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Product category: Software, off-line programming, CAM, for metal cutting machine tools
News Release from: Delcam | Subject: PowerMILL 5-axis machining software
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 02 July 2003

Software gives toolmaker triple time
saving

Changing software has given a triple time saving at a Northern Ireland die casting equipment manufacturer by using a new approach to the way programs are written and executed.

Changing to Delcam software has given a triple time saving at Northern Ireland die casting equipment manufacturer BS Tooling "Since switching to PowerSHAPE and PowerMILL, we have seen our programming times cut, our machining times reduced and hand finishing minimised," claims Production Manager Shaun Copas

"The overall time savings have been encouraging." Furthermore, the use of PS-Electrode and PowerSHAPE to design electrodes has proved faster and reduced errors.

BS Tooling, which is located less than fifteen minutes from Belfast International Airport, works principally for its owner, the leading French aluminium foundry company Montupet, although it is looking to attract more work from outside the group.

The company specialises in the design and manufacture of dies and core boxes for the automotive industry, particularly wheel dies, and dies and core boxes for cylinder heads.

Its tooling has been used in the production of components for Ford, Renault, Volvo, Citroen, Peugeot and many others.

BS Tooling first invested in Delcam software six years ago when it purchased CopyCAD for reverse engineering of tooling from patterns.

The company added its first seats of PowerSHAPE and PowerMILL in the following year and expects to complete its transition to Delcam software during this year.

"Our previous software used to be one of the best on the market even though the support had never been very strong," said Copas.

"Recently, however, development had slowed down.

We were still achieving good results but having Delcam software has shown that we can be even better." "The newer strategies in PowerMILL have been an essential part of our move into high-efficiency roughing and high-speed machining," added Copas.

"High-speed machining offers vastly improved cutting efficiency and surface finish but requires the totally new approach to the way programs are created and executed.

The new techniques in PowerMILL offer considerable cost and quality benefits for our customers." Copas admits that BS Tooling has been a very demanding customer.

"We have always been pushing for even greater improvements and Delcam has been responding positively.

Each new release shows further progress.

In addition, the support has been very good." BS Tooling has recently added its first five-axis machine, a DMU 70 Evolution from DMG.

Copas is convinced that this represents the future for the company and not just because of the usual benefits of more accurate machining and fewer set-ups.

The new additions to the Delcam software enable BS Tooling to program directly from solid model data on all faces of the tooling and feed it directly to the machine with minimal operator input in production.

"With three-axis approach you have to cut cylinder head port core boxes across the direction of the flow in the port," explained Copas.

"Since we are not allowed to do any hand finishing in these areas, small cusps are left on the surface.

Even though they are too small to be seen by eye, they can have an impact on the efficiency of the engine. Request a free brochure from Delcam ...

With five-axis machining, you can cut in the direction of flow in the port definition, and so improve the engine's performance by minimising any deviation from the original simulations carried out in the engineering and prove-out stages.".

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