cortesia Mecadat AG 

L’attrezzeria del fornitore automobilistico Erxleben Verformungstechnik ha convertito parzialmente il CAD e completamente combiato il CAM con VISI. Da allora l’azienda di Wildeshausen è stata in grado di agire in modo più rapido e flessibile, anche per quanto riguarda la collaborazione con fornitori esterni. Recentemente i processi di formatura vengono simulati direttamente da VISI con Stampack Xpress e gli errori vengono rilevati immediatamente. Da allora, le prove stampo e le fasi di ri-fresatura del disegno sono un ricordo del passato.

“l’esperienza finora maturata è che se Stampack conferma il metodo di stampaggio, allora la prova stampo è positiva al cento per cento.” afferma Roman Kraus del reparto di progettazione di Erxleben Verformungstechnik.

Con sede a Wildeshausen, a sud di Delmenhorst, Kurt Erxleben GmbH & Co. KG impiega 380 dipendenti e produce particolari stampati in lamiera, assemblaggi saldati e pezzi lavorati. Oltre alla tecnologia di stampaggio e formatura, per la quale viene utilizzato un grande numero di presse eccentriche e idrauliche con forza di serraggio fino a 12.000 kN, vengono coperte anche altre tecnologie come la piegatura CNC, la saldatura robotizzata (MAG, MIG, TIG), il taglio laser 2D e 3D, l’assemblaggio robotizzato e la fresatura CNC (3 assi, 5 assi). Il lavoro si svolge su tre turni, con dimensioni tipiche dei lotti che vanno da 1.000 a 15.000. Attualmente sono circa 700 gli stampi attivi, con i quali si svolge la produzione in serie e che vengono manutenuti e riparati nella propria attrezzeria. Il 99% dei clienti proviene dall’industria automobilistica. OEM come Daimler, Porsche o Volkswagen vengono forniti direttamente, come pure i grandi fornitori Tier1 come Magna CTS, Valeo, Voestalpine, Wagon Automotive o ZF. A questo processo contribuiscono un sistema di qualità ben sviluppato e varie certificazioni orientate al settore, così come un’area logistica ben sviluppata.

“Un nostro cliente importante, ad esempio, è lo stabilimento Mercedes-Benz di Brema, che dista solo 50 chilometri” continua Roman Kraus. “nel sito di Wildeshausen realizziamo la progettazione degli utensili più piccoli che vengono poi prodotti al nostro interno come pure per le maschere e le attrezzature utilizzate dall’azienda stessa nel ciclo di produzione. Inoltre a Erxleben gestiamo la riparazione, la manutenzione e le modifiche. Gli stampi di grandi dimensioni, in particolare quelli progressivi, vengono quindi fatti realizzare da fornitori esterni, ma la progettazione e i test finali di funzionamento sono fatti all’interno dell’azienda. Il reparto di progettazione quindi è fortemente coinvolto nel processo. Ciò riguarda sia la valutazione della producibilità dell’articolo durante la fase di calcolo dei costi, sia la verifica del metodo che la fase di prova. Il team di progettazione ha sia una funzione di monitoraggio che di consulenza, in quanto è responsabile dell’intero processo di ottimizzazione, in modo che l’attrezzatura produca e mantenga la qualità richiesta senza problemi. E lo facciamo per tutta la durata della prodotto”.

VISI gioca oggi un ruolo centrale

Come è organizzato il flusso di lavoro VISI nell’area di progettazione di Erxleben e dove viene utilizzato Stampack Xpress? Le parti vengono spesso inviate dai clienti come file nativi Catia o NX oppure nel formato neutro STEP, queste sono importate in VISI e il modulo Blank viene utilizzato per appiattire la geometria del componente, per così dire, e determinare così il perimetro dello sviluppo. “Se, ad esempio, diversi spigoli si sovrappongono, so che il pezzo non può essere prodotto in questo modo e lo correggo di conseguenza”, spiega Roman Kraus. “Dopo aver definito la striscia nel nastro segue il posizionamento dei punzoni e la disposizione e il numero di fasi di formatura, nonché la forza di stampaggio richiesta, importante per il calcolo dei costi di produzione. Se il pezzo è in ordine, il progettista sviluppa in anticipo un metodo semplificato, che – in questo caso grazie al modulo VISI Progress – viene fatto con pochi clic del mouse” sottolinea Roman Kraus. “Sulla base di queste impostazioni, i costi dello stampo inclusi quelli relativi alla produzione vengono calcolati dai colleghi e l’offerta viene inviata. Se il cliente dà l’ok, i fornitori esterni di stampi presentano le loro offerte sulla base delle informazioni da noi preparate.”

STAMPACK: la simulazione di stampaggio resa facile 

Il tema della simulazione della formatura è ancora relativamente nuovo, riferisce Roman Kraus: “Anche se lo facciamo solo da sei mesi, siamo assolutamente entusiasti delle possibilità che la simulazione ci offre nella formatura della lamiera”. Ci riferiamo alla simulazione di superfici e volumi nei processi di stampaggio della lamiera a uno o più stadi con il programma Stampack Xpress, sviluppato dalla Stampack GmbH di Bietigheim a Baden. Sebbene Stampack Xpress, in quanto strumento indipendente, non faccia parte della famiglia di prodotti VISI, segue la stessa filosofia operativa autoesplicativa e può essere integrato nel flusso di lavoro tramite un collegamento richiamabile direttamente in VISI. “In questo modo posso vedere immediatamente, tramite la funzione di analisi di Stampack, se e dove si possono verificare difficoltà nel particolare durante il processo di formatura”, spiega Roman Kraus. “Stampack mi dice come si comporta la lamiera, se lo spessore della lamiera ovunque rimane entro la tolleranza, quali forze agiscono, se qualcosa si strappa e così via”. Stampack Xpress consente anche una semplice simulazione di tipo superficiale, che ha il vantaggio, soprattutto con lamiere sottili, di dare risposte con tempi di calcolo brevi. Poiché anche la deformazione volumetrica può essere simulata, lo strumento è molto adatto anche per la simulazione altamente accurata di lamiere con spessori importanti. Grazie al modello di simulazione 3D, nel calcolo incrementale si tiene conto anche delle sollecitazioni e delle deformazioni all’interno dello spessore della lamiera. Entrambi i tipi di simulazione possono essere utilizzati anche per simulare il ritorno elastico del componente.

