CNC Gear Connects Lantek to MKG ERP in One Day

Plug & Play Connections: Standardization as an Answer to Customization Stress

As an official distributor of Lantek, CNC Gear has delivered and configured numerous post-processors, enabling sheet metal processing machines from virtually all manufacturers to be controlled by Lantek's software. “We are now looking the other way,” says Jelle van Harsselaar, founder and owner of CNC Gear. “The ERP makers are our new OEMs.”
This is a logical development. The trend in the manufacturing industry is that various software packages and machines are integrated into one comprehensive whole. Data must be able to flow effortlessly from one system to another. The integration of an ERP system with CAD/CAM software from a machine manufacturer or an independent supplier is nothing new.

Such interfaces, based on XML technology, have existed for a long time. However, designing and implementing such an interface for a user is no easy task and can take a long time. “Six months to a year is not uncommon,” says Van Harsselaar. “Because such an interface is always custom-made and must be set up with developers from multiple parties.

 Often, there is a lack of availability of these engineers, making this approach unsustainable. We have now realized a standard 'plug and play' solution.”

API Technology

This is made possible by the API that MKG provides for this purpose. This API includes instructions on how to fill it out and what conditions must be met, just as machine suppliers do for post-processors. CNC Gear has now filled out this API. Together with MKG Netherlands, particularly Stijn Hemeltjen and Teun Kienhuis of CNC Gear have developed an MKG 5 REST-API for the Lantek CAD/CAM products over the past 1.5 years. 

During the kick-off, they gave a brief demonstration of this. This interface is now available for Lantek and MKG users. Like other Lantek modules for brand-independent machine control, the same MKG API interface can soon also be delivered to users of Trumpf's OSEON software systems. Since Lantek was acquired by Trumpf a few years ago, there is increasing collaboration to seek innovative and particularly sustainable digital CAD/CAM solutions.

Significant Time Savings 

The standard solution from CNC Gear brings significant time savings and no additional party is needed to realize it. An advantage of an API is that it allows two-way traffic: data can flow from ERP to the machine and vice versa. Along the way, all the capabilities of each software system can be utilized. All data generated by Lantek is real-time – directly – visible in ERP. 

This is particularly useful for office staff. If a customer asks about the status of their order, they can see in ERP whether it has already been nested or if the products are already somewhere in the workshop, without having to bother anyone in the workshop.

CNC Gear is the first CAD/CAM supplier in sheet metal processing to now connect with the MKG cloud environment using REST-API technology. In machining, there are already more suppliers doing this. “It is a unique development in our industry,” says Van Harsselaar. “Many people talk about it, we have just done it. The foundation is there, now we are going to test it in practice.”

This is happening at Decona, a supplier in construction and equipment manufacturing. Decona is the perfect candidate for this. It is CNC Gear's neighbor, and the new generation within the company is renewing and busy setting up a digital infrastructure. In this, this interface is an important step. “Once it works perfectly here, we will do more integrations. With a quick delivery time, that is the goal,” concludes Van Harsselaar.

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