Delta ISN Pre-Sales FAQ
Here are many of the questions prospective customers ask about the Delta Industrial Sewing Network as they consider installing it at their site. The questions are grouped into categories. Clicking on the category you're interested in will scroll you to that section of the FAQ. Or, you can just browse through starting from the top. If you have technical questions that are not answered here, feel free to contact us directly. Questions about sales? Contact our sales associate.
Question categories
Questions about machine manufacturers supported
Questions about pattern files: formats, downloading, etc.
Questions about documentation, installation and training
Questions about integrating Delta ISN at your site
Questions about the wireless machine network
Questions about the wired machine network
Questions about machine manufacturers supported
Does Delta ISN support multiple brand embroidery machines?
Yes. Delta ISN can deliver embroidery designs to most machine brands. The rule of thumb is, if the machine can receive a pattern download through a serial port from a standard serial device, or to a tape port from a standard tape device, then we can most likely download to it. Of course, with cooperating machine manufacturers, you have a fully integrated machine solution with data transfer capabilities far beyond a simple pattern download. However, on production floors where other production tracking methods have been implemented, a download-only interface to Delta ISN may be sufficient.
Questions about pattern files: formats, downloading, etc.
What pattern file formats can Delta ISN work with?
Delta ISN supports the following industry standard pattern file formats either as a standard feature or available as an optional file converter: Compucon (*.XXX); Wilcom (*.T01, *.T03); Barudan (*.DSB); Tajima (*.DST); Melco (*.EXP). While many machine manufacturers have their own proprietary stitch file formats, the machine usually support one or more of the industry standard formats as well.
Can downloads to multiple machines occur simultaneously?
Yes. When a machine requests a pattern from the Delta ISN database, a copy of the pattern is loaded into memory exclusively to serve that request. All of your machines can download simultaneously, even download the same pattern simultaneously, with no limitation imposed by Delta ISN.
At what speed are embroidery patterns downloaded to a machine?
With the serial port version of the Delta Terminal, stitch download rate is approximately 18,000 stitches per minute. With the tape port version of the Delta Terminal, the stitch download rate is approximately 6,000 stitches per minute, a limitation of the machine's tape port itself.
Does Delta ISN display the downloaded pattern on a screen at the embroidery machine?
It depends upon the version of Delta Terminal used. We have an optional graphical display available for our more current terminal versions which can display the downloaded pattern along with other information useful to the machine operator.
Where a user is not at an actual embroidery machine but is instead at a PC and using our Delta IDS client software, design previews are available as a graphic thumbnail or as a detailed stitch-by-stitch rendering to the screen.
Questions about scalabilty
Is Delta ISN scalable? How many embroidery machines can it support?
Yes. Delta ISN is the most scalable machine network in the industry bar none. A single Delta Network Server can host up to 255 embroidery machines. It is not limited by cable length restrictions or machine placement. Because Delta Network Server is a true TCP/IP based server, it can support machines anywhere on your corporate WAN.
So, whether your embroidery machines are in the same building as the Delta Network Server or are distributed among several buildings on the same campus, it's never a problem to connect it to Delta ISN. Even if you've got machines in remote locations throughout the world, as long as they've got a WAN connection, they can connect to Delta ISN and work just like any other machine on the network.
With our optional Distribution Agent, we can link multiple remote Delta ISN pattern databases to a single pattern import location over a corporate WAN. This allows a single design/punching location to place designs in one location on your network, then automatically have that design available at multiple remote geographic sites each running a local installation of Delta ISN. Such a configuration makes your designs available throughout your enterprise, yet each location operates independently with a dedicated Delta ISN, thereby eliminating the threat of a single point of failure.
Does the speed of pattern downloads decrease as more machines are added to Delta ISN?
No. The download speed to each machine remains constant regardless of the number of machines connected to Delta ISN.
Questions about reporting
What management reports are available from Delta ISN?
Delta ISN collects a rich set of data that can be presented either in the report set that ships with the standard system or in custom reports we create to your specifications.
Download the Sample Report Collection. The Sample Report Collection is contained in a self-extracting executable. Download the file, then run it from its location on disk.
Some of the highlights of the standard report set include:
Reports based on an entire plant or team:
- Floor status shows all machines, who's logged in and what job they are running
- Team performance summary
- Plant production summary
- Production averages
Reports based on operators:
- Piece counts detail by operator
- Operator performance summary
- Operator login/logout
Reports based on machines:
- Thread break, slider error reports
- Turn around time (the time it takes from the end of one design sewing cycle to the next)
- Piece counts summary for all machines
- Individual machine summary
Reports based on jobs:
- Thread break, slider error and piece count details by job
- Job production summary
In addition to reports, Delta ISN offers many graphs that help to present statistics visually.
Can Delta ISN archive its reporting data?
Yes. Delta ISN stores all machine-level activity in daily archive tables that can be kept online for as long as needed. In installations where Delta ISN is hosting a collection of patterns for download to embroidery machines, the entire reporting environment can be kept online and available for a year or more. In installations where Delta ISN is hosting an automated lettering system such as Direct-to-Sew™ or Delta MCS, usually reporting data is kept online for approximately 3 to 6 months to avoid the database growing to the point that it affects system performance.
Does Delta ISN have the ability to export report data to other applications?
Yes. Our reporting tools export to the popular Microsoft Excel format (XLS). From Excel or any compatible spreadsheet tool, the data can be further converted to any number of popular formats.
Questions about documentation, installation and training
Is product documentation supplied?
Yes. Delta Network Server features a fully implemented online help system as do our client applications. The system also comes with documentation in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format, which can be viewed online with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or printed by the customer for hard copy.
Is installation and technical training supplied?
Yes. One of our team members will be on site for the installation and will conduct the following training, scheduling according to your needs:
- Management training to address reporting issues and how Delta ISN can best be integrated into the business process
- User training to teach users at the machine level how to incorporate Delta ISN into their daily work routine
- Technical training to address day to day technical maintenance issues
Questions about integrating Delta ISN at your site
What operating systems does Delta ISN run on?
The server side of the system runs on Windows 2000 and later client or server operating systems. Client programs run on all Windows operating systems from Windows 98SE and later.
Are there any special hardware requirements to run your system?
No. Delta ISN runs on any PC hardware that is listed on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the operating system you choose to run. We will assist you in choosing hardware so that it is suitable for the number of embroidery machines you intend to connect to Delta ISN. Other than these basics, there are no special hardware requirements.
What are your network infrastructure requirements?
The Delta ISN server computer is simply added to your local domain for connectivity. A dedicated network interface card (NIC) in the computer is used for this connection. A regular user login to the Delta ISN computer is required to run Delta ISN server applications.
For the machine network, either a second dedicated NIC can be used to implement a private machine network, or the machine traffic can be conducted over your corporate network.
Questions about the wireless machine network
Tell me more about the wireless components used in Delta ISN.
If you choose a wireless implementation, your client machines communicate with Delta Network Server over a wireless link that operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) band. Our current wireless components use proprietary frequency-hopping spread-spectrum protocols affording non-interfering inter-operability with other systems in the same band. Delta ISN uses off-the-shelf, industrial-grade components from the industry's leading wireless system manufacturers.
Questions about the wired machine network
Tell me more about the wired networking components used in Delta ISN.
If you choose a wired implementation, your client machines communicate with Delta Network Server over a wired link that complies with the 10BASE-T Ethernet (802.3) standard.