Build a machining system around your drawings, your machines and your inspection records.
A precision shop runs on a drawing at a given revision. The quote, the programme, the fixture, the inspection plan and the delivery note all depend on it.
Problems start when those records live in different places. A programme is proven on one revision and run on another. A fixture is borrowed and not returned. A first-off sheet is signed and then lost.
A system built at GullySystem would keep the drawing and its revision at the centre. Quote, routing, work order, tooling, inspection and dispatch would all point back to it.
Shops this system could be built for.
A job shop with forty part numbers and a captive supplier making one component in volume need different records. The kind of work you run decides what gets built first.
- CNC turning shops
- CNC milling shops
- VMC machining shops
- Five-axis machining shops
- Precision component manufacturers
- Tool rooms
- Jig and fixture makers
- Precision grinding shops
- Wire EDM shops
- Sliding head and Swiss-type turning units
- Gear cutting shops
- Contract machining suppliers to OEMs
- Prototype machine shops
The modules, and what each one covers.
Nothing here is a fixed package. Each module is built, left out or changed to match how your organisation already works.
The drawing and revision record
Each part number carries its drawings, models and revision history. Only the current revision is released to the floor.
- Part number and customer part number
- Drawing file and model file
- Revision letter and date
- Change note from the customer
- Superseded revisions kept
- Revision released to the shop
- Tolerance and finish call-outs
- Material specification
- Special characteristics marked
- Customer approval of first article
Enquiry and quote
The estimator builds a quote from the drawing, not from memory of a similar job.
- Enquiry register with drawing attached
- Stock size and material cost
- Cycle time per operation
- Setup time per operation
- Machine hour rates
- Tooling and fixture cost
- Outside processes
- Inspection time
- Quantity breaks
- Quote revisions and validity
- Conversion of an accepted quote into an order
Routing and operations
The route says which machine, which setup and in what order. It is the same record the planner and the operator read.
- Operation sequence
- Machine or machine group per operation
- Setup sheet
- Work holding and fixture reference
- Programme name and version
- Tool list per operation
- Cycle time standard
- Inspection points
- Outside process steps
- Route changes with date and reason
Programmes and revision control
A programme proven on one drawing revision must never run on another, however similar the two look on the screen at the machine.
- Programme file linked to part and revision
- Proven and unproven status
- Edits with name and date
- Post-processor used
- Machine the programme was proven on
- Offsets and tool lengths recorded
- Release to the machine controller
- Archive of earlier versions
Work orders and material issue
A work order turns a sales order into a quantity, a due date and a bar or blank issued from stores.
- Work order number
- Quantity and due date
- Material issued with heat or lot number
- Cut-length or blank size
- Scrap allowance
- Split into batches
- Customer free-issue material
- Parent work order for assemblies
- Status by operation
Machine loading and scheduling
The planner sees every machine, every open operation and the maintenance or setup that blocks it.
- Machine list and capability
- Load by day and by shift
- Queue per machine
- Setup grouping for similar jobs
- Priority and promised date
- Planned maintenance windows
- Operator and shift allocation
- Rescheduling when a machine goes down
- Late jobs flagged
Tool and fixture crib
The crib knows which insert, cutter or fixture is where and what it has done.
- Cutting tool master
- Insert grades and holders
- Tool life and regrind count
- Issue and return against a work order
- Fixture register by part number
- Fixture condition and last use
- Gauge and tool presetter data
- Reorder levels for consumable tools
- Broken tool record
Shop floor entry
Operators record what they do at the machine. A few taps are enough.
- Job start and stop
- Quantity produced and rejected
- Reason for rejection
- Setup and run time separated
- Downtime reason
- Operator and machine
- Barcode or work order scan
- Entry from a tablet at the machine
- Shift handover note
Inspection and first-off approval
The first piece is checked against the drawing before the batch is run.
- First-off sheet per operation
- Dimensions with tolerance and measured value
- Inspector and time
- Approval to run the batch
- In-process inspection plan
- Final inspection report
- Gauge and instrument used
- Calibration status of the instrument
- Rejection and rework record
- Inspection report issued to the customer
Material and lot traceability
Every finished part links back to the bar it was cut from, the heat that bar came from and the certificate that arrived with it.
- Mill test certificate stored
- Heat or lot number on receipt
- Lot carried through work orders
- Batch number on the finished lot
- Forward trace from a lot to the customers who received it
- Backward trace from a part to its material
- Scrap and rework by lot
Outside processes
Heat treatment, plating, anodising and grinding sent to subcontractors are tracked as work in progress.
- Outward delivery note by process
- Supplier and expected return date
- Quantity sent and received back
- Rejection at the supplier
- Process certificate attached
- Cost of the process against the job
- Overdue returns list
Scrap, rework and non-conformance
Rejections are recorded with a cause so that repeat causes can be seen.
- Non-conformance report
- Cause code and operation
- Concession from the customer
- Rework route
- Scrap value
- Supplier-caused rejection
- Customer complaint and corrective action
- Repeat cause list
Delivery and invoicing
Dispatch is checked against the order, the inspection report and the packing instruction.
- Packing list and labels
- Delivery note
- Tax invoice under your tax rules
- Currency per customer
- Customer schedule and call-off
- Part-deliveries against one order
- Export documents
- Returns and replacements
Costing and margin
Actual hours and material are compared with the quote after the job.
- Actual machine and labour hours
- Material cost by lot
- Tooling cost per job
- Outside process cost
- Quoted against actual margin
- Cost by customer and by part number
- Jobs that lost money
One connected workflow, end to end.
