experiences are built into KipwareCYC® ... and it has been more than proven-in-the-trenches over the years.

As we wind down our TOP 10 Reasons - Why Kipware®? ... we are really keying on our TOP software products that we have designed and developed ... based on over 25+ years in-the-trenches ... that produce the biggest cost advantages for our clients. All of our products have their niche ... and reasons why they are so effective in the Real World ... but KipwareCYC® stands out as one of the TOP.

Want to learn more ... we invite you to visit www.KentechInc.com or www.MachineShopSoftware.com and explore KipwareCYC® in more detail.

Better yet ... why not arrange for a personal online demonstration and let us show you how we can back up our claims ... click here to set one up.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #3 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Control Incompatibility

#3 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Control Incompatibility

Almost every shop floor I have ever encountered consisted of different machine tools ... both from different machine tool builders and machine tools equipped with different CNC controls. And inevitably ... the control incompatibility issue would rear it's ugly head ... usually at the most inopportune moments. The most common issue came when the G code program was written for one machine ... now when it's time to run the part that machine is busy ... the program needs to be run in another machine which has a different control.

But there were also other scenarios ... like :

• We want to buy another machine ... but the machine that would really fit nice is equipped with a different type of control ... what we will we do with all our older programs?
• Jack only knows programming on machine A ... Joe is out today and we really need a program for machine B, the machine he programs.
• ... and we can go on and on.

You get the point ... or are experiencing the point on your own shop floor.

Because we lived and worked in the real world ... we are able to "see" these types of issues ... and to create real world solutions to address them. Since 1986 ... when we were first contracted by Raytheon to develop G code conversion software for their shop floor ... Kentech Inc. has been a leader and a pioneer in G code conversion software. Over the years we have developed many customized applications to address many types of control incompatibilities on shop floors for various clients ... and then put that knowledge to use to develop our own line of G code conversion applications.

KipwareXC® is our user-defined or soft coded conversion application. Through a mixture of pre-defined conversion options and user defined conversion options ... KipwareXC® has been proven in-the-trenches to be both flexible and effective in converting G code from one format to another. With the ability to create multiple conversion Profiles ... users can configure KipwareXC® to handle multiple format conversions for multiple types of CNC's.

Kipware® CNC XChange is our hard coded applications. We design and build specific versions of CNC XChange to handle specific types of conversions. Rather than the user configuring the conversion options ... our developers write the conversions directly into the source code. To convert programs the user simply browses for the file to convert and selects convert ... CNC XChange prforms all the necessary conversions ... all automatically. Our most popular version of Kipware® CNC XChange is our Fanuc <--> Okuma version ... which is why it is our Reason #6 - TOP 10 Reason - WHY KIPWARE®?

Control Incompatibility and all the issues it creates on the shop floor ... is a major reason for production inefficiencies that will directly effect your companies bottom line. Removing that control incompatibility ... through Kipware® conversion software ...  is just one of the TOP 10 Reasons why KIPWARE SAVES YOU MONEY !!

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #4 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Increased G Code Ouput

#4 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Increased G Code Output

Now one can deny that CAD/CAM is a great tool ... but for the 95% of G code created around the world every day ... simple milling, drilling, turning, grooving, threading, etc. ... IT'S OVERKILL !!

The fact is that most shops around the world are not programming aircraft parts or mold work on a day-to-day basis. And those are the type of jobs that CAD/CAM was designed to handle ... and it does it very well. Most shops are doing what we described above ... simple milling, drilling, turning, grooving, threading, etc. ... and CAD/CAM presents a lot of negatives for this type of work. Using your CAD/CAM system is not always your best programming option ... period. And to compete in today's world ... you programming requires an arsenal of tools ... not just a CAD/CAM system.

Here is the most glaring negative ... that DECREASES your G code output ... and the reason Kipware® conversational is a powerful tool in your programming arsenal.

• CAD/CAM systems are complex ... no matter how EASY they tell you they are. Most have a wide array of menus, screens, options ... because they are needed for the complex stuff ... that makes both navigation and operation quite complex. And that means you need a qualified CAD/CAM operator ... and most likely not everyone in your shop will or can be a qualified CAD/CAM operator. In addition, CAD/CAM requires a drawing in order to create even the simplest G code program. A drawing is not always available ... which means one has to be created. Which means the operator has to have at least CAD experience. You don't need a drawing to machine a round pocket with a drilled and tapped bolt circle at the bottom. Drawing wastes valuable time ... time that could have been used creating and running G code ... making parts.That means your CAD/CAM system is removing good chipmakers from your programming process. Having only one or two people capable of producing your G code is a detriment to efficiency and productivity.