STAMPACK: tutte le aree problematiche sono immediatamente visibili

Una volta che l’ordine è stato definito realizziamo il metodo. “Lo esaminiamo poi molto attentamente e verifichiamo con VISI Progress e, più recentemente, con l’aiuto di Stampack Xpress, se il pezzo può davvero essere prodotto con questo metodo. Dopo aver creato i modelli delle superfici degli stampi delle singole fasi con VISI – con il modulo Progress è molto veloce – esporto il rispettivo modello tramite l’interfaccia diretta verso Stampack”. Questo processo richiede solo pochi clic del mouse. Perché Stampack Xpress è estremamente facile da usare, cosa che Roman Kraus considera un enorme vantaggio, “si ottiene il risultato dopo pochi passi e un certo tempo di calcolo”. Tutte le aree problematiche sono quindi immediatamente visibili nella finestra di analisi. In questo contesto, Kraus sottolinea una funzione che è di grande vantaggio nella vita di tutti i giorni: “Il risultato può essere esportato come file STL. Posso rileggerlo in VISI, per esempio, e recuperare il ritorno elastico qui”. Per gli stampi progressivi vengono calcolate tutte le fasi di formatura, il che è molto facile anche con Stampack attraverso la sequenza di passi. Spesso dipende da piccole sfumature se un processo di formatura funziona o meno come previsto, aspetti che il progettista può prevedere solo con difficoltà senza la simulazione. “In passato abbiamo deciso molte cose qui in base al nostro istinto, ma oggi è Stampack a fare le verifiche”.

Più veloce, più flessibile e più sicuro

Con VISI, a Wildeshausen è stato fatto un passo da gigante in termini di tempo di lavorazione e flessibilità, che è stato ulteriormente incrementato da Stampack Xpress e dalla relativa sicurezza nella verifica dei metodi, Roman Kraus ne è convinto. Carsten Zejunc del reparto CAM la vede allo stesso modo: “Con VISI siamo ora in grado di reagire in modo estremamente rapido. Avendo a disposizione tutte le informazioni in un unico ambiente, possiamo anche elaborare le nostre riparazioni nel più breve tempo possibile”. VISI offre notevoli vantaggi anche nel settore delle riparazioni, non da ultimo grazie al suo concetto di funzionamento autoesplicativo su tutti i moduli. Infine, il designer Roman Kraus torna alla simulazione di formatura: “Oggi, con Stampack Xpress, abbiamo la possibilità di provare molte cose senza dover andare in pressa per le prove fisiche”. Questo elimina anche la necessità di fresare e aggiustare le operazioni di formatura. “La nostra esperienza finora è che se Stampack ha detto che funziona, allora ha funzionato al cento per cento anche in prova stampo”.

VISI: programmi CAM 3/5 assi

Un’ulteriore sfida nell’industria automobilistica è la richiesta di tempi di consegna sempre più brevi. “Di solito ci rimangono solo da una a due settimane per l’ottimizzazione, senza VISI, questo sarebbe difficilmente realizzabile”. Ciò a cui si riferisce Roman Kraus è la famiglia di prodotti per la costruzione di attrezzature e stampi di Hexagon (prima Vero Software), che attualmente comprende un totale di 22 moduli e con la quale Erxleben mappa il suo flusso di lavoro CAD e CAM. “Abbiamo iniziato con VISI nel 2015 con la programmazione CAM della fresatura”, ricorda Carsten Zejunc, responsabile dell’area CAM di Erxleben. “Perché volevamo sostituire il precedente sistema di programmazione il più rapidamente possibile. All’epoca la progettazione veniva effettuata esclusivamente con Catia V5 e NX – che, oltre a VISI, sono ancora oggi utilizzati come sistemi CAD – e il progettista aveva assunto anche la programmazione NC. Con il CAM di un fornitore terzo non integrato nel CAD eravamo poco flessibili nella generazione dei programmi di fresatura e quindi cercavamo urgentemente una soluzione che funzionasse in modo coerente con la stessa base  dati“, ricorda Carsten Zejunc. “Inoltre, il nuovo sistema doveva essere facile ed intuitivo da usare in modo che l’attrezzista può ottenere risultati di fresatura convincenti in modo rapido e senza errori, anche senza una vasta conoscenza del CAD“. Compresa la lavorazione simultanea a 5 assi, aggiunge. “VISI è stato integrato  rapidamente, non da ultimo grazie al concetto di sistema modulare e per le funzioni CAD e CAM davvero ben congegnate, orientate in modo specifico alle esigenze della costruzione di stampi”. Il collega progettista Roman Kraus aggiunge un altro motivo: il VISI è utilizzato da moltissimi costruttori di stampi. Non solo in questo Paese, ma anche in Italia e in Turchia. Questo rende la cooperazione molto più facile. “Oggi utilizziamo VISI per mappare tutte le fasi importanti dei nostri processi CAD e CAM, dalla fase di preventivo, pianificazione del metodo e progettazione fino ai programmi CAM di fresatura 3/5 assi ed incluse le macchine per elettroerosione a filo”, sottolinea Carsten Zejunc. “Generiamo anche i programmi di fresatura e foratura 2.5D in gran parte in modo automatico con il modulo VISI Compass utilizzando il riconoscimento delle feature. È una cosa rapida e ci fa risparmiare un sacco di tempo”.

About the Company

Company name: Kurt Erxleben GmbH & Co. KG

Business: Stampi e stampaggio particolari in lamiera per il settore automobilistico

Website: www.erxleben.biz

Risultati raggiunti

• Un’unica soluzione software per la quotazione, l’analisi della formatura, la progettazione di utensili 3D e la produzione CNC
• Analisi della formatura della lamiera per identificare potenziali problemi come il raggrinzimento e l’assottigliamento del materiale
• Garanzia di coerenza e interoperabilità dei dati con un modello dati unico utilizzato sia per le operazioni CAD che CAM
• Riduzione significativa delle prove stampo e dei tempi di consegna

“Switching to VISI has proved to be a huge step forward as it is tailored specifically for tool making, offering all the functions we need in the sheet metal industry.”

“I can now do everything in CAD without being concerned about the model source or data history.” Those are the words of a stamping and forming toolmaker, explaining what VISI software means to him.

