AMS Controls is excited to introduce Pathfinder Edge, a web-based trim profile design and management application. With the addition of Pathfinder Edge to their line of products, AMS Controls continues in their mission to help customers that manufacture metal trim become more efficient and profitable.
Draw Profiles Anywhere and Send them Directly to Production
Pathfinder Edge is web-based, so it can be accessed from anywhere users have an internet connection. This level of accessibility means that Customer Support Representatives (CSRs) in an office – or even salespeople in the field – can create a profile and send it to a machine, eliminating the need for the operator to enter the profile (and potentially make a mistake).
Pathfinder Edge Subscribers are provided their own website address, much like most Software as a Service (SAAS) setups. Through this unique address, subscribers access Pathfinder Edge with a secure login.
Once logged in, users can create profiles with the web-based software and access libraries of profiles via standard browsing and searching techniques. Profiles are immediately available at a Pathfinder-controlled folding machine for production.
Technology that Leads to Cost Savings
The utility of Pathfinder Edge stretches beyond its remote connectivity and web-based application. Since it includes Pathfinder’s powerful auto-sequencing technology (which determines if profile production is possible without using up valuable material for trial and error), production costs are the essentially the same for both standard and custom profiles, but you can still charge a custom premium. This allows Pathfinder Edge Subscribers to earn greater profits on custom jobs, and it also opens the door to more challenging custom jobs with almost no financial risk.
Furthermore, not having to use trial and error results in significant cost savings for Pathfinder Edge subscribers:
- Material used to create a part is now sellable material, not scrap
- Operators of any skill spend their time producing instead of programming and creating test parts
- Mistakes are greatly reduced since those who are detail-oriented (CSRs) enter the profile as opposed to operators whose expertise is production
Pathfinder Edge is a trim shop technology solution that enables subscribers to shift programming time to production time, which leads to shorter lead times and greater profits.
Smart, User-Friendly Interface
The profile design function of Pathfinder Edge has the same feature-rich technology found in Pathfinder that allows users to design profiles within the web interface. These features include:
Profile Sketching – Intuitive “sketching” allows users to orient profiles in any direction, making them just like a written sketch. (Regular input devices (mouse/trackpad) as well as touchscreen devices are supported.)
Test for Manufacturability – Pathfinder Edge knows the geometry of the folding machine with which it is linked, and it will alert the user if the part cannot be made on a specific machine. This feature saves time, effort, and scrap by getting a warning early in the process.
Pathfinder Edge lets users design profiles even when they are not in front of a machine and allows operators to focus on what they do best – making parts.
Use the Latest Version – Always
Pathfinder Edge is available as a subscription only. This model has several benefits:
- Local servers, equipment, and hosting are not needed.
- When upgrades are deployed, all subscribers automatically get them – no charging for the “next best” version.
- All technical support is centralized at AMS Controls’ St. Louis headquarters.
- Subscribers don’t have to pay a large upfront cost; they pay for what they use, as they go.
