On-screen benefits

Electronic and mechanical torque measuring and calibration equipment for critical applications is supplied by 200-plus employee Norbar Torque Tools to just about every industry sector. To meet the demands of this varied customer base, the company relies on advanced production control software from Seiki Systems to enhance communication and increase visibility throughout the organisation. Image: Norbar has adopted multiple Seiki Systems software solutions to help it manage production better With manufacturing set up in cells, senior cell leader Neil Bennett recalls how the company used an MRP system with infinite capacity planning and very often found the machines loaded to 200 and even 300 per cent. "We applied some shift working and overtime but we clearly could not meet these loading targets." As the company investigated different processes to improve efficiency, it started to work on a Kanban system, as well as works orders. This caused a priority conflict between the works orders generated by the sales and forecasts within the MRP system, and the Kanban requests generated by cells consuming stock. Norbar was not just facing production control issues; it was also struggling with corrupted transfer NC code on the shopfloor via its existing DNC system. Following an extensive review of the solutions available, Seiki Systems was called upon to install its DNC file transfer software and graphical Planning Board, both of which made dramatic improvements for the company. Neil Bennett says: "After installing the Seiki Systems DNC package, we now have the confidence that NC Programs will be transferred to machines on the shopfloor without any data corruption." The Planning Board software provides a real-time dynamic view of the work-in-progress on the shopfloor. From its sales forecast data, Norbar plans production for the shopfloor up to two weeks ahead. Once that has been done, the Planning Board software provides the cell leaders with a visual capacity check and the capability to alter the production sequence, within predefined parameters. DRAG AND DROP "They can drag and drop work from one machine to another to optimise their cell, using the visual feedback provided by Seiki Systems Planning Board. It gives ownership to the cell leaders within achievable parameters," manufacturing manager Martin Reynolds states. Neil Bennett goes on to say: "One of the most frustrating things, from a machine operator/setter's point of view, is spending time setting up a job on a machine and changing to the next job, only to find the third job is virtually the same as the first one. Planning Board gives a clear view ahead, and lets them manually identify and group together jobs of a similar set-up." Feedback is crucial to measuring the performance of any manufacturing operation and Seiki Systems' Machine Tool Monitoring software has been specified for all of the company's newer machine tools. Up until 18 months ago, Norbar also operated a toolroom, which has been changed to an 'Engineered to Order' (ETO) cell, and this department suffered the same pull on its resource with works orders, production Kanban and the engineering department requesting time for prototype development work. With demands from three different areas, the work tended to get done for whoever shouted the loudest. "From the positive results achieved using Seiki Systems Planning Board in production, we decided to enhance the solution by installing the Seiki Scheduler, the company's comprehensive finite capacity scheduling software, in the ETO cell, as this cell requires more controlled definition of every resource, such as machines and people," Mr Reynolds explains. The next logical step will be to expand the full scheduling package out into the production workshop. MEDICAL CHALLENGE Over in the US, and using Delcam's PartMaker CAM software has given medical device manufacturer C-Axis the ability to manufacture complex, high-quality medical parts very efficiently. The company uses a range of six multi-axis CNC mills and Swiss-type lathes, the most complex of which is a 12-axis Star ECAS-20T. Being able to quote, program and set up jobs efficiently is paramount. Jeff Haley, founder and CEO of C-Axis Inc, recognised the unique opportunity for contract manufacturing of medical devices in Puerto Rico and opened a plant there in 2003, just six years after starting his company in Hamel, Minnesota. Since then, C-Axis's Puerto Rican operation has grown to over 50 employees to serve a number of the leading medical device companies on the island, including Medtronic, Stryker, Johnson & Johnson and U.S. Surgical, among others. "Our biggest challenges include designing a machining process that meets our quality standards, proving out the processes before interrupting the machine's production, and reducing our set-up times," says Mr. Haley. "Our PartMaker CAM software allows us to design and troubleshoot our processes off-line, on an inexpensive computer instead of on a very expensive machine tool. We can examine and optimise the process prior to even starting the set-up. When we load the programs and set up the machine, we are virtually ready to start production." "Without the software, we would not be able to do as much complex milling as we do," says Jeff Geronsin, the plant's CNC programmer. "Even basic programming can be done with PartMaker in half the time that it used to take writing it manually. For example, if we are milling out pockets and decide to change an end-mill size, PartMaker can do calculations in seconds that could take hours when programming manually." Moving to Italy, and Dynamic Srl has a reputation as experts in the development and production of compression and injection moulds for indoor and outdoor furniture. The company provides moulds for major brands such as Origlia, Casprini, Bonaldo and Miniform, amongst others. Due to the higher mechanical strengths and excellent surface finish required for furniture, Dynamic specialise in the use of gas-assisted moulding with BMC (bulk moulding compound) and SMC (sheet moulding compound) glass fibre reinforced polymer resins. Furniture part thickness can vary greatly, so gas assisted moulding permits the use of thin and thick sections to ensure structural integrity of the product, without the risk of sink marks or unpredictable distortion and warpage. "Most of the designers who come to us asking to make their models a reality, start with a prototype in wood" explains Ivano Muratori, project manager at Dynamic Srl. "One of the major tasks is to translate this information into a CAD environment. Typically, we make a point to point scan of the prototype and rebuild the model using complex surface data." Dynamic has been using the VISI product suite from Vero Software for two years. "We expected a lot from the products and we haven't been disappointed," claims Mr Muratori. "We are able to create to complex prototype geometry using VISI Modelling, the plastic flow analysis using VISI Flow and the production tooling using VISI Mould and Vero's Machining Strategist. The integrated nature of the product ensures there are no data translation issues when moving between departments." After geometry reconstruction, a resin prototype is produced by milling the complete model from a rough block which is submitted to the designer for evaluation. Simultaneously to prototype production, a series of feasibility studies are carried out on the mould production and part geometry using VISI Flow. The results of hot runner simulations and cooling channel analysis are all carried through to the mould design. Image: VISI software helps Italy's Dynamic IMPORTANT SYSTEM "For us, VISI Flow is a very important tool, on which we rely heavily. It allows us to reduce the number of samples which ultimately saves us time and the customer money," Mr Muratori says. Dynamic Srl also switched to Vero's Machining Strategist for mould tool machining programming. The cost of a mould often accounts for 30/40 per cent of the entire project cost. Tiziano Perini, CEO of Dynamic, explains the benefits of switching to Machining Strategist from its previous CAM system. "We decided to move to the Vero CAM system because of its simplicity and calculation speed. Every time we create a new toolpath, it is automatically distributed to the other multi threading processors, making maximum use of the PC power. As soon as our technicians were trained, they were immediately productive and confident with the output." With the introduction of the Vero products at Dynamic, the time frame from design conception through to final part production has been reduced by 50 per cent. First published in Machinery, December 2009