Every stage below can sit in one system, so nobody re-enters what the last stage already captured.
- Enquiry
- Quote
- Order and drawing review
- Routing and programme
- Work order
- Material issue
- Setup and first-off
- Production
- In-process inspection
- Outside process
- Final inspection
- Dispatch
- Invoice
You do not have to replace everything at once.
Each phase is usable on its own, so the system earns its place before the next part is built.
- 1
Drawings, quotes and routings
The part master, drawing revisions, quotes and routings. This is the record every other step reads.
- 2
Work orders and the floor
Work orders, material issue, machine loading and entries from the machine. The planner stops chasing operators for status.
- 3
Tooling and inspection
The tool and fixture crib, first-off sheets, inspection reports, calibration and lot traceability.
- 4
Dispatch, costing and reports
Delivery notes, invoices, customer schedules, job costing and dashboards for the owner and the plant head.
How a build actually runs.
- 01
Walk the floor
We follow one part from enquiry to dispatch, and talk to the estimator, the programmer, the operator and the inspector.
- 02
Map the records
Every drawing, sheet and register that exists today is listed, with who writes it and who reads it.
- 03
Design for the machine side
Screens for an operator with gloves and a tablet are different from screens for an estimator.
- 04
Build the part master first
Drawings, revisions and routings are built before anything that depends on them.
- 05
Run beside the old system
One cell or one customer runs on the new records while the old registers continue.
- 06
Carry across your data
We load part numbers, routings, tool lists and open orders from your files. Each operator then practises on the screens for their own station.
- 07
Extend gradually
Machine data capture, customer portals and further plants are added as the shop asks.
What you bring, and when.
The build moves at the speed of the answers. These are the things we ask for, in the order we ask.
- 01
Drawings, routings and job travellers
Share the part drawings you machine, a routing sheet and the traveller that moves with a lot. Add a sample approval sheet and a tool list. Real papers beat descriptions.
- 02
A programmer, a supervisor and quality
The programmer knows revisions and proven status. The supervisor knows machine loading. Quality owns inspection rules, and the works head settles disputes.
- 03
Machine hour rates and tool life limits
Machine rates, tool life limits and opening sample rules need your answers as the build goes on. Supervisors look at each module on the shop floor. Their comments come before moving ahead.
- 04
Running jobs and your vendor list
Work orders in progress and the vendors you use for outside processes are brought across. The works head picks the cut-over day.
Systems we can put together for you.
- Part master and drawing revision systems
- Quote and costing tools for machined parts
- Routing and process planning software
- Programme library with revision control
- Work order and material issue systems
- Machine loading and scheduling boards
- Tool and fixture crib systems
- Shop floor data entry on tablets
- First-off and inspection recording systems
- Gauge and calibration registers
- Lot and heat traceability systems
- Outside process tracking
- Non-conformance and corrective action records
- Customer schedule and dispatch tools
- Job costing and margin reports
- Multi-plant machining platforms
Questions owners ask before starting.
What is custom CNC machining software?
This is a system written for one shop’s parts, machines, routings and inspection records, where a boxed manufacturing package would make the shop bend to its layout. It follows the way you already move a part from drawing to dispatch. Nothing is renamed to suit a template.
Can it hold drawing revisions and stop the wrong one being used?
Yes. Each part carries its revisions, and only the one marked as released appears on work orders and setup sheets.
Will it connect to our CNC controllers?
Sometimes, depending on the controller’s make and interface. We look at that early in the work, machine by machine. Operators can enter counts and downtime by hand where a connection is not practical.
What happens to our CAM programme files?
It can hold the programme files and their versions against each part. Whether files move automatically from the CAM system is decided once the CAM tool is known.
Do you handle first-off and final inspection reports?
Yes. Inspection plans are set per part, measured values are recorded against tolerance, and a report can be issued to the customer.
Can we trace a finished part back to the bar it was cut from?
Yes, if the heat or lot number is recorded when material is received and carried through the work order. The trace works in both directions.
We make a lot of one-off tooling jobs. Is this only for volume work?
No. A tool room can use quotes, drawings, job cards and time booking without repeat-order features. The build is scoped to the kind of work you do.
How do outside processes fit in?
A process such as heat treatment is a step in the routing. The system records what went out, what came back and what was rejected.
Can our own staff change it later?
Yes. The code and the data model are handed over, and the documentation is written so that another developer can continue the work.
Who owns the data and the source code?
You do. Ownership of both is put in writing before any work begins.
How we work with this trade.
Ready products for this work.
If one of these fits, it is cheaper and faster than building from scratch. We will say so.
Build a machining system that starts with the drawing.
A shop that controls its drawings, programmes and first-off sheets spends less time arguing about what was agreed. Everything else in the system depends on that record.
Send one part number with its drawing, routing and an inspection sheet. The written reply covers how that part would move through the system and what the first build would include.
Tell us how your cnc machining and precision engineering companies runs today.
We will tell you what can be digitised, what can be connected, what is worth automating, and what you should leave alone.
What happens after you share your requirements
- A senior engineer reads your answers. Nobody phones first.
- Within one business day you get a written note: what we understood, what we would start with, and the questions we still have.
- If it fits, a proposal follows with the order of work, what we need from you and what you receive at each step.
- No call is booked and nothing is paid until you have read the note. Your details stay with us.
Start with your requirements
Seven short steps that tell us what you need. A senior engineer reads them before anyone gets in touch.
Share your requirements