Parker Aero Tooling Solutions, a rapidly expanding aerospace toolmaker, has changed to Delcam\u2019s PowerMILL CAM software to remove a programming bottleneck that was limiting the company\u2019s productivity.<\/p>\n
The company, which has been based in Accrington in the North-West of England for over forty years and is now in its second generation of family ownership, produces a wide range of tooling, including jigs and fixtures, exclusively for the aerospace industry.\u00a0 It has been closely involved in designing and manufacturing tooling for many of the world\u2019s most prestigious aircraft programmes, including all Airbus platforms, plus the Eclipse and Honda VLJ programmes.\u00a0 Virtually all of the tooling is made as a \u2018one-off\u2019 so developing the most efficient machining approach for each project involves a steep learning curve.<\/p>\n
Most of the staff are time-served toolmakers with a wealth of aerospace knowledge, and their skills and expertise are needed on almost every job.\u00a0 In addition, Managing Director, Mike Parker, puts a strong emphasis on encouraging direct interaction between his staff and his customers.\u00a0 \u201cWe have built up a detailed knowledge of our customers\u2019 equipment so we can make tooling that will be easy for them to install and efficient for them to use,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always designed our tooling with the same CADCAM system that is used by most of our customers, and have been happy with that aspect of the software,\u201d said Mr. Parker.\u00a0 \u201cHowever, we have ten machines, including several five-axis machining centres, all demanding programs.\u00a0 We were experiencing a serious bottleneck with our two seats of the machining software as we couldn\u2019t supply toolpaths quickly enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Parker investigated a number of alternative CAM programs before deciding on PowerMILL.\u00a0 The software provided a complete machining package that covers all the bases for the range of projects at G. Parker Aero Tooling Solutions, plus the price was very competitive.\u00a0 In addition, the company was already using Delcam\u2019s PowerINSPECT inspection software and had been impressed with both the software and the support provided.<\/p>\n
Even though the staff have only been using PowerMILL for a few months, the effects have been dramatic.\u00a0 \u201cWe have effectively doubled our programming capacity with the three seats of PowerMILL because the software is so much easier to use,\u201d reported Mr. Parker.<\/p>\n
Craig Cooke, Production Manager, had used an alternative CAM system for all his working life but hasn\u2019t found anything that PowerMILL can\u2019t do.\u00a0 \u201cAll four people that we have trained in PowerMILL have been very motivated.\u00a0 Of course, introducing new software has seen some difficulties but nothing insurmountable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A key benefit of PowerMILL for G. Parker Aero Tooling Solutions is that it is purely a machining package so it is much easier to introduce onto the shop floor.\u00a0 \u201cIt is much simpler to exchange knowledge between the different users because it is so much easier to use,\u201d said Mr. Cooke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe calculation times are around 25% faster, which, along with the ease of use, means we can generate programs more quickly,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 \u201cStock models are much easier to use in PowerMILL so we are able to reduce air cutting and shorten machining times with rest machining.\u00a0 We had always struggled with creating undercuts but programming for disc cutters is extremely quick in PowerMILL.\u00a0 The surface finish we get now is very good; it is extremely smooth with no faceting.\u00a0 This has reduced polishing time by an average of 20%.\u201d<\/p>\n
Operator Robbie Cooke has also been impressed with the Delcam software.\u00a0 \u201cPowerMILL is very graphical with pictures to tell you what the system is going to do,\u201d he explained.\u00a0 \u201cThe measuring tools for angles and undercuts help me to choose the best strategy and cutting tools to use, while the automation in the software means that I can complete programs more quickly.\u00a0 I\u2019ve only been using the software for a few months so the simulation tools are really valuable.\u00a0 They make it easy to see if you are going wrong and to put it right.\u00a0 They also give me the confidence to put jobs onto the machine straight away.\u00a0 I\u2019ve already programmed all sorts of jobs \u2013 press tools, jigs, fixtures and so on.\u00a0 PowerMILL handles it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The productivity boost from introducing PowerMILL has come at an important time for G. Parker Aero Tooling Solutions.\u00a0 \u201cBusiness is pretty good,\u201d claimed Mr. Parker.\u00a0 \u201cWe already have enough projects lined up to make 2016 a better year than 2015.\u00a0 We have plans to add more five-axis machines as they always seem to be fully booked and we will be recruiting two more apprentices.\u00a0 Extra training, including more PowerMILL courses, is also planned for the existing staff to make them more flexible so we are able to take on more projects.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Parker Aero Tooling Solutions, a rapidly expanding aerospace toolmaker, has changed to Delcam\u2019s PowerMILL CAM software to remove a programming bottleneck that was limiting the company\u2019s productivity. The company, which has been based in Accrington in the North-West of England for over forty years and is now in its second generation of family ownership, produces […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,1],"tags":[305,431,1104],"class_list":["post-7611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cadcam","category-uncategorized","tag-cam","tag-delcam","tag-powermill"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}