“The VISI philosophy of a ‘one source solution,’ coupled with its ease of use, and the functions its modules provide for tool design, and which are precisely co-ordinated to the sheet metal area, play a significant role in us being able to respond even faster and more flexibly to today’s demanding customer requirements.”   Franz-Bernd Pauli Managing Director

The company, based in Ense-Parsit, Germany, use specialist tools on their 40 eccentric and 17 hydraulic presses which manufacture inserts with a pressing force of up to 6000 kN. In addition, they have 18 stamping machines with a pressing force of around 4000 kN. These are provided with steel strips up to 6 mm thick, and coils reaching a width of 800 mm. In subsequent production steps some of the batches are deburred with others being spot-welded or TIG-welded. This is, for example, how complex formed furniture fittings, pre-finished frames for sliding roofs in cars, and complete impellers for fitness trainers, are created.

Managing Director Franz-Bernd Pauli says: “Our greatest strength is working closely with customers from the start of a project right through to series production. This includes the prototype development and our expertise in tool making. It’s important to have a consistent software solution enabling us to react quickly, flexibly and smoothly at every stage, right through to completing the production-ready tool.”

When Stefan Schmitz joined Franz Pauli he felt the parametric system previously used by the company was ideal for mechanical engineering, but not for tool making. “Switching to VISI has proved to be a huge step forward as it is tailored specifically for tool making, offering all the functions we need in the sheet metal industry.” That consistent sector-orientated alignment, coupled with its milling strategies and EDM functionality, along with technical support from VISI reseller MECADAT, led to the company to transfer completely to VISI. Currently, Franz Pauli are running three CAD workstations in the design office and a full CAD/CAM workstation in the production area with 2D, 3D milling and Wire EDM.”

“As a combined surface and solid modeller, VISI supports me as a tool designer with detailed tailored functions and automated algorithms for the design process. When I use VISI I can always focus on the entire tool, as it doesn’t have a complicated parametric structure. This means I can be much more flexible without worrying about the assembly hierarchy. For example, if I do want to work on the details I can always thin out the tool.”

“But VISI proves its worth even before the contract has been won; at the quotation stage. “At this point the 3D CAD model of the customer’s part is nearly always available. Regardless of the native CAD format, we can import into VISI and check out the dimensions. Then I create a blank, position the strips and determine the strip width. From this, we calculate the cost of both the tool and the part.”

He says the blank then forms the basis for the pre-calculation of the tool, and he uses the method planning later for the full tool design where the 3D strip layout is constructed using VISI Progress, and is passed to the bending station, where the tool is constructed.

“Once the tool has been designed, the strip layout is updated using the bending and drawing stages. “VISI makes it easy to try out different paths to find the optimum process. I can graphically animate the forming process, making it easy to assess material wrinkling and thinning, highlighting any possible fracture points.”

The parts making up the tool are measured against the 3D CAD model, and the final blank is created in the tool by wire erosion. The tool is then brought to the press, measured again, and if tolerances have been maintained, production begins.”

Technical Manager Oliver Fischer, who is responsible for the CAD strategies, says that as design engineers no longer stand at the milling machines, the operators must also be able to understand and operate the system. “VISI is so easy to use – which I consider to be another great strength.”

Each machine operator creates the NC programs in the tool making department, and uses VISI Machining to establish which components will be brought together in one process. “As VISI uses the same CAD model for design and NC programming, the data’s consistency and interoperability is guaranteed. This is a major advantage for the actual programming and if any modifications are required – two significant aspects of tool making.”

The software also plays a key role on the shopfloor with VISI’s Compass Technology generating considerable time savings. Automatic feature recognition algorithms independently detect regular geometry such as edges, holes and milling pockets, then automatically generates the necessary NC data, maintaining company standards and ensuring proven manufacturing methods.

Franz-Bernd Pauli concludes: “The VISI philosophy of a ‘one source solution,’ coupled with its ease of use, and the functions its modules provide for tool design, and which are precisely coordinated to the sheet metal area, play a significant role in us being able to respond even faster and more flexibly to today’s demanding customer requirements.”

About the Company

Company name: Franz Pauli Gmbh & Co. KG

Business: Manufacturer of tooling and metal and plastic components since 1956

Website: www.pauli-ense.de

Key benefits achieved

• Single software solution for quoting, forming analysis, 3D tool design, and CNC manufacturing
• Sheet metal forming analysis to identify potential issues such as material wrinkling and thinning
• Guaranteed data consistency and interoperability as single source model used for both CAD and CAM operations

Rutland Plastics moulds 25,000 headbands for visor masks

An injection moulding specialist helped a public school in Rutland to produce thousands of pieces of PPE for frontline workers during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis.

While Oakham School was closed during lockdown, staff used 3D printers and laser cutters from the Design and Technology Department to begin making face shields. They approached local company, Rutland Plastics, to help them boost productivity, which took them from manufacturing just a handful a day, to 8,000 a day.

Rutland Plastics’ Technical Manager Carl Martin says they were originally asked to 3D print a number of headbands for the shields, but decided it would be more cost effective to manufacture a mould tool using their VISI software package, and then injection mould the plastic product from it.

“We received the initial design for the 3D printed product, and modified it in VISI to make it injection mouldable. Once that was completed and approved, we designed the tool in VISI using a Meusburger bolster with aluminium bolster plates.”

Carl Martin, Technical Manager, Rutland Plastics

The design then went into the toolroom and was milled on their Mazak VCN 530C CNC machine with toolpaths created through VISI’s extensive CAM functionality. The process from taking in the initial 3D design, through turning it into a mouldable product, and finalising the mould tool, took less than a week.

When the two-impression mould was setup on their 80-tonne Engel moulding machine, both parts of the headband were formed from a medically-accredited polypropylene every 24 seconds during the production run of 25,000.

To complete the full screen face masks, Oakham School arranged for the headbands to be attached to plastic visors, which were then distributed to front line NHS staff and key workers at hospitals, doctors surgeries, care homes, specialist schools and mental health institutions.

As medical products were already part of Rutland Plastics’ portfolio, they remained fully open during the Coronavirus lockdown, and extended their output with additional components aimed at fighting COVID-19.

