Start With Who Touches the File, Not Who Wears the Badge
The first step is simple: count the people who actually need access to the software on a normal week. A programmer who creates toolpaths needs a different level of access from an owner who only checks quotations, or a supervisor who reviews jobs before release. In many shops the licence count gets guessed at during a busy month and then becomes a problem later when the team grows or shifts between day and night work.
Make a list of every role that touches the process from drawing to machine output. Include holiday cover, part-time staff and anyone who works between the office and the shop floor. If one person programs on Monday and another takes over on Tuesday, that is not the same as two people needing full-time access all day.
- List the people who create, edit or post jobs
- Mark who only needs read-only access
- Note shared shifts, leave cover and overtime work
- Check whether the same station is used by more than one person
When a Single-Seat Licence Makes Sense
A single-seat licence suits a one-person programming setup or a small shop where one operator handles most of the CAD/CAM work. It also suits businesses that only have one seat of software active at a time and do not need two people working in the same file simultaneously. For many smaller CNC routing and milling shops around Centurion, Pretoria or Vereeniging, this is often the cleanest starting point.
It works well if one person owns the job from import through to post-process and release. If someone else only steps in now and then, it may still be more practical to keep one main licence and add viewer access for oversight. The key question is simple: will another person need to work in the software while the first user is still busy? If yes, you may already be beyond single-seat.
- Best for one primary programmer or technician
- Good for low staff turnover and clear job ownership
- Useful where the same PC is used by one person at a time
- Lower admin, especially for smaller teams
How Multi-Seat Licensing Helps Growing Shops
Multi-seat access is usually the better fit where two or more people need to create jobs on the same day. This matters in busy shops with separate programmers, machine setters and quoting staff, or where one person is working on turning while another is preparing milling jobs. It can also help if your shop runs different shifts and you do not want production waiting for one workstation to free up.
For larger teams in Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town, multi-seat can improve flow across the workshop. It reduces bottlenecks when one job needs adjustments while another is already in setup. If your team keeps asking who has the software open, or delaying work because a licence is tied up, that is a sign the licence size is too small.
- Choose this when two or more users need active access
- Useful for shift work and overlapping deadlines
- Helps separate programming, setup and review tasks
- Better when more than one machine family is supported
What Viewer Access Is For and What It Is Not
Viewer access is useful for people who need to inspect jobs without editing them. That can include owners, production managers, estimators and quality staff who want to check geometry, operation order or setup notes before release. It keeps expensive editing seats free for the people doing the actual programming.
Viewer access is not a shortcut for production work. If the person needs to change toolpaths, remake posts or adjust output for a machine controller, they need the proper editing licence. Use viewer access to reduce clutter, not to hide a full user in a read-only seat. This is especially handy in shops where the manager only needs to approve work at the end of the day.
- Best for review, approval and estimating
- Ideal for owners and supervisors
- Helps keep editing seats available for programmers
- Works well for remote checks before a job goes to machine
A Licence Sizing Checklist for South African CNC Shops
Before you order or renew, step through the numbers carefully. Power cuts, machine downtime and after-hours work can all change how many people need access on the same day. A shop in East Rand or West Rand may look quiet on paper but still need two programming seats because work gets done in short windows between load-shedding periods and production pushes.
Also think about where the software is used. If one workstation is on the factory floor and another is in an office with better power backup, you may want to split access by role. The right size is the one that lets your team work without waiting around for a licence, while still avoiding unnecessary cost.
- How many people need to edit files in the same week?
- Do any staff overlap on shifts or work weekends?
- Is one person only reviewing jobs, not editing them?
- Do you have more than one machine type to support?
- Will a spare seat be needed for leave cover or training?
Plan for Training, Onboarding and Support From Day One
The licence choice should match your rollout plan, not only your current head count. If you are bringing in new programmers, onboarding a fresh machine, or moving from manual methods to a more structured workflow, build in room for training. A single-seat licence can be enough for a very tight team, but if you are training someone while keeping production moving, a second access point often saves time.
It also helps to decide who gets what level of access before installation begins. That way the setup team can align licence installation, operator training and first job support around the way your shop actually runs. A proper plan reduces mistakes and keeps the machine busy instead of waiting for someone to sort permissions at the last minute.
- Map current users and planned hires
- Include training days, handover days and leave cover
- Decide who can edit and who only reviews
- Check whether a new machine will need its own workflow
Some shops only discover the real licence need after the first rush of jobs. That is normal, but it is easier to get it right before the backlog starts. A small review now can prevent repeated delays later and keeps the process tidy for the team and the machine operators.
If You Are Still Unsure, Use the Job Flow Test
Ask three questions about your normal day. Can one person handle the full job from import to output without interruption? Does another person need to work on a different job at the same time? Will a supervisor or owner need read-only access to approve work? If the answer to any of those is yes, you probably need more than one access level.
That is the easiest way to size licences without overbuying. Start with the way your shop really works, then choose the combination of single-seat, multi-seat and viewer access that matches it. If you want help matching the licence plan to your shop layout, machine mix or production schedule, use the enquiry form on our contact page and we will work through it with you.
