Our story ( really my story ) is most likely very close to your story.
Started out as a machinist … working on the shop floor running manual machinery … lathes, millers, grinders, planers … basically any machine tool you can imagine.
Worked up to Class “A” Machinist … Tool & Die maker … working with close tolerances learning CAD and fixture design.
Moved to CNC … service tech (Mori Seiki), programmer, applications engineer, then learning CAD/CAM and 3D programming.
Moved to management … quoting, estimating and production scheduling and management.
In 1986 I started Kentech Inc. starting off doing CNC machine repair, CNC programming training and contract CNC programming. But all the while I had the thought …
“There’s got to be an easier way.”
Being in the shop every day with all that experience with me … I never stopped looking at the status-quo and saying “There’s got to be an easier / better way.” I was determined to create quality solutions to handle issues I tackled every day and found lacking in my work experiences. That was the type of software I wanted to create … REAL WORLD software.
For simple every day CNC part programming … either having to program by hand (error prone) or having to use the CAD/CAM system (overly complex) … there was a tool needed to make the every day programming faster and easier. Born … Kipware® conversational.
For accurate cycletime estimating … working as an application engineer required tons of cycletime estimates to show potential clients how long it would take to make their part on our machines … and it better be right !! Born … KipwareCYC® cycletime estimating software.
For quoting and estimating … using spreadsheets (very clunky and not user friendly) or looking at spending thousands of dollars for software with “features” I didn’t want or need (who designed this stuff anyway ??). Born … KipwareQTE® quoting and estimating software.
For making the shop floor run seamless … even though it contained a variety of CNC’s with a variety of CNC controls. Having to re-post (dumping proven toolpaths) or make manual edits (dealing with typos or mistakes) … Born … KipwareXC® and CNC XChange.
Kipware® was BORN from actual Chipmaking Experiences
Over the last 30+ years … intermingled with still working with shops and on shop floors … we created the variety of Kipware® software we offer today. I’m proud that I created software not driven by profit or gouging my customers … but software that deals with the Real World issues machinist’s, programmers and shop management deal with every day. You know what I mean … I’m sure you have thought or uttered the statements …
- Jeez this CAD/CAM is overkill for this part
- I can’t keep up with these RFQ’s … our quoting system is really outdated.
- Are we even making money on these jobs?
- I wish some of the guys on the floor could create some of these simpler programs.
- I wish these machines all talked the same language.
- I wish I could get some help with all this quoting.
If you look deep at the CNC and machine shop software companies out there and their background … Kentech Inc. is one of the ONLY software developers out there that can boast this type of background on which their software is based. The gamut runs from software only developers with no machining background to individuals who think they know everything about everything CNC because they read it on the internet. Some of these guys even steal other people’s ideas from the company name to the products in their line-up.
At Kentech Inc. we ARE different … and we are proud that thousands of machinist’s and machine shops profit with our applications around the world every day.
AND … we USE Kipware® EVERY DAY !!
We still assist local users with their shops … from providing programming assistance to assisting in tool selection to just generally answering questions about CNC and manufacturing. And we use a variety of our Kipware® software in those shops.
In addition … I started a woodworking business in 2016 that blends my knowledge of CNC with hand craftsmanship as I design and build custom wood creations … take a look here : KÄRV Woodworking.
Look … woodworking or metalworking … they both are very similar as far as business / shops go. They both need material planning … machine time planning … costing, estimating, quoting and as far as machining goes … wood or metal … it’s machining … very similar.
With our X-Carve … I use KipwareM® every day. Yes I use VCarve for the carving but I use KipwareM® for the “everyday” programming … circles and squares for joinery and for milling contours and sooo many other features. It’s faster than CAD/CAM or carving software and just plain simpler and allows me control of the machining process so I can machine how I want.
I use KipwareCYC® (cycletime estimating) and KipwareQTE® for costing and quoting custom projects … sooo nice, accurate, easy-to-use … and I can rest assured my quotes will lead to profitable projects.
And I use KipwareXC® to automatically make modifications to G code created by VCarve to correctly run my X-Carve router.
Kipware software proves it’s worth every day in the REAL WORLD. And the use of Kipware® in real world situations insures constant updates and enhancements that solve real world issues that present themselves in real world situations.
If this rings true to you …
If the points made here ring true for you … we invite you not to waste any more time and profits. Become a member of the Kipware® family today and start realizing increased productivity … increased profits … and a healthier business and bottom line.
Kenney Skonieczny – President
Kentech Inc.