Their suite of VISI products and modules, from Hexagon’s production software portfolio, has been instrumental in the design and production of a number of mould tools for those products, which include two components for a contactless door-opener. “That device allows doors to be opened and closed without having to touch the handles – particularly important to stop the spread of Coronavirus,” says Carl Martin.

The company is also part of a national consortium geared up to increase the manufacture of ventilators, and have taken delivery of a mould tool from Taiwan, moulding ventilator front covers from ABS thermo plastic polymer.

About the Company

Name: Rutland Plastic

Business:Toolmaker and plastic injection moulders

Web: www.rutlandplastics.co.uk

Benefits Achieved

• • VISI helped provide a fast, cost effective moulding alternative to slow 3D printing
  • Took their clients’ COVID-19 PPE production from a handful a day, to 8,000 a day
  • Mould tool turned around within a week

Comments

“That device allows doors to be opened and closed without having to touch the handles – particularly important to stop the spread of Coronavirus.”

Carl Martin, Technical Manager, Rutland Plastics

Free Temporary License Means XL Precision Could Increase Production Immediately.

Expanding its suite of VISI software has enabled a medical components specialist to increase its capacity by up to 40 per cent, dedicating that additional production to manufacturing parts to fight COVID-19.

XL Precision Technologies already produce components for respiratory devices, but saw how existing customers and other medical companies may need more support, more quickly, as Coronavirus took hold.

A free temporary licence from VISI enabled them to start increasing capacity immediately while an internal capital expenditure was set up, and the administration process of purchasing additional seats was completed.

“We’d been planning a £300,000 investment in software during the next three years, but this emergency highlighted how valuable it is, and made us realise that if we had more seats of VISI, we’d be even more effective in introducing new products”

Managing Director Tom Graham

Customers tell the company one of its key USPs is its ability to turn projects around quickly. “We’re in steady production most of the time but a lot of what we do is development support and a fast turn-around of small batches of products. The Government’s call for product support against COVID-19 has led to a completely different set of circumstances, where customers potentially need thousands of components within days of ordering them.”

Having the free 30-day licences from VISI meant they were able to immediately dedicate increased production capacity to the new COVID-19 component runs. “We identified the machines required, and because we have the appropriate VISI CAD/CAM software our engineers were able to convert customers’ drawings to a proper CAD design and create laser cutting, milling and EDM wire machine programs.”

XL Precision Technologies have used VISI universally across their whole development and production process for several years. “Essentially, we manufacture to customers’ designs. Sometimes those designs aren’t optimised for manufacture, so we use VISI’s modelling package to redesign it, or come up with new ideas. We also use the modelling capability online, where we’ll have a conference call and share our models with the customer’s engineers, wherever they are in the world.

“This is proving to be particularly valuable for getting quick approval on these new COVID-19 components. It really was vital that these parts go into production as quickly as possible…so VISI is playing a vital role in the battle to save people’s lives from this global virus.”

Once the designs are approved, they use whichever software element is required to prepare NC code for the relevant machine tool. As well as their increased work on components to fight COVID-19, they are continuing to produce parts for elective surgery customers, as hospitals, doctors and surgeons still need the completed devices and instruments to carry out emergency treatment.

While the free 30-day license from VISI enabled XL Precision to bring the CAD/CAM expansion forward immediately, the rest of their planned £300,000 investment over the next three years includes program management and quality software.

About the Company

Name: XL Precision Technologies

Business: Medical Subcontractor

Web: www.xl-pt.com

Benefits Achieved

• • More VISI seats increased production capacity
    for components to combat COVID-19.
  • Quick approval of COVID-19 components.
  • Simple conversion of customer drawings to CAD,
    and creation of laser cutting, milling and EDM
    wire machine programs.

Comments

“We had licences to allow three people to work with VISI at any one time, while I have six engineers who I could dedicate to it.”

Managing Director Tom Graham

Having revamped their corporate image and website in the last few weeks, an injection mould manufacturer welcomes new challenges, and is pushing ahead with important medical, aerospace and automotive contracts.

Alpha Precision say they push the boundaries of what’s possible in precision engineering, through state-of-the-art software. In particular, this helped them through the recession in their native Irish Republic by giving them a competitive edge to work in high-end markets.

The technology promotes a more automated process, and means our staff need a different skillset nowadays, to use VISI to its full potential. ”

Brendan Feely, Director of Alpha Precision

Alpha Precision, based at Tubbercurry in County Sligo, operates an almost full suite of VISI modules, which Director Brendan Feely describes as a seamless communication tool.

“Several years ago Ireland experienced an exodus of toolmaking contracts as work went overseas, particularly to China. At the same time, the specialist VISI CAD/CAM software for the mould and die industry was rapidly developing and adding new features. Even companies which weren’t computer literate were investing in the technology to survive. The software had a huge effect on the toolmaking industry, giving us a competitive advantage to weather the storm.”

He says it’s now “high end all the way” for Alpha Precision – high end staff building high end mould tools with high end software. “The technology promotes a more automated process, and means our staff need a different skillset nowadays, to use VISI to its full potential.”

And he describes VISI as the glue in the complete toolmaking environment. “We have a variety of different machines doing different jobs, so our operators have different skills. The software’s applied on the back of the machining, and because there are several disciplines, such as design, milling, wire and spark eroding, the software fits naturally into its given area. The operator in that area is just trained on the one particular VISI module.”

He compares the toolroom to a group of people from different countries, with none of them speaking a language other than their own. “One language is design; others include flow analysis, milling, wire eroding and spark erosion. VISI is the common language that unites all those processes, ensuring everything moves fluently through the toolroom from one discipline to another.”

Operating with 16 employees, the company produces an average of around 40 tools a year, ranging in size from 100mm x 100mm x 100mm, up to 600mm x 1-metre, mainly for the automotive, medical, packaging and electronics industry sectors.

Partnering with their clients from the initial concept, right through to the final production, he says the experienced design team utilises VISI to design complex moulds…such as a number of high cavitation tools for one of their many medical customers; and two-shot plastic injection tools, which involves an overmould. “Although two-shot production adds another element by involving a second material and process, VISI keeps it simple and efficient.”

With VISI programs running their high speed milling on Röder, and F3 and F5 Makino machining centres, the challenges posed by the medical industry requiring very fine micro levels, are readily overcome. “We use high-end 42,000 rpm spindle speed for very small detail finishing, and cut our electrodes on the Makino F3, with high definition being done on the F5. And we can also machine a cavity in just one night, that would otherwise take a week. Using VISI Machining we can quickly produce a highly polished medical part with fine detail, a milled finish, and a split line within micron accuracy.”