• Kipware® is conversational and intuitive ... using plain English, fill-in-the-blank forms to gather the required data to create the G code program. This allows for easy creation of G code programs ... allowing users with no drawing or CAD/CAM background ... to create the G code for the simpler everyday jobs ... the majority of programming done in the real world everyday. This means increased efficiency and productivity. Kipware® does not require a drawing for those simpler, everyday programming. The conversational design of Kipware® conversational allows for easy and fast G code creation. If the part is more complex and it requires a drawing ... the built-in Kipware® SketchPad has an interface and layout that is more intuitive than CAD packages ... allowing non-CAD proficient operators to easily create sketches that can then be machined using a conversational menu. In addition ... the patent pending Machinist Mode in the SketchPad creates G code toolpaths by simply moving the mouse !!

Free your floor from the shackles of  CAD/CAM OVERKILL.

What does Increased G Code Output mean? It's simple ... more chips, more parts, more money. Realizing that your CAD/CAM system is not always the best programming alternative ... implementing Kipware® conversational into your system ... will break the chains that are holding back your productivity, your efficiency, and your G code output.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #5 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Real World Estimating

#5 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Real World Estimating

Let's face the facts ... quoting and estimating is the LIFEBLOOD of your business. Period. End of story.

If the jobs don't come in ... or if they come in and your shop is losing money on them ... the shop is on the road to ruin. Sorry ... it's the fact.

Having lived and cut our teeth on the shop floor and in the real world ... we developed KipwareCYC® and KipwareQTE® to insure that shops using them not only win work ... but win profitable work. And since 1990 ... shops of all sizes have profited from our design, our development and our experience built into KipwareCYC® and KipwareQTE®.

KipwareCYC® was born from the experiences of creating machine justifications while working as an Applications Engineer for a major Japanese machine tool builder. Companies came to us and wanted to know the age old question ... How long is it going to take to machine our parts on your machine? Based on the cycletime estimates I created ... they would either purchase the machine or walk away. If they purchased the machine ... life only got tougher. Now we had to make that cycletime stick ... in the real world. Just like shops do in the real world every day. That experience is built into KipwareCYC® ... and it has been more than proven-in-the-trenches over the years.

As a Manufacturing Engineer in a high production, large volume machine shop ... I had to insure that the cost estimates I presented to our clients were realistic and accurate. An error of even a small amount of say $.25 ... over 10,000 parts ... meant a loss of $2,5000. No small chunk of change ...as I'm sure you know. That's why KipwareQTE® includes things that most cost estimating software don't even think of ... like perishable tooling as one example. Sure you need to drill 25 holes in each part ... is anyone including the cost of the drills when estimating? Real world features and experience like this are built into KipwareQTE®.

If your thinking about your quoting and estimating process ... and all the MRP and ERP talk has got you seeing $$$ signs and "features" you know you'll never use ... we invite you to give KipwareCYC® and KipwareQTE® a look. And as you look ... I'm gonna bet you will find yourself more than once saying, "Boy that makes sense."

That's KipwareCYC® and KipwareQTE® - Quoting and Estimating for the REAL WORLD.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #6 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Fanuc / Okuma Compatibility

#6 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Fanuc - Okuma Compatibility
( We should also add the popular HAAS to this as well )

Reason #6 in our series TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? deals with the two most common programming formats found in professional metalworking shops around the world. Tons of machine tool builders use Fanuc controls ... so much so that being "fanuc compatible" is almost a must for CNC controls. Willing to stand on their own merit ... Okuma have built a strong empire of their own using their own controls and their own programming format. Together ... "fanuc compatible" and Okuma controls make up a huge part of the installed CNC machine tool base. Even HAAS machine tools ... next on the list of most popular machine tools and who have their own CNC controls ... are 100% "fanuc compatible".

Having lived in the real world ... we have seen this first hand as we visited and worked in shops around the country. It's for this reason that all Kipware® titles support primarily Fanuc and Okuma ( and Haas ) controls.

Kipware® Conversational
All of our Kipware® conversational software creates G code that is Fanuc and Okuma compatible ... out of the box. No post processor nor any other conversion app's are required to create G code programs within Kipware® to operate your Fanuc, Okuma or Haas machine ... milling, turning or wire EDM.

