Currently, our machine shop uses a laptop (carrying it into the shop and with a serial and parallel connector) sending the program to our CNC's. We are looking for a better way.

Maybe using a Palm Pilot or something smaller to send the programs to the machines.

Anyone know a better way?

Is there software that will run on a palm?

Can you use a switch box and a run RS232 to each machine. Then all you need is to have the operator do a TA,1 and then seen your program. Then you can just switch to machine #? and shoot out the program for that one. The cam computer stay's in the office and you dont risk dropping the laptop.

that's a lot of wire...is that how you do it?

seems like an extreme way to go about it

We use an old pc at each machine. Each pc is connected to our network and labled as the machine number. These are in turn wired via RS232 to their respective machine. We have to have this as we run alot of large programs drip style. If you are concerned about the amount of wire you probably do not want to run a wired network and probably do not want to spend the cash for wireless. You can get old notebook computers for dirt cheap and install windows nt to run the assist program while still maintaining some security on the enterprise.

ya thats basically what we do except we dont have a laptop for each machine...just one laptop we carry to each one...

Anyone else have a better solution? Im just looking for options...

We used to do it the same way you do.
Now we put 3 laptops in the shop, each with a 4 way switch box, networked to our Cad/Cam computer. The laptops don't need to be top of the line. We used remanufactured Dell Latitudes for about 300 each. Network cable was about 200 and the switch boxes were 16 each. The last shop I worked in did it the same way Itmquik did.

Dont you guys think that someone should develop a small pda (of some sort) to run ASSIST on so we could just carry the pda around. It would make life easier.

We have the shop hard wired to each machine and have software setup so each machine (34 total) can pull programs from a computer which is part of the network. Its done completely at the machine. The opperator simply sends out a "call program" and then sets the machine to receive and voila it's there.

Dont you guys think that someone should develop a small pda (of some sort) to run ASSIST on so we could just carry the pda around. It would make life easier.

Yes