VISI Electrode & Wire also powers Alpha Precision’s EDM machines for spark eroding, and Mitsubishi wire erosion. He says parts of the tool will have been cut on each of the machines, and when it’s ready for shipping it is a very fine-micron, accurately controlled finished tool for, typically, the medical or automotive industry.

Having invested in many VISI modules including Modelling, Analysis, Flow, Mould, Progress, the wire cutting and electrode systems, along with 2D Milling, 3D Milling and High Speed Milling, the software is used at every stage of their process, beginning with providing an accurate quotation for the customer. “We use VISI’s analytical tools to check the drafts and all the different features we’ll need to build into the mould, such as the core and side pieces.

“When the order’s been placed, we work closely with our customer’s moulders on the design concept, including flow analysis and tool layout. Once the 2D design is broken down and we have the tooling in full 3D we really begin to see the huge power of VISI, which controls everything from design, through milling to wiring in one environment. Because we’re not going across translators there’s a perfect understanding within the technology, taking it right through every stage.”

VISI ensures that all milling for hard prepping and high-speed finishing is handled quickly and accurately, which he says is vital to their operation. “We make a lot of one-off custom components for each mould, meaning we only run a program once. As pattern cutters we need to be very good at generating CNC code time after time, and VISI is exceptional at doing that job for us.”

Although injection mould tools form Alpha Precision’s core business, they also provide a blow moulding and forming tool service, and have experience in specialised press tooling.

About the Company

Name: Alpha Precision

Business: Toolmaker and machining specialists

Web: https://alphaprecision.ie

Key Benefits Achieved

• A more automated and connected design and production process
• All milling for hard prepping and high-sped finishing is handled quickly and accurately
• Produces a fine-micron, accurately controlled, finished tool
• Provides an accurate initial quote for the customer

A Quick Delivery Mould (QDM) specialist says Draft Analysis is an important time saver for their business, and has played a major contribution towards meeting customers’ increasingly faster turnaround demands.

Based at Incheon in South Korea, Polyhitech Co. Ltd. use VISI as their CAD system for designing a variety of plastic injection mould tools for medical, automotive and IT products, and say it has slashed surface editing time by up to half.

“I can quickly find any undercut areas through the colour display by draft angle, and it’s possible split the parting line according to that.”

Jisung Yu, Mould Design Manager

But they are not just ordinary mould tools. Polyhitech focuses on QDM, which is a manufacturing system for injection parts using 3D CAD data that shortens delivery time by assembling machined cores and cavities into a standard mould base. The system is used primarily for trial moulds for new product development.

It costs 40 per cent less than normal production, while reducing delivery time to between three and eight days, and is used largely for prototyping, verifying the mould at the pre-production stage, and small quantity batch production.

Since Polyhitech was established in 2007 the company has always looked to develop leading technology, and has invested in 19 machine tools covering the entire manufacturing process – mills for cutting the moulds, high-speed mills for machining electrodes and cores, EDMs, and injection moulding machines.

Polyhitech’s Mould Design Manager, Jisung Li, says as well as fast delivery times, customers also demand high precision, and that is where VISI, from Vero Software, comes in.  “The main reason we invested in VISI was that our previous CAD system couldn’t fully deliver our customers’ needs for shorter delivery times. When we received data from them we used to edit the surface before starting the mould design process.

“But we found it difficult to meet deadlines, because we were spending a lot of time editing where surfaces were corrupt or missing, and working on complex geometry where a high graphic performance was required. We decided that the software was no longer viable for us to meet the standards of mould design and production that we required, so we invested in VISI to provide us with the solution.”

Amongst the many benefits they saw immediately, he was particularly pleased with efficiency improvements in reduced work time. “Thanks to VISI we were able to reduce the time spent on editing surfaces by between 30 and 50 per cent.”

He says the Draft Analysis function in VISI Analysis is perhaps the most important tool for their mould design and production process. “I often use Draft Analysis after finishing the design. It’s so easy to check if there are any undercut areas. Our previous CAD system didn’t fully support that function, so I had to enlarge each part and check them one by one.

“Now, using VISI, I can quickly find any undercut areas through the colour display by draft angle, and it’s possible to split the parting line according to that.”

Although he and his colleagues were apprehensive about changing software at first, he says their fears that it may be difficult to learn were quickly proven to be unfounded. “It was so easy to learn. And given the continuing trend towards small batch quantity production, if demand for products using non-standard mould bases continues to rise we’re likely to invest in another VISI Advanced Mould Tool module.”

VISI Optimises Flow for Medical Device

Thin Wall Section Needed for Flexibility with 38 Nodules

A toolmaker and injection moulder was tasked with developing a potentially life-saving medical device; and then designing and machining a complex steel mould tool with around 30 components, to produce it.

“VISI’s mould package and its built-in catalogues of mould tool suppliers such as Meusburger and HASCO, were critical at the design stage, while WORKNC’s surface finishing and its ability to program small cutters with precise, flawless, toolpaths, were critical to the manufacturing.”

Richard Brown, Technical Director

A toolmaker and injection moulder was tasked with developing a potentially life-saving medical device; and then designing and machining a complex steel mould tool with around 30 components, to produce it.

Fenton Precision Engineering worked with RBR ActiveTM on a device to reduce the possibility of suffering a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Carrying out three simple foot exercises with it leads to an 11-fold increase in blood flow to the lower limbs.

Injection moulded from Polypropylene on a 120-tonne Yizumi press, the RBR LegflowTM device is said to be effective anywhere during long periods of inactivity such as air travel, working in an office, being in hospital, or just through prolonged sitting.

The mould tool for it was designed in VISI, and cut from P20 tool steel on a Dugard CNC machine programmed with WORKNC – both software solutions from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence’s Production Software business.

When RBR ActiveTM’s Managing Director, Paul Westerman, approached Fenton, it was to ask if they could produce a mould tool for the overmoulded concept. “We suggested it would be better to mould it as a one-piece product,” says Richard Brown, Fenton’s Technical Director. “VISI’s reverse engineering capability was essential, to take the point data from our CMM and combine surfaces and solids, and seamlessly work between the two.”

