Click on the advert above to visit the company web site

Product category: Woodworking CAD/CAM, CNC systems and software
News Release from: Alphacam | Subject: Alphacam and Cabinet Vision software - Sunseeker
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 03 April 2008

CAD/CAM saves on yacht building costs

Latest CAD/CAM systems enable a luxury yacht builder to produce structural components 70% faster - and more accurately - as well as visualising and programming cabin fittings.

For the internationally known luxury yacht builder, Sunseeker, the drive for continuous improvement includes ongoing investment in Alphacam and Cabinet Vision manufacturing software and latest generation CNC machining equipment The objective is to streamline the production of wood panel components

With eight design and manufacturing sites in the Poole area of Dorset, UK, Sunseeker International is the world's largest and most successful privately owned motor yacht producer.

It has more than 2000 employees and achieved record sales of GBP 240 million during its last financial year.

The company's exceptional growth reflects its consistently high standards and continuous investment in the business, making it one of the best known and respected luxury goods brands worldwide.

Apart from the GRP hulls, most of Sunseeker boat construction is based on woodworking operations ranging from 25mm thick plywood bulkheads through to MDF-based cabin and galley furniture.

CNC specialist at Sunseeker, Bill Taylor, said: "Fitting out and assembly used to be done manually by a skilled team of craftsmen, who could easily take a week to mark out, profile and rebate a set of bulkheads for one of our larger yachts.

But using Alphacam and Cabinet Vision software, one operator can now complete a full set of bulkheads within a single shift".

He continued: "The new system is not only much faster, it is also more accurate and allows us to carry greater information through to the assembly stage by including things like scribe lines, datum points and floor heights as part of each panel's machining program".

* First CNC investment - Sunseeker's first investment in CNC machining was in 1998 when it purchased a Bulleri CNC driller/router equipped with Alphacam software.

Taylor said: "It completely changed our way of working.

Previously, the craftsman would use a template to mark out the required panels and jig-saw them by hand.

The new system opened the way for us to design virtually everything in AutoCAD, then transfer the geometry directly into Alphacam for offline programming".

Citing the example of a typical set of 10 or 12 bulkheads, each may be assembled from four or five separate profiled panels using tongue and groove joints.

Not only are the CNC machined components much more accurate than even the best hand made equivalents, but the use of CAD/CAM technology gives an average saving of around 30 min on each part.

Taylor commented: "That adds up to huge time and cost savings, What's more, the flexibility of the software means that geometry changes or amendments to the rebate pattern say, to improve bulkhead strength can be easily incorporated, with an updated machining program produced at the touch of a button".

Today, CAD/CAM technology is applied throughout Sunseeker's manufacturing operations.

Taylor said that the company's four seats of Alphacam are primarily devoted to the programming of structural components such as bulkheads or ceiling headlinings.

In operation, the required component data is transferred from the company's AutoCAD system in DXF format.

Alternatively, digitised point information typically from first-off samples or prototypes can also be imported directly into the system for subsequent manipulation and processing.

As part of the company's drive for standardisation and consistency, components are normally programmed using pre-defined machining 'styles', which enable operational sequences, tooling, cutting speeds and feeds to be applied consistently on similar parts.

Likewise, kits of panels are normally nested on screen to ensure maximum material utilisation and optimum cycle times.

Sunseeker also takes advantage of the software's ability to generate a full on-screen simulation in order to verify programs before they are released to production.

"This is rarely done on standard kits of parts, although it can prove very useful for prototypes, or when we are cutting expensive materials that can cost up to GBP 600 per sheet," added Taylor.

* Cabin fittings visualisation - While Alphacam is ideal for groups of individual components, Cabinet Vision is at its best advantage on assemblies such as galley fittings, stowage units or bunks, said Taylor.

Using its powerful parametric modelling capabilities, complete cabin interiors can be designed and visualised, with families of assembled units being fully defined and programmed simply by selecting the required product from the library and specifying the relevant external dimensions.

All internal components such as drawers, shelves and associated fittings are calculated automatically, with the appropriate machining program for the complete assembly ready nested on the sheet generated at the touch of a button.

"Again, it represents a major time saving for us, while also ensuring the production of correctly sized components that fit together right first time," said Taylor.

"Each software application has its own particular strengths.

It is a bonus that they are both from the same source and are totally compatible".

An illustration of this integration is Alphacam's ability to import logos or motifs in a variety of file formats and produce subroutines that can subsequently be incorporated within larger machining programs in Cabinet Vision.

This not only opens the way for parametrically-designed cabin fittings to be tailored to the available space, but also easily personalised to a customer's particular requirements.

A further feature is Alphacam's ability to manipulate imported digitised information.

Alphacam told manufacturingtalk that Sunseeker had put to good use in compiling libraries of component data from existing templates, as well as capturing design intent from one-off models or prototypes.

Alphacam's versatility also extends to its compatibility with a Blackman and White fabric cutter used to produce on-board upholstery and furnishings.

Here, the digitised data is imported into Alphacam, where the system's geometry tools are employed to tidy up the patterns before outputting cutting programs in the required post-processed format.

In parallel, the Alphacam and Cabinet Vision software interfaces with the company's management and information systems to enable assembly or reference drawings to be made available to shopfloor operators on a 'view and print out' basis.

* Advanced manufacturing methods - the increasing use of advanced manufacturing methods at Sunseeker not only reflected strong business growth during the past few years; it also underlined the company's clear commitment to continuous improvement.

Taylor exampled the application where most bulkheads were originally produced by bonding two sheets of 12mm plywood together.

Machining times were significantly shorter than with the current 25mm thick panels, but this was more than made up for at the assembly stage along with significant additional cost savings on the adhesive consumption.

With four programmers and around 3000 live machining programs on the system at any time, Alphacam and Cabinet Vision 'tick all the right boxes' for Sunseeker.

Taylor said: "We now produce kits of bulkhead panels 70% quicker than before, with greater consistency, accuracy and repeatability than we could ever achieve using manual methods".

The software also provides less obvious benefits.

For example, if a panel is damaged during assembly, relevant part data can be retrieved instantly and a replacement produced eliminating the risk of delays at the fitting out stage.

Furthermore, by simplifying Sunseeker's manufacturing methods, CAD/CAM has reduced the company's dependence on skilled woodworking labour, which was proving to be in increasingly short supply in the Poole area.

"We place a great deal of emphasis on developing our in-house skills and, in this respect, we have been impressed by the training and support we've received from Alphacam," said Taylor.

During the past eight years, Sunseeker has added a two further Bulleri machines to its original CNC machining installation, with the most recent unit running solely on Cabinet Vision work.

Taylor believed that another new machine could be added within the next two years as business levels continue to grow.

However, what is more certain is that Alphacam and Cabinet Vision will remain at the heart of Sunseeker's woodworking operations for a long time to come.

* About Alphacam - Alphacam is a principal brand of the Planit Group recently ranked by CIMdata as the world's fastest growing CAM vendor, with most industrial users.

Alphacam's world-class CAD/CAM software for the engineering, woodworking and stone sectors provides rapid return on investment for manufacturing operations ranging from simple 2D profiling to complex 5-axis machining.

For more than three decades, Alphacam has provided products and services that enable customers to improve the productivity of their machine tools, shorten design and manufacturing time, optimise material usage and deliver high quality goods and services to their customers.

• Alphacam: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page

Search the Pro-Talk network of sites

Put your news on Manufacturingtalk  |   Advertise  |   Get the free Manufacturingtalk newsletter  |   Manufacturingtalk Home
About Manufacturingtalk  |   Copyright © 2000-2008 Pro-Talk Ltd, UK