Kipware® CNC XChange
Knowing that shops want to buy the best machine tool for their individual requirements ... tons of shops have a mix of Fanuc and "fanuc compatible" and Okuma machine tools on their floor. We created our innovative and ground breaking Kipware® CNC XChange software to address this particular issue ... what we call control incompatibility. Kipware® CNC XChange allows for the conversion of G code between Fanuc and Okuma formats. CNC XChange works strictly with the G code programs ... no CAD or CAM files are required ... and will auto-convert code from Fanuc format to Okuma format ... and reverse. CNC XChange and our other conversion app ... KipwareXC®  ... give shops who have a mix of CNC controls the capability to be more productive, efficient and to operate all their machines seamlessly by removing the control incompatibility from their shop floors.

KipwareEDU® Training Software
All of our KipwareEDU® training software deal primarily with Fanuc and Okuma CNC controls and their programming language / format. If you know Fanuc and Okuma G code programming ... that means you are qualified to program in about 95% of machine shops around the world.

Just a note for hobby machinists out there ...
Hobby machinists might find all this Fanuc and Okuma talk a little hard to believe ... living in their restricted MACH3 and other hobby CNC world. But the fact is that those who have chosen "fanuc compatible" professional controls have realized a major difference in functionality and power over the limited hobby controls and software. But don't take our word for it ... take a look at the website of the creators of MACH3 as illustrated below ...

The image on the left is from the Newfangled Solutions main webpage ... the one on the right is from their Services webpage. They both clearly show Fanuc controls ... not controls using their own MACH3 software. Even they have discovered what most professional machine shops know ... Fanuc controls and "fanuc compatibility" are the mainstay of professional machine tool builders. Kipware® conversational is MACH3 compatible ... but users have to program to the capability of the control ... so users miss a lot of the power and features of Kipware® as they have to create G code that this simpler control can run.

So if your shop floor is like the 95% of shop floors around the world and contain Fanuc ... Okuma ... Haas ... or "fanuc compatible" CNC controls ... Kipware® speaks your language.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #7 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Quotation Tracking

#7 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Quotation Tracking

The design and development of our KipwareTRK® - Quotation Tracking and Analyzing Software ... is sort of a microcosm of Kentech Inc.. The concept of tracking and analyzing your cost estimating and quoting ... the lifeblood of any job shop ... is an idea that everyone agrees is essential ... but one that hardly anyone really concentrates on. Quotation tracking and analyzing is usually a side note while the main concentration is just to get the quote out the door.

Lost in all the CAD/CAM hype ... lost in all the MRP and ERP hype ... is the concept that even the most expensive software applications with all their pretty pictures and big price tags ... does no good if you can't implement it or if it doesn't fit in your shop. The design and development of all our Kipware® applications are driven by our real world shop floor experiences. Kipware® is not the most expensive option ... doesn't have the prettiest of pictures ... but the real world design and features make them essential tools in any machine shop.

We recently posted here in our BLOG an in-depth article on the how's and why's of quotation tracking that brought out a lot of the reasons of why this is such an essential practice. You can read that blog post here : http://kentechinc.blogspot.com/2013/07/quotation-tracking-why-its-essential-to.html

Our Reason #7 of the TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? ... ties the fact that quotation tracking is such an essential practice ... with the fact that KipwareTRK® is one of the only packages on the market to helps shops implement that practice !! The mere fact that we designed and built KipwareTRK® says tons about who we are ... what we do ... and WHY you should consider Kipware® for your shop. Our shop floor experiences ... the things we saw lacking in the REAL WORLD ... the things we saw that were overkill in the real world ... the things we saw that were a detriment to productivity in the REAL WORLD ... these are the things that have led to our Kipware® product line.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #8 - TOP 10 Reasons - WHY KIPWARE®? - Great Support

#8 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Great Support !!

Since 1986 when Kentech Inc. was incorporated ... we have always prided ourselves on our relationships and support of our customers.

When Kentech Inc. was first started ... we provided CNC machine repair and support services to primarily the New England area. We always realized that if a clients CNC equipment was down ... their ability to make money and feed their business was seriously compromised and we needed to react quickly and effectively. We always put our customers needs first ... before our own and before even our own personal needs ... and the result was a constantly growing customer base and business success.