The wall section at the top of two dome structures on the product, which contains 38 nodules, had to be particularly thin to allow flexibility. “But there’s obviously a limit as to how thin we could make the wall. We got the optimum thickness through VISI Flow Lite, which simulates the filling phase of the injection moulding process. Design Engineer Martin Edwards defined all the initial moulding criteria and gating positions with it, to achieve a well-balanced filling of the cavities under optimum manufacturing conditions.

“Once he was happy with that, we had 3D prints of the product made, and after a few minor design changes, Paul Westerman signed it off, and we constructed the tool around it using VISI Mould, with its built-in Meusburger catalogue for the native parts.”

Richard Brown says that because of the radius shape, the CAD room decided that holes for the eight ejector pins should be produced using their wire eroder after the main surface had been machined on the Dugard. Both sets of toolpaths were generated in WORKNC.

He describes the mould tool as being “straight open and close,” with two cavity plates, support plates, and back plates, comprising around 30 different components. “One of the design challenges was to ensure there were no side actions or lifters.”

The complete tool manufacture took around six weeks; the cores and cavities were machined through WORKNC, with each plate taking around 25 hours, and a further 20 hours for the build. “It was quite a complex format, with a lot of small solid carbide cutters from a variety of suppliers. We also used shrink fit tooling to ensure grater accuracy, balanced chip loads, better finishes, and increased speed and feed rates.” And he says WORKNC’s ability to produce high quality surface finishing kept any additional polishing to a minimum.

The full timeline for the overall project was around 11 months:

• June 2018, initial enquiry from RBR ActiveTM
• October 2018, order for 3D printing
• December 2018, product reviewed and approved, and mould tool order placed
• January 2019, initial mould tool design completed
• March 2019, following final amends, mould tool approved
• May 2019, first production run of the injection moulded products.

On Fenton’s recommendation, SteriTouch antimicrobial masterbatches were added, to protect the product against bacteria, biofilm, fungi and mould, for its entire lifetime.

While the extensive range of functionality in both VISI and WORKNC combined to ensure the project was completed successfully, he says VISI’s mould package and its built-in catalogues of mould tool suppliers such as Meusburger and HASCO, were critical at the design stage, while WORKNC’s surface finishing and its ability to program small cutters with precise, flawless, toolpaths, were critical to the manufacturing.

They design all their mould tools in VISI and machine them on one of their six 3-axis Dugard, Mazak and Mikron CNC mills. “WORKNC readily reads native VISI files, so it’s a seamless transition from CAD to CAM. Once we save the VISI workfile we simply open it in WORKNC.”

As well as working with the medical industry, Fenton Precision Engineering also provides products for many other trades, including the building sector, internal engine parts, healthcare and interior automotive product, along with cosmetic components for a variety of white goods, packaging and retail customers.

Their tool room and main moulding facility are in Northamptonshire, with an additional moulding factory in Leicestershire, where the RBR LegflowTM was dual pad printed. They have a total of 33 moulding machines across both sites, having invested heavily in Yizumi injection presses, along with Negri Bossi, Arburg, Borche and Demag, ranging from 25 tonnes to 500 tonnes.

About the Company

Name: Fenton Precision Engineering

Business: Toolmaker and injection moulder

Web: www.fentonprecision.co.uk

“Specialist says VISI means moulds should be called “advanced equipment”.

A mould maker producing tools for thermoplastic materials and die-castings relies on the specialist VISI Analysis module to discover critical areas at an early stage of the design process, which greatly simplifies their work.

“Using VISI to design and machine our mould tools means we can guarantee they’ll give a high mechanical performance with precision movements, along with a high aesthetic quality of the moulded products, for long production periods.”

 

Antonio Tognon

Co-owner

Mecca T.P. serves a variety of industry sectors, including medical, automotive, household appliances, furniture and eyewear. Co-owner Antonio Tognon says their moulds have to be produced swiftly and accurately, first time every time, without the need for changing them unless requested by the customer. “And in those cases, the amendments have to be carried out quickly.

“Using VISI to design and machine our mould tools means we can guarantee they’ll give a high mechanical performance with precision movements, along with a high aesthetic quality of the moulded products, for long production periods.”

He says they are also playing an increasingly more proactive role in working with customers to co-design the finished, moulded products. “And we support our customers with precision machining, mechanical equipment construction, reverse engineering and reconstruction of damaged mechanical parts, or without design documentation, as well as dimensional checks.”

Founded in 1985, the company is now run jointly by Antonio Tognon and his son Fabio, based in a 2,000 square metre production unit in Bigolino di Valdobbiadene, Treviso, Italy, with an annual turnover of around 1.5 million euro.

“Over the years we’ve developed our production process in order to minimise manual intervention on the moulds, controlling the machining operations,” says Antonio. The company has always adopted the most advanced technologies, from 2- and 4-axis wire EDM, to high-speed 3- and 5-axis milling, along with their CAD/CAM VISI software which is proving to be a vital aspect in ensuring that the moulds are consistently manufactured to the high precision required, from the design process through to the mould tools being cut.

They produce between 40 and 80 moulds a year, ranging in size from 200 x 200 x 200 mm to 600 x 800 x 700 mm, using a variety of moulding metals.
VISI Mould is used to carry out the design, while electrodes are modelled and machined with VISI Machining 3D, which is also used for cutting plates and moulding parts, along with Machining Strategist and VISI Wire.

“Our in-house team follow the mould design, adopting various solutions for mould movements, conditioning circuits, injection and extraction systems,” he says. “In order to optimise the final product and the moulding activity, we pay precise attention to the analysis, proposing possible improvements.”

He says VISI is used in the preliminary stage, before the design process begins, to analyse details such as drafts, undercuts and thicknesses, and to draw up possible dimensions of the finished moulds. “We import customer STEP, IGES or Parasolid files and analyse the geometry in depth, to define the quality of the mathematical model, while correcting incomplete or inaccurate geometries.”

They move on to create the mould basement and define details, before sending the component parts to the different CAM stations for milling, wire cutting, and electrode modelling and construction.
He cites an example of a stainless steel mould that Mecca TP have developed to replace an existing mould used by a medical sector client. “The mould was to produce a small circular component with a diameter of approximately 40 mm. The part had to be moulded in a white chamber on eight impressions, in a complete discharge cycle of less than 20 seconds.”

