Please tell us more about your company?
Designcell CAD CAM Solutions provides customised solutions to enrich and enhance design aspects and augment production capabilities. Started a decade ago, the company has been providing CAD/CAM solutions and has a technical prove out centre and machining facility at Vasai, (About 50 km from Mumbai). In addition, services like CMM inspection, Mould and Product design, Fixture design/manufacturing, CNC programming and machining are also being provided by us.

We initially started only selling the software and soon realised that to cater to our customers better we needed to become a complete solution provider. This in turn led us to venture into manufacturing of some of the critical parts for aerospace and space applications, using our own CAD CAM set up, by which we are able to enhance the value proposition for our customers.

What are the other solutions that you provide?
We offer various solutions for the tooling industry that can enhance our customers’ capabilities.

‘TopSolid’ is one of the first products we introduced. It is an integrated design and manufacturing software. This software has been developed by a group of mathematicians from France that makes it much more reliable and versatile for CAD CAM applications.

‘VoluMill’ is a software from USA that offers the most cost effective method of bulk-material removal for all rough milling operations. ‘VoluMill’ is a winner where it matters most ie. cost savings in machining time, less cutter consumption and hence cost and more importantly extended CNC machine life and less power consumption.

‘Tool Quote’ is a software that automates and organizes the tedious task of preparing quotations for toolmakers. The powerful graphic interface in the software allows for faster creation and visualization of tool layouts enabling the tool makers to send quick and reliable responses.

We also deal with magnetic work-holding and clamping devices from ‘Sarda Magnets’ Group. The company is a pioneer in designing and manufacturing of Magnetic work-holding, clamping, separation and lifting magnetic equipments. We provide training to our customers, both onsite and offsite. We have a 24/7 customer service facility including Sundays.

Our aim is to enhance the efficiency and productivity of our customers and continue to introduce them to best-in-class technologies available across the globe.

What do you mean when you say Total Solutions?
It means catering to customer’s demand right from the beginning to the end. If you look at the evolution of any product it begins from quotation, then product design and prototype, tool design thro’ to manufacture with validation at every stage using software and we are with them in all the stages of execution of the project successfully.

What are your views about Indian die mould industry?
India is going to become a manufacturing hub; it’s already in the radar of global manufacturing giants. Once these companies setup their bases in India, there will be an increase in demand for tooling and die mould solutions. Die Mould industry being the back bone of manufacturing, we foresee good times ahead for the tool and die manufacturers.

There are several CAM solution providers in India. How do you plan to compete with them?
Technology is the answer. We have some highly advanced products and we do not just sell products but provide solutions thro’ digital integration. Our philosophy is not selling software but to offer solutions. We handhold our customers in their business growth endeavour and assist them with long term solutions.

Which industry is your most important customer?
Of course Die & Mould. We also see good demand coming from industries like Aerospace, Medical and Energy.

How do you see the future of Indian CAD/CAM industry?
As the demands for automated solutions increase, we see the CAD/CAM industry growing significantly.

Future plans…
We shall keep adding more products to enhance our philosophy of becoming the ‘Total Solution Provider’.

By Nishant Kashyap

Free Ultra-high Speed Roughing for New Production Mill Users

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, today announced that, beginning November 1 of this year, it began including a no-cost license of VoluMillTM Wireframe for GibbsCAM with each new license of GibbsCAM Production Milling. Until now, the ultra-high-speed-toolpath engine was a fee-based option for GibbsCAM Production Milling, the primary milling package upon which a series of multi-axis GibbsCAM machining options integrate. Production Milling, which provides wireframe geometric modeling and toolpath generation for 2-, 2.5, and 3-axis machining, with 4th axis positioning, will now have VoluMill integrated within its traditional, shop-friendly interface. VoluMill Wireframe for GibbsCAM is a high speed machining process developed specifically to achieve the highest material removal rates while extending tool life through smooth transitions and constant tool loading. Customers have reported cycle time reductions as high as 70% and tool life extension of five times.

“Although we believe that our software already carries exceptional value, we are pleased to offer this incremental value to customers,” said Robb Weinstein, Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategic Planning of Gibbs and Associates. “They will achieve the greatest productivity possible in roughing parts, and quickly see how VoluMill’s ultra-high-speed machining, with its optimal material removal rates, translates into high-speed part production at lower cost through savings in time, tools, and machine maintenance.”

Traditional roughing toolpaths are typically generated as parallel offsets with sharp corners and transitions, requiring stops, starts and variable speeds to optimize motion and protect cutting tools from excessive wear and breakage. In contrast, VoluMill generates toolpaths optimized for volumetric material removal by using continuous tangential motion, specialized contour ramping, adaptive feed rates, and chip thickness control, achieving the highest feeds and speeds possible. By leveling tool load, maintaining constant machine-tool motion and using high-speed-repositioning, the software produces more efficient toolpaths, extends tool life and significantly reduces cycle times. No additional optimization is required.

VoluMill for GibbsCAM works on any combination of part and stock boundaries, and supports an unlimited number of islands, walls, pocket depths and island heights. Some of the additional contributors to faster removal rates, longer tool life and much shorter cycle times include:

• Programmed rate of material removal to keep tool and work piece temperature consistent, dissipating heat with chips
• Automatic feed rate and depth of cut adjustment to maintain programmed material removal rate, eliminate excessive loading, and minimize tool wear, heat build-up and vibration
• Intelligent side milling and slot milling (with programmer override) to provide the fastest possible cycle time, with automatic feed rate and Z-depth adjustments in slot milling for constant material removal
• Smoothing radius to maximize tool utilization and minimize cycle time
• Contour ramping to maximize removal in tight areas, while minimizing cycle time
• Up to 100% step-over to ensure complete cleanup
• Clean-up milling to allow a smaller tool to remove material left by a larger tool
• High-speed repositioning, with minimal clearance and no tool drag across floor