Our story ( really my story ) is most likely very close to your story.<\/p>\n
Started out as a machinist … working on the shop floor running manual machinery … lathes, millers, grinders, planers … basically any machine tool you can imagine.<\/p>\n
Worked up to Class “A” Machinist … Tool & Die maker … working with close tolerances learning CAD and fixture design.<\/p>\n
Moved to CNC … service tech (Mori Seiki), programmer, applications engineer, then learning CAD\/CAM and 3D programming.<\/p>\n
Moved to management … quoting, estimating and production scheduling and management.<\/p>\n
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 …<\/p>\n
Being in the shop every day with all that experience with me …\u00a0I 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.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n For simple every day CNC part programming<\/strong><\/em> … 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\u00ae conversational.<\/a><\/p>\n For accurate cycletime estimating<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0… 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\u00ae cycletime estimating software.<\/a><\/p>\n For quoting and estimating<\/strong><\/em> … 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\u00ae quoting and estimating software.<\/a><\/p>\n For making the shop floor run seamless<\/em><\/strong> … even though it contained a variety of CNC’s with a variety of\u00a0 CNC controls. Having to re-post (dumping proven toolpaths) or make manual edits\u00a0 (dealing with typos or mistakes) …\u00a0Born … KipwareXC\u00ae and CNC XChange.<\/a><\/p>\n Over the last 30+ years … intermingled with still working with shops and on shop floors … we created the variety of Kipware\u00ae 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 …<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n AND … we USE Kipware\u00ae EVERY DAY !!<\/span><\/p>\n 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\u00ae software in those shops.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0 … take a look here :\u00a0K\u00c4RV Woodworking<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n With our X-Carve … I use KipwareM<\/a>\u00ae every day. Yes I use VCarve for the carving but I use KipwareM<\/a>\u00ae 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.<\/p>\n I use KipwareCYC<\/a>\u00ae (cycletime estimating) and KipwareQTE<\/a>\u00ae for costing and quoting custom projects … sooo nice, accurate, easy-to-use … and I can rest assured my quotes will lead to profitable projects.<\/p>\nKipware\u00ae was BORN from actual Chipmaking Experiences<\/span><\/h3>\n
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