The product is described as being complex, with irregular surfaces and a different front and back finish, and a shiny, mirrored surface on one side. “We created a completely new movement, very different from the mould originally being used by the customer.

“Our proposal optimised the intrinsic characteristics of the impressions, and the operational flexibility, ensuring the highest level of productivity. Each imprint has a completely interchangeable matrix and punch, which are fixed to the mould by screws. This means we can replace them when they are worn out, without changing the entire mould, even if the mould is inside the machine. It also means we can produce different products using the same mould.”

He says the main challenge was to find a way to free undercuts; also, to create the movements necessary to obtain a high quality piece – moulded from soft adhesive PVC – in the correct way, avoiding possible wastage.

The team used VISI Analysis to import, prepare and validate what was required. “Being able to identify complex mathematics in advance let us discover critical areas at an early stage of the project, and greatly simplified our work. It also leads to a significant reduction in both design and production times.”

Pointing out that VISI Mould handles the entire design process, he says it provides them with specific automation that guides the operator throughout the project’s development. “It’s a simple procedure, with the help of numerous catalogues of main suppliers’ components, that facilitates everything we need.”

VISI gives them the capability of managing and graphically displaying mould creation and any required changes in real time. “This means we can check the results immediately and effectively, giving us maximum design freedom with the complexity we have to face in order to satisfy our customers’ ever-changing needs.”

In conclusion, Antonio says VISI optimises their entire process from design to delivery, and means they can comply with increasingly tight delivery times. “We see very complex moulds every day. Calling them ‘moulds’ is almost reductive. I’d rather define them as ‘advanced equipment.”

About the Company

Company name: MECCA TP

Business: Mould Makers

Website: www.meccatp.it

Key benefits achieved

• Produces moulds quickly and accuratelys
• Helped develop the production process in order to minimiza manual intervention  on the moulds, controlling the machining operations
• Allows the company to adopt the most advanced technologies, from 2-and 4-axis wire EDM, to high-speed 3-and 5-axis milling
• Visi Mould is used to carry out the design, while electrodes are modelled and machined with VISI Machining 3D, which is also used for cutting plates and moulding parts, along with Machining Strategist and VISI Wire

VISI overcomes design issues for a 156-year-old precision stamping company, enabling them to ship around 150-billion individual products a year. 

With a strapline of “From Pens to Particle Physics,” Brandauer was established in 1862, originally producing pen nibs. It has now grown to be one of Europe’s largest contract presswork and stamping companies, manufacturing high precision metal components – mainly electrical connectors for automotive, medical, environmental, telecoms and micro-connector customers around the world.

Operating with around 70 employees out of a 45,000 square foot facility in Birmingham, most of their end products are stamped from a range of advanced materials including phosphor bronze, high carbon steels, stainless steel, copper, brass and aluminium. The press tools themselves are machined predominantly from D2 hardened tool steel with carbide inserts.

Manufacturing Director Stuart Berry says they needed integrated CAD/CAM software to fully support their CNC machine tools, which are capable of cutting within +/- 1-micron tolerances. They turned to VISI after finding that traditional parametric CAD systems led to a number of inherent issues…in particular file size. “When we’re working on press tools with over 1,000 components, we design the parts to a micron, and even size-on-size. This means a fully-detailed model quickly becomes a huge chunk of data, and the computer can take between 30 and 40 minutes to open it.

“Another issue with parametric systems is that when we made a change to one area of the design it would affect other areas of the tool without us knowing. So very often we’d end up with a design we weren’t intending and didn’t want.

“But as the VISI Progress package isn’t parametric as such, there are no data issues. We can make design changes exactly as we wish without it affecting anything else in the tool. And it’s also a small file, so there’s no delay in opening it.” He says it is simple to design a full progression layout with VISI Progress’s built-in functionality, easily establishing where punches are to be sited, and where the guidance pillars need to go.

And he cites a number of design changes during the 12-month development of a lead frame for power steering systems as an indicator of how important that non-parametric aspect is. “We were manufacturing a high precision modular press tool to supply around 1.5-million components a year. Our design team used the original CAD data to create the tool in VISI Progress. This was a very quality-orientated product, so we needed to strictly adhere to all tolerances. The tool was constantly evolving,requiring a number of design changes. And certain parts had to be re-manufactured until we achieved the high precision, accurate tool that our customer had ordered.”

All the individual parts were produced in Brandauer’s machine shop on Agie Charmilles Wire EDM machines using VISI Peps-Wire, with 2D machining tool-paths for their Mikron millers programmed by VISI’s CAM package. Tool makers then built the tool to one-micron accuracy, and it was transferred to a Bruderer 51-tonne press with the capability of running at 1,200 strokes a minute. “We set the tool and carried out a full product review, and compared data from the first-off, back to the CAD models. Everything was perfect, so we began manufacturing.”

Other examples of their automotive work include the EloPin®, which is a push-fit solder-less contact, used most effectively with electronic systems found ‘under the bonnet.’ And thanks to its low electrical resistance it is particularly suitable for overmoulded hybrid parts. Brandauer components are also used in automatic dimming rear-view mirrors, airbag sensors and hydraulic braking systems, along with connectors for battery charging, satellite navigation systems and wiring loom connector blocks.
Medical products include surgical implants, components for scanners and cardiac pacemakers. Over the years they have also produced more than 2.5-billion nose clips for protective and surgical face masks.

Brandauer generally works with three tooling ranges, each with different lead times. “The Precision range is our highest spec, most accurate, tool with a lead time of between 16 and 22 weeks depending on the complexity of the product. Our Fixed Design tool can be produced within ten to 15 weeks, and the Modular Tool usually takes between 18 and 25 weeks…again, depending on how complex the end product is. VISI is key to manufacturing all three ranges. It’s a fundamental part of our day to day activities, from design to manufacture, ensuring that we offer improved lead-times whilst meeting all tolerances.”

As well as three seats of VISI Progress and two of VISI Peps-Wire, Brandauer has recently invested in Edgecam to handle its turning requirements. And the sales team use WorkXplore, a powerful CAD viewer and analyser, from the same stable as the CAD/CAM software. WorkXplore was created to efficiently import and analyse all file types and sizes at high speed, and Stuart Berry says it plays an important role in the design and manufacturing life cycle of their stamping tools.

