Pocket lists, tombstone fixtures, probe offsets and casting lots on one record per vertical centre.
Every batch carries its own setup. The record holds work offsets, the magazine pocket list, the fixture and the pieces each cycle yields, so a setter loads a vertical centre without retyping. Castings are checked for hardness and sand inclusions at receipt, then operators book good pieces and rejects with a cause every cycle. A night stop keeps its alarm number. The owner reads spindle hours cutting, changing over and idle for each centre.
- Centres, tombstones, vice jaws and cycle standards entered as your floor runs them
- Open batches, holder lists and casting stock migrated
- Reject causes and batch stages adjusted by GullySystem staff when asked
Shops that machine pump casings, gearbox housings and valve bodies on vertical centres plan spindle loading, pocket lists and dispatch with VMC Machining Shop Management Software from GullySystem. Each batch holds its offsets, tool pockets, tombstone and pieces per cycle. Castings are received with shrinkage porosity noted, and unattended night runs keep the alarm that stopped them.
What goes wrong before the software.
How the work flows through it, step by step.
- 1
Order and rough material
A batch order arrives with a drawing, a quantity and a delivery date, and castings, forgings or bar blanks are reserved by heat or pour lot. The planner sees what truly sits in the yard.
- 2
Loading the centre
The planner picks a centre that owns the fixture, a pallet large enough for the plate and enough pockets for the holder list. The batch lands on the board with its setup allowance. Clashes show.
- 3
Setup and probing
The setter fills the magazine, clamps the tombstone and touch-probes to set G54 to G59 work offsets. The first piece goes to the surface plate. Only then does the batch release.
- 4
Batch run
Cycles are booked with good and rejected pieces against the fixture count, and a stop during an unattended run keeps its alarm number plus the tool that sat in the spindle.
- 5
Wash, deburr and final check
Lots pass through the parts washer and the deburring bench, then a sampled check of bore diameter with an air gauge and flatness on the granite plate. A failed sample holds the lot.
- 6
Dispatch
Packing lists name the lots, the delivery note is printed and the invoice follows in your currency and tax rules. Returnable crates are counted out.
What is inside.
Every module can be switched on, left out or changed to match how your team already works.
The business modules it is built from.
Each one is also available on its own, or inside a system built for you.
- Order Management
Accepted quotes become orders with a quantity and delivery date, and the order is followed to the last lot dispatched.
- Production Planning
Batches are placed on each centre by fixture and holder fit, with changeover, cutting and service slots visible on one board.
- Bill of Materials
Each programme lists the holders, inserts and life limits it consumes, so the setter fills the magazine from one definition.
- Goods Receipt (GRN)
Foundry lots are booked in with hardness checks, suspect lots are held, and defects stay linked to the supplier’s delivery note.
- Work Order Management
Good and rejected pieces are booked per cycle with a cause, and the probe readings that approved the setup are kept.
- Stock Tracking and Alerts
Inserts, drills and holders are counted by size with reorder levels tied to the programmes that consume them.
- Asset AMC Tracking
Servicing of drawbar, ways and spindle is scheduled from cutting hours, and each breakdown is recorded against the centre.
- Dashboards and KPIs
The owner reads utilisation per centre, with cutting, changeover and idle hours beside the stop causes, and asks no one on any shift.
How we would put it in.
Setup, data migration, integrations and anything built on top.
One system, each person sees their part.
For production planners
Load centres by fixture and holder availability, then move batches when a spindle bearing fails or a pallet changer jams. Clashes surface early.
For setters
See the pocket list, tombstone and probing steps for the batch, then book setup complete. Offsets are never retyped.
For operators and night shift
Book cycles and rejects at the control, and record why a run stopped before the shift ends, using the alarm list your controls produce.
For incoming and final inspection
Check castings at receipt for hardness and visible defects, and sampled parts at the end with a bore gauge, storing the results against the lot.
For owners
Read spindle hours cut and idle per centre, foundry defects and batches due on one screen. Nobody on the shop floor is phoned.
The numbers the owner asks for.
- Spindle hours cutting, changing over and idle, per centre
- Batches due, late and short, per buyer
- Reject causes per housing and per centre
- Blowholes and cold shuts per foundry lot
- Night-run halts per alarm number
- Insert and drill consumption per programme
- Cycle time achieved against the CAM estimate
Who this is built for.
- Shops machining pump casings, valve bodies and gearbox housings on vertical centres
- Contract machinists running repeat batches for hydraulic and automotive buyers
- Plants where several centres share tombstones, vices and BT40 holders
- Shops that run lights-out shifts with pallet changers or four-up fixtures
- Machinists receiving gravity die, sand cast and forged blanks from outside foundries
When it is not the right choice.
- A shop with one machining centre and a single buyer can plan from a whiteboard beside the control.
- Shops that mainly turn bar or build press tools will find the CNC turning or tool room products closer.
Adapted to your business before it goes live.
You are not handed a login and left to it. The product is set up around your records, your people and the tools you already use.
Works alongside
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting export
- Barcode labels
- Machine controller data feed
Questions owners ask before a demo.
Can it connect to the machine controls?
A data feed from Fanuc, Siemens or Mitsubishi controllers is possible and scoped as a separate project once we see your control makes. Without it, operators book cycles on a tablet beside the machine.
How are pieces per cycle handled?
The fixture record states how many pieces each cycle yields. One cycle on a four-up vice adds four components to the batch and to stock.
Can we hold a casting lot that looks suspect?
Yes. The lot is held at receipt after a hardness or porosity doubt. Batches that would use it show a warning to the planner until a named inspector clears it.
Does it plan tool requirements?
Each programme lists the holders, drills and taps it needs, and the list is compared with stock. A shortage shows before the batch reaches the spindle, not at it.
Can a batch move to another machine?
Yes, when the fixture and holder list fit. The planner sees which centres qualify and the free hours beside each. Table size is checked.
What about parts that need outside treatment?
Anything sent out, such as zinc plating, anodising or stress relieving, becomes a stage with its own delivery note and promised return. The batch waits there until the lot is booked back.
Is machine downtime recorded?
Yes. Breakdowns, planned service and waiting causes are booked against the centre and feed the spindle report that separates cutting, changeover and idle.
How long does it take to load our existing data?
That depends on how clean your part, holder and fixture lists are. Your office checks a first import line by line, and corrections are made before anyone relies on the figures.
Wondering what it would cost? Share your requirements and an engineer will come back with a scope.
Businesses that use this.
See VMC Machining Shop Management Software with your own data.
Tell us how you run things today. We’ll show you the parts that matter to you and say plainly what would need changing.
- No obligation
- A reply within one business day
- Your details stay private
Start with your requirements
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