Machine shop software woes!

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

Hello All,

So I'm a hobbyist when it comes to machining, I dabble in 3D printing, CAD design & some CNC. But I'm a software engineer by trade, I've been writing software for over 15 years.

It seems to me that a lot of shops struggle with organizing work orders, purchase orders, invoices, inventory control and all the other fun logistical stuff.

I'm in the process of building a web based ERP system and I'm looking for input from folks that work in the machining industry on the biggest headaches they face day to day in managing their daily production flow.

My overall goal is to build a software package that will streamline and centralize all record keeping which would allow people to spend less time managing documents and orders and focus more on machining and job acquisition.

In the near future I'll also be looking for some shops that might be interested in trying my software out and getting their thoughts on it. If anyone is interested in that please let me know as well.

Curious to hear your thoughts!

Larry Dickman · Nov 25, 2018

I own a professional shop and have a higher end professional ERP system. I would consider jeopardizing my operation with software put together by a hobbyist for what reason?

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

Larry Dickman said:
I own a professional shop and have a higher end professional ERP system. I would consider jeopardizing my operation with software put together by a hobbyist for what reason?

Great question. I'm a machining hobbyist, however I am a professional software engineer. I've held senior software engineer positions at companies that specifically develop MRP and ERP software.

With that being said, I'm not looking for shops that are satisfied with their current software solution to switch over to my platform. I'm looking for shops that are dissatisfied with their current software setup or are struggling to organize their documents and orders, perhaps they are using files or spreadsheets to manage production and are looking for a more structured solution.

Thanks for the comment.

DDoug · Nov 25, 2018

Pure SPAMMER

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

digger doug said:
Pure SPAMMER

I don't consider posting a thread asking for input and feedback spam. Spamming is unsolicited mass messaging, you don't have to read the thread and you don't have to reply.

Mooner · Nov 25, 2018

EnvisionERP said:
Curious to hear your thoughts!

Envision-

Welcome to the forum. Before you get all hot and bothered, you need to know that this forum can quickly come down on you like a ton of bricks if they don’t like your attitude... A lot of really experienced old guys who have seen and heard everything already - they’re not really interested in hearing a sales pitch from someone who has 3 posts and hasn’t proven themselves to the group.

You’re not the first person who has pitched such a solution...

This guy had similar ideas to jump in here and build software:
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/search.php?searchid=17539251

He has been slowly taking his lumps, helping the community and building a reputation of being helpful and knowledgeable.

You asked for feedback - so you’re going to need to grow a thicker skin for when you get that feedback and it doesn’t support your hypothesis...

Personally, I could use what you’re talking about... But probably too small an operation to pay for it... Probably a pretty common situation around here.

dkmc · Nov 25, 2018

I'm interested.
Having said that, threads similar to this one appear on here every several years or so.
They run about 1-2 pages, then the OP seems to disappear. As usual, I'll wait to see how far this thread goes....

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

Mooner said:
Envision-

Welcome to the forum. Before you get all hot and bothered, you need to know that this forum can quickly come down on you like a ton of bricks if they don’t like your attitude... A lot of really experienced old guys who have seen and heard everything already - they’re not really interested in hearing a sales pitch from someone who has 3 posts and hasn’t proven themselves to the group.

You’re not the first person who has pitched such a solution...

This guy had similar ideas to jump in here and build software:
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/search.php?searchid=17539251

He has been slowly taking his lumps, helping the community and building a reputation of being helpful and knowledgeable.

You asked for feedback - so you’re going to need to grow a thicker skin for when you get that feedback and it doesn’t support your hypothesis...

Personally, I could use what you’re talking about... But probably too small an operation to pay for it... Probably a pretty common situation around here.

Yea the reactions are understandable and really not surprising hah. I'm not put off or offended. I've been building this software for about 6 months, It's not complete or production tested and I wouldn't charge anyone for using it in its current state. But the only way to get it production tested and get feedback is to have a shop using it in their day to day.

dkmc · Nov 25, 2018

So it's cloud based? If so, that's a negative aspect IMHO

TDegenhart · Nov 25, 2018

I will pose a question along the lines of Larry Dickman. Why would anyone want to try omega, not even yet beta software? What's in it for the lab rat? My experience with beta software is that there is not only a learning curve just because it is a new program, but more importantly, beta software is usually filled with bugs. Why would I want to take time to ferret out the bugs while I could be running a machine making profits? There are people who have time on their hands that like to play with this stuff, like thermite.

Tom

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

It's both, primarily cloud based as it makes management easier but it could also be ran on a local server onsite.

EnvisionERP · Nov 25, 2018

TDegenhart said:
I will pose a question along the lines of Larry Dickman. Why would anyone want to try omega, not even yet beta software? What's in it for the lab rat? My experience with beta software is that there is not only a learning curve just because it is a new program, but more importantly, beta software is usually filled with bugs. Why would I want to take time to ferret out the bugs while I could be running a machine making profits? There are people who have time on their hands that like to play with this stuff, like thermite.

Tom

New software doesn't necessarily have to be riddled with bugs, I would say my software now is more stable than a lot of production software I've used in the past. I've put a lot of emphasis on stability and ease-of-use with the UI to try and reduce the learning curve.

dkmc · Nov 25, 2018

In the very last sentence, you answer your own questions.