As we went down the road and transitioned into CNC / machine shop software ... we have always carried the CUSTOMER FIRST attitude with us. Let's be clear here ... Kentech Inc. is not a "side business" ... we do not create software just to see if we can do it ... this is not a hobby business !! Call our office and you can talk with a REAL PERSON !! Have a software support issue ... you will be handled within minutes by a REAL PERSON !! There are a lot of people out there that write software ... they are not software developers ... and give it away for free or practically free. WHY? Because they don't want to support it !! Basically because they wrote it to see if they can do it ... then decided "Hey maybe I can make some money off this." 

That's not Kentech and that's not how we operate. Kentech Inc. is a full time business ... it's our livelihood ... we make our living with our applications and our reputation !! What does that mean for you? Here are a couple of examples :

1. Emails : During our normal business hours ... emails and support tickets are normally answered within 15 minutes. After hours ... normally within an hour. Overnight hours ... within 8 hours.
2. Phone Calls : Kentech Inc. is a full time business ... it's not a hobby. Call our office during normal business hours and you can talk with a REAL PERSON !! Call after hours and leave a message ... your call will be returned within an hour or if during overnight hours ... promptly at the start of the next day's business.
3. Nights / Weekends / Holidays : We monitor all phone and emails during all after hours ... and that includes nights, weekends and holidays. Your after hours call or email will be answered within an hour or if during overnight hours ... promptly at the start of the next day's business.
4. Website Chat Bar : During our normal business hours, visitors to any of our websites will find a CHAT BAR available where users can interact with a live person and get answers to their questions immediately. This is a great feature for sales questions or support issues. Just log onto www.KentechInc.com ... www.MachineShopSoftware.com ... wwww.Kipware.com ... or www.KentechInc.net ... and CHAT AWAY !!
5. News and User Group : Take a look at the Kipware® News and User Group here. Not many posts ... not many issues. Response time ... impressive.
6. Video Training : When a client has a question ... or we release a new feature / title ... we provide in-depth video training. Our feeling is that video training is lightyears ahead of printed material. Easier and faster to create ... videos allow us to quickly respond to client requests and questions with a medium that provides the best and most complete information.
7. Contact Options : As outlined above ... our clients have many options and resources for answers and information ... because we are a full time business with a full time commitment to our clients and our products.

Need a Real Life Example of our Great Support?

Read a Real Story HERE

If you are looking for CNC / machine shop software ... I would ask you to think about two things :

1. What is the background and experience behind that products development. Not only regarding the software coding side ... but regarding the "real world" experience backing up the design philosophy and features of the product.
2. What kind of an organization ... or lack thereof ... is behind that product. Their commitment to the product ... to the support of the product ... and to the continued development of the product.

The businesses of our clients depend on our software ... and we don't take that lightly. That is the though foremost in our minds each and every day.

Kenneth Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Reason #9 - TOP 10 Reasons WHY KIPWARE®? - Unmatched ROI

#9 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Unmatched Return on Investment ( ROI )

We have always taken pride in our software pricing structure ... RESPONSIBLE PRICING has been our motto.

Within the first 2-3 quotes ... you've paid for our business software by quoting jobs that will actually make money ... and getting the quotes out the door quickly and accurately.
The first or second time someone creates that simple CNC program quickly and easily using Kipware® conversational ... by-passing the time consuming and complex CAD/CAM system ... you've recouped your conversational software investment.
Take any of our software titles ... because they are priced responsibly ... you will easily recoup your investment quickly and our "no maintenance fee" policy will insure your ROI keeps coming job after job.

Here is Why !!
While the majority of software companies add "features" to their software ... which enables them to drive up their price ... our development strategy is based on the "real world". What some companies call "features" ... we call "fluff". Things that look nice ... sound nice ... add complexity to the software ... but in the reality of the real world, you pay for but will probably never use. Kipware® cuts through the "fluff" ... which also cuts through the complexity ... and insures that our software "features" are the things you're looking for in that product ... in the real world.

Another area where software companies gouge their customers ... yearly maintenance fees. If you are on a program that charges a yearly maintenance fee ... do you feel that the software enhancements meet the fee cost? The majority of people we talk with tell us NO !!! These software companies are simply adding more "fluff" ... to try and legitimize their maintenance fee. Our UPGRADE POLICY ... when we release a new feature, we send out an email. If you feel that it is something you like and want ... buy the UPGRADE which is usually in the $95 to $145 range. If you decide you don't want or need that feature ... when the next UPGRADE comes along ... or the next or the next ... and you like that feature and buy that UPGRADE ... you still get everything that has come down the road. Basically ... no maintenance fee ... you pick-and-choose when you want to UPGRADE.