“When we receive CAD data from a customer asking us to price a job, the sales department look at the file in WorkXplore, which means they can provide an accurate quote.” 

Once the order is confirmed the designers start to analyse the product in VISI Progress, creating a strip layout. “Then we construct the tool using libraries which we’ve built up in the software, comprising parts from all leading suppliers of progressive die tooling components. They all comply with recognised global standards, to ensure we design the most accurate precision tool possible.”

About the Company

Name: BRANDAUER

Business: Precision Stamping Company

Web: www.brandauer.co.uk

Benefits Achieved

• As VISI Progress is notparametric there are no dataissues, when making designchanges
• Simple to design a fullprogression layout with VISIProgress’s built-in functionality
• Easy to establish wherepunches are to be sited andguidance pillars need to go
• Ability to view CAD datareceived from customers inWorkXplore, allowing them toprovide accurate quotes
• Using libraries of parts fromleading suppliers to constructthe tool ensures they allcomply with recognisedglobal standards

Comments

“They all comply with recognised global standards, to ensure we design the most accurate precision tool possible”

Stuart Berry, Manufacturing Director

A plastic injection mold maker says it guarantees full reliability for its customers, thanks to the role that specialist VISI software plays in its design and manufacturing processes.

CMP Bresso produces molds for a variety of industrial sectors, including automotive, medical, sport flooring and electronics. And at the turn of the Century it became one of the first companies in the Piedmont area of Italy to produce synthetic corks for bottles of wine.

“VISI Machining 3D creates sophisticated and
intelligent 3D toolpaths for machining even our
most complex models.”

Daniela Bresso, Mold Design Unit

Company owner Walter Bresso says that for the corks, they produced multi-cavity molds, compared to the trend at that time of using single-screw molds. A challenge in another industry sector came with the construction of molds for plastic tiles in sports facilities, which are resistant to atmospheric agents, and can be installed on any foundation. He says VISI played a vital role in creating a product which is now widely used in international markets.

“The customer brought us a plastic tile made by an American company and asked to produce something similar. We designed a complete new tile, called Gimmy. It’s a modular, frost- and impact-resistant flooring that’s non-toxic, anti-bacterial, and made of completely recyclable technopolymer plates.”

And those jobs were child’s play with VISI…so much so, that Walter Bresso describes the software as “a good mate that’s always near us, and is helping us constantly in everyday technological challenges. Simplicity and efficiency are two common features that can be found in all VISI solutions.”

CMP Bresso has an internal mold design unit, led by Walter’s sister, Daniela Bresso. The company operates a number of 3D CAD stations using VISI Modelling, and a CAM station working with VISI Machining 2D and 3D to create toolpaths. Daniela Bresso says: “We’ve been using VISI for over 20 years. Each project usually starts when we receive a 3D file such as IGS, Step and Parasolid, and we create rapid prototypes in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, which is a common thermoplastic polymer, using a 3D printer.”

Once the customer is happy with the prototype, the mold making process begins for the ongoing production. To achieve this, the company uses VISI Modelling, a powerful solids and surface modeller combining the Parasolid market standard for solids with Vero Surface technology, analysis tools, and 2D drawing. “It gives us complete flexibility in the construction, modification and correction of complex 3D models,” she says.

VISI Machining 2D provides her team with a practical and intuitive solution for programming their 2.5 axle machine tools, and controls the positioning of the fourth and fifth axis where required. “The Feature Recognition option automatically creates intelligent and reliable toolpaths directly on the solid geometry. And the Operations Manager has a simple tree structure which shows us the various processing steps along with full tool data.”

The operator easily defines machining parameters, cutting conditions and tool holders, and the availability of multiple origins allows imported geometries to be quickly oriented around any reference, even for multi-axis machining.

“And VISI Machining 3D creates sophisticated and intelligent 3D toolpaths for machining even our most complex models. Its dedicated high-speed machining and smoothing functionality to soften the toolpath allows us to generate highly efficient ISO paths. It gives quick calculation times, and the algorithms for optimizing the NC code considerably reduce machining time.”

Originally established in 1968 as a mechanical workshop producing precision equipment, it diversified into making plastic injection molds for the Olivetti group seven years later…and is still a leading supplier to them.

Walter Bresso says his company is not typical of traditional mold makers. “We’re able and willing to solve significantly complex projects.” He says this is particularly true of their capability to create molds for thermoplastic products which were originally made of metal. “A metal component can’t be reproduced exactly as it is, in plastic, so we redesign it, and then use VISI to create the mold to ensure the part does exactly what it’s supposed to.”

Another solution to a complex issue involved co-molding a metal element of a car window component for Ford. “Normally, that type of component is made of metal and coated with a primer – an interface agent that binds with the gasket rubber. The issue was that painting, drying, sticking, along with the danger of chipping and peeling, meant that the product wasn’t reliable, so Ford asked us to come up with a solution.”

CMP Bresso co-molded the product by covering the metal with material compatible with the rubber gasket. “When it’s inserted into the mold, the rubber sticks and becomes a single piece. Thanks to our experience, we managed to create a skin of only three tenths of a millimetre that wraps the entire piece. Torsion tests showed the device exceeds the limits imposed by Ford, by eight times.”

VISI programs their milling, and machining centers, producing about 30 molds a year, 496 x 496 mm in size. The molds are then used on eight injection Arburg, BM and Ripress molding machines.

Concluding, Walter Bresso says VISI is an important part of the company’s ‘partnership’ with its customers. “We’re able to offer a full service, including design, production, rapid prototyping, mock mold, mold assembly and plastic injection molding across a wide range of industries.

About the Company

Name: CMP Bresso

Business: Plastic Injection mould manufacturer

Web: www.cmpbresso.it

Benefits Achieved

• Simplicity and efficiency are two common features that can be found in all VISI solutions
• Gives complete flexibility in the construction, modification and correction of complex 3D models
• Practical and intuitive solution for programming 2.5 axle machine tools, and controls the positioning of the fourth and fifth axis where required
• Allows the generation of highly efficient ISO paths

Comments

“Its dedicated high-speed machining and smoothing functionality to soften the toolpath allows us to generate highly efficient ISO paths. It gives quick calculation times, and the algorithms for optimizing the NC code considerably reduce machining time”

Walter Bresso, Company Owner