TDegenhart said:
I will pose a question along the lines of Larry Dickman. Why would anyone want to try omega, not even yet beta software? What's in it for the lab rat? My experience with beta software is that there is not only a learning curve just because it is a new program, but more importantly, beta software is usually filled with bugs. Why would I want to take time to ferret out the bugs while I could be running a machine making profits? There are people who have time on their hands that like to play with this stuff, like thermite.

Tom

Glug · Nov 25, 2018

EnvisionERP said:
It's both, primarily cloud based as it makes management easier but it could also be ran on a local server onsite.

Snort. Oh the cloud. Why yes. Paying to store your data on someone else's computer, for them to control and own, makes it really special and different from what has been done for 30+ years.

I can remember way back when I briefly wrote software like that - "work orders, purchase orders, invoices, inventory control and all the other fun logistical stuff." It was the late 1980's, and I was 19 years old. It wasn't exactly a new or unique problem back then. For sure, it was incredibly boring stuff.

I don't see any opportunity in that space today. Take an existing application, that is well known and widely supported, and configure and customize it. Oh yeah - keep your data.

Mud · Nov 25, 2018

I need exactly what you describe. However I'm pretty cynical about software, having been abandoned by a few companies, and shafted by others.
On top of that, I don't hate myself enough to go cloud for mission critical software.

The Dude · Nov 26, 2018

Glug said:
Snort. Oh the cloud. Why yes. Paying to store your data on someone else's computer, for them to control and own, makes it really special and different from what has been done for 30+ years.

I'm curious, where do you keep your money, buried in the back yard? These days, almost all of everyone's fortune is stored "in the cloud". To date (over about 30 years), I've never had an issue with that but I have had mail stolen on a few occasions (checks) and lost a few $ out of my pocket. It would literally take the "whole world to come crashing down" to make cloud data (or funds) non-existent and useless. Not saying it can't happen but when has something like that happened before that didn't involve something like a world war? Which is why I do keep a small amount of stuff "not in the cloud", but it's mostly there.

The Dude

scadvice · Nov 26, 2018

Just one thing to note, cloud based systems in the defense industry has been a no no. They are very picky about how their information is handled and I have seen them not use companies/shops that used it. Things may have changed in the last couple of years but I doubt it.You might start thinking of stand along SW also. Just my two cents...

EnvisionERP · Nov 27, 2018

A lot of shops still prefer to have their data on site, nothing wrong with that. Cloud storage and onsite deployments both have their pros and cons. With cloud storage you can access your data from home or while traveling, cloud is also great for putting in robust and frequent backup systems to ensure no data is ever lost.

Onsite you can't access your data from outside the shop's network, but onsite deployments tend to be faster as everything takes place over your local network vs the shop internet connection. You can also put in good backup strategies for onsite deployments, usually rolling backups to external drives or NAS drives.

I've planned ahead for this so people will be able to choose either an onsite deployment or they can use the cloud based version. The onsite would require the purchase of about a $400 server, I use Intel NUC's as they are small (4.53 x 1.38 x 4.37 in), fast, quiet and don't consume much power. Gone are the days when you needed massive rackmount chassis with $10k+ worth of servers.

Then the desktop application can run on either Windows, MacOS or Linux. It then connects and communicates with your local server keeping all of your data on-premise.

I've also built it based on open source software (PHP, MySQL DB, Linux), so no expensive licensing to purchase from the big guys *cough* microsoft *cough*.

awake · Nov 27, 2018

EnvisionERP said:
I've also built it based on open source software (PHP, MySQL DB, Linux), so no expensive licensing to purchase from the big guys *cough* microsoft *cough*.

Curious about the choice of MySQL - did you consider PostgreSQL? If so, what drove your choice?

PDW · Nov 27, 2018

EnvisionERP said:
A lot of shops still prefer to have their data on site, nothing wrong with that. Cloud storage and onsite deployments both have their pros and cons. With cloud storage you can access your data from home or while traveling, cloud is also great for putting in robust and frequent backup systems to ensure no data is ever lost.

Onsite you can't access your data from outside the shop's network, but onsite deployments tend to be faster as everything takes place over your local network vs the shop internet connection. You can also put in good backup strategies for onsite deployments, usually rolling backups to external drives or NAS drives.

I've planned ahead for this so people will be able to choose either an onsite deployment or they can use the cloud based version. The onsite would require the purchase of about a $400 server, I use Intel NUC's as they are small (4.53 x 1.38 x 4.37 in), fast, quiet and don't consume much power. Gone are the days when you needed massive rackmount chassis with $10k+ worth of servers.

Then the desktop application can run on either Windows, MacOS or Linux. It then connects and communicates with your local server keeping all of your data on-premise.

I've also built it based on open source software (PHP, MySQL DB, Linux), so no expensive licensing to purchase from the big guys *cough* microsoft *cough*.

You've already guaranteed that people like me will never use it.

MySQL is a pathetic toy compared to PostgreSQL which is also open source and a far more competent database engine.

And I personally wouldn't take the time to waste my piss on a PHP application that's supposed to be mission-critical.

I code in Java with Postgres as the back end database, FWIW, and my applications have runtimes measured in years.

PDW

Machine shop software woes!

Plastic

Titanium

Plastic

Diamond

Plastic

Aluminum

Diamond

Plastic

Diamond

Diamond

Plastic

Plastic

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Plastic

Titanium

Diamond

Similar threads