“Ok, but how does remote CNC programming actually work?”

Adopting a new manufacturing process can be daunting.  Especially when the new process looks a lot different than the old process. There are a lot of unknowns, and nobody likes unknowns.

I get that.

So, let me breakdown the process of remote CNC programming here at Blackstone Swiss Engineering.

The first step is for you, the customer, to ask for a quote. You can go to our website (www.blackstoneswiss.com) and click the Request a Quote button, or you can email me directly (bryan@blackstoneswiss.com). Whichever way you reach out, I’m going to need you to answer three questions:

What part do you want me to program?  (send me print, a solid model, or preferably both)

What machine do you want me to program for? (Star SR32? Citizen L20 type 8? Hanwha XD32? Give me a hint at least).

When do you need the program? (Please don’t say “yesterday.” I can’t time-travel. Yet.)

Based on your three answers, I’m going to give you a price, usually within 24 hours. (Sometimes I might come back and ask a couple of follow up questions first).

The price I send you is going to be the price of the entire project – G-code, setup sheet, tech support through first piece, the whole thing. There are no hours to track, no additional fees or charges. You will know instantly what the entire project is going to cost you.

Once you review the price, you can do one of two things. You can say:

“Wow, that’s a really good price. Let’s try this remote programming thing!”

Or

“Wow, that’s a really, really good price. I can’t believe we haven’t been using remote programmers all along!”

Either way, you’re going to send a message to Purchasing, and they are going to send me a Purchase Order number.

And that’s when the fun starts.

For brand new customers, I usually like to schedule a Discovery Meeting. It’s just a quick fifteen to thirty minute introductory meeting where you get to give me all the details about your machine, any specific tooling you want to use, any specific way you want to process the part, and any concerns that you have. I’ll also ask for a sample program from the machine I am programming for so I can match your shop’s programming format and conventions.

(Here's a fun fact about Swiss programming. If you gave the same part to 10 different Swiss programmers, you would get back ten different looking programs. I always want to make sure that my programs are formatted in a way that your operators are used to seeing, so that they can understand what is going on in the program and be confident in running it).

Anyway…

After the Discovery Meeting, I’ll go off and do my thing. I’ll use Partmaker CAM software, and thirty years of Swiss programming experience, to generate a program for your Swiss machine. I’ll add in macros if you want them. I’ll do the research and specify tools if you want me to do that. I’ll write the setup sheet for your operators.

In short, I’ll do all of the work that a full-time, in-person Swiss programmer would do. Except, instead of working in your office, I’m working at my oceanside villa in the Mediterranean. Or my home office in Rhode Island. It depends on the day.

When I’m done, I will send you a secure link to download the G-code program and all supporting files and documents, including all of my Partmaker files if you want them. If you let me know when the job is going to be setup, I will make sure that I am available by text, phone or email to answer any questions or resolve any issues with the code.

That’s it. That’s the whole process. It actually looks a lot like a programming process for an in-person programmer. You’re just not paying a full-time programmer salary. You’re only paying for what you actually need.

(Also, you don’t have to share office space with me, which is good for you because I like my music loud and I will absolutely microwave seafood in the break room. You don’t want any part of that).

Using Blackstone Swiss Engineering for your CNC programming is simple enough to try, and smooth enough to use over and over again. Contact us when you are ready to overhaul your Swiss programming process.