Our electrical interlock systems work with many types of lab and shop equipment including CNC mills and lathes, 3D printers, lab computers and consoles, digital microscopes (like SEMs), and other equipment that can be controlled via 120V power cycling, high-voltage relay, or USB connection.

Unlike traditional access control that locks entire rooms, CardTap provides physical electrical lockouts on individual pieces of equipment. This enables fine-grained access control for accountability, safety, billing, and equipment maintenance/usage data tracking.

A reliable WiFi connection covers most facilities. All software infrastructure is web and cloud-based, so there are no servers to maintain and no software to install, and the CardTap Portal runs in any modern web browser. If your network goes down, access doesn't have to stop with it: ControlTap units can be configured to cache credentials and access permissions locally, so authorized users can keep using equipment until the connection returns. Enterprise environments with stricter uptime or network requirements can also configure local server, access, and custom authentication sources.

CardTap uses a monthly or annual cloud license model with various add-ons to support cloud services. ControlTap hardware is typically purchased outright but requires a license to enable it, which provides extended warranty and ongoing updates. The Starter tier is free for up to 10 equipment users.

Certifications are managed in the CardTap Portal. Equipment can require any number of different certifications, and users can be trained/certified on multiple certifications. Users whose certifications match or exceed the equipment's requirements are automatically authorized to use that equipment. All records include timestamps for auditing purposes.

Various reporting capabilities are included - both viewable in the portal and exportable. Generate usage reports by tool, by user, and more. Extensive filtering is available for purposes such as user usage billing, equipment maintenance tracking, upkeep justification, and budgeting.

The CardTap Portal includes built-in equipment scheduling that lets users reserve equipment ahead of time. The scheduling view provides day, week, and month calendar views, making it easy to see availability and plan usage across your facility.

ControlTap hardware modules connect via WiFi to our AWS-based cloud infrastructure. The CardTap Portal manages access rules, user permissions, and certifications. When a user authenticates at a piece of equipment, the system checks their credentials against the requirements in real-time and either enables or denies access to the equipment. Units can also be configured to cache credentials and access permissions locally, so authorization keeps working during a network outage.