We recently released our SUBSCRIPTION PURCHASE option. For a minimum yearly fee ... you get everything !! For $125 a year ... you can purchase our most popular titles and get ALL UPDATES and UPGRADES FREE for the life of the Subscription. For $225 a year ... you can get the same for our multiple title bundles. This takes the worry out of installations ... file back-up ... updates and upgrades ... for a fee that is more than responsible. This also give users the ability to really try-before-you-buy ... use the full title with full features for a whole year to see if it fits what you need. If so ... just continue without interruption or loss of data.

Whatever way you slice it ... our Kipware® software pricing policy of RESPONSIBLE PRICING will insure a fast ROI and will insure that ROI keeps coming long after the initial costs are repaid.

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.

Top 10 Reasons WHY KIPWARE? - Reason #10 - Real World

#10 In our Series of the TOP 10 Reasons ... WHY KIPWARE® is :
Kipware® Is Created By The Real World

If you follow this blog ... you'll know my name is Kenney Skonieczny and I am the President and principal buck-stopper at Kentech Inc.. Along with being the go-to guy ... all software design and development goes through me or is done by me. In this blog post that begins my outline of the TOP 10 REASONS ... WHY KIPWARE®? ( the software products we developed ) ... I would like to present a little background of HOW Kipware came to be and WHY we feel the Kipware® titles are top machine shop software applications.

I believe that an understanding of the design and development background of our software will clearly demonstrate why we call Kipware® ... Real World Machine Shop Software.

My life in the machine shop and in machine shop software development started on the shop floor. Infancy was as a Class "A" machinist learning and expanding real chipmaking knowledge and experiences operating everything from standard lathes and Bridgeports to manual vertical and horizontal millers ... planers ... OD / ID grinders ... cylindrical grinders ... gear hobbers ... open side planers .... manual boring mills ... and so much more. In addition ... the lost art of way scraping was learnt and perfected along with machine design and repair. Along the way I combined that with some machine design and engineering training as well.

Next phase was as an Applications and Service Engineer for a major Japanese machine tool builder ... where the knowledge of CNC equipment ... both repair and operation ... was learnt and expanded. That knowledge came in the form of machine installation and repair ... turn key set-ups ... programming training ... applications ... and much more. Living and touching the latest and greatest CNC equipment gave me an unmatched knowledge of CNC equipment ... and gave me an unmatched opportunity to learn CNC and combine my real world chip making experience as a machinist with CNC.

Moving on in life included stints in CNC programming and shop floor management as well as a Manufacturing Engineer in a high volume, high production environment. These enhanced real world experiences also exposed the real world gaps in available software applications ... and sparked the ideas for solutions to address and fill those gaps.

Expensive MRP and ERP software and pretty-picture, 3D CAD/CAM applications certainly have their place ... but my shop floor experience also showed that complex and expensive applications are not always the correct solutions. the Kipware® titles were developed to directly address the real world problems I encountered every day on the real world shop floor.

An example ... sure CAD/CAM is a great tool .... but for the 95% of programming we did on the shop floor CAD/CAM was overkill ... and too complex. This complexity eliminated good chipmakers ... who could be good, simple job CNC programmers ... from the programming process. Having to go to the "CAD/CAM guy" led to tons of inefficiencies ... and bottlenecks. Kipware® conversational is designed to give those good chipmakers the tools to help them create those simpler, everyday CNC programs ... the program created on 95% of real world shop floors everyday ... without having to rely on the expensive and backed-up "CAD/CAM guy". Kipware® conversational is not a simple, underdeveloped "G code wizard" designed for "hobby" machinists ... although it still has a place in that environment ... but a full blown, professional, shop floor programming application that includes conversational programming, conversational CAD/CAM, toolpath plotting, professional G code editors and shop floor tools and formulas machinists are always looking for.

This little "rant" about Kipware® conversational is a microcosm of our development strategy. Real World tools to solve Real World issues.

So that is our Reason #10 for WHY KIPWARE®? .... because we saw the real world problems and developed the real world solutions.

We invite you to explore all our Real World software titles at www.KentechInc.com ... and follow along with this blog and explore the other TOP 10 REASONS ... WHY KIPWARE®?

Kenney Skonieczny - President
Kentech Inc.