Motorsport firm turns to PSL Datatrack

Having decided to take the plunge by opening for business in August 2020, motorsport specialist Northants Precision found it was being asked to respond to requests for quotations (RFQs) straight away. “To improve our business administration we looked at a few different software suppliers and chose the modular PSL Datatrack system,” explains owner Dan Green. “It was really simple to use, visually user friendly and very self-explanatory. It was also the ideal choice for Northants Precision, a small company in the start-up phase, where speed of quoting would be important in securing new business.”

For further information
www.psldatatrack.com

Faro releases RevEng Software 2021

Faro RevEng Software 2021, the latest update to the company’s RevEng software platform, features automatic surfacing capabilities (NURBS), creating surfaces quickly and directly from scanned point clouds and meshes. As a reverse engineering scan-to-CAD software solution, the system is suitable for aftermarket design, the creation of replacement parts, new design iterations or additive manufacturing.

The ‘Automatic NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline) Surfaces Creation Tool’ allows for the creation of a full network of curves and surface patches at the click of a button, ready for immediate export into a CAD file. Full control is also possible by customising the surface patches in the sketch mode with its flexible control point placement, while curves are colour-coded to quickly verify surface continuity. The 3D point cloud capture enables users to create models up to 1.75x lighter with a grid management feature to obtain clean, light and consistent point cloud data.

“Reverse engineering with RevEng is easier and faster than ever,” says John Chan, Faro software product marketing manager. “Users can scan with a Faro ScanArm – paired with the optional eight-axis rotating platform to increase acquisition speed – to generate a high-quality mesh and quickly produce exportable CAD surfaces for machining, FEA simulations or 3D modelling.”

According to Faro, users can also import point cloud or mesh files from any source and repair the mesh with RevEng optimisation tools, automatically repairing meshes up to 20x faster than current leading tools and improving smoothing effectiveness up to 1.5x faster. This makes RevEng software agnostic, ensuring it can be paired with any inspection program.

For further information
www.faro.com

Erpro improves process chain agility

With a wide range of production capabilities, France-based Erpro Group is able to adapt to the needs of its customers by offering them a range of prototype parts, from pre-production to mass production. In this environment, WorkPlan and WorkNC software from Hexagon play a key role.

The group uses production planning software from Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division to automate and manage processes such as job costing, quotations, sales order processing, planning, quality, time, purchasing and stock management.

Workshops in a number of companies throughout the group also use WorkNC, Hexagon’s automatic CNC software for surface and solid models in mould, die and tooling applications for two- to five-axis CNC programming.

“We abandoned the first ERP system we had acquired because it was not suited to our needs,” recalls Cyrille Vue, director at the holding company. “A new contract we were tendering for required simplicity, speed, agility and flexibility from the future software package. At the end of our comparison of various systems on the market, we chose WorkPlan software.”

He adds: “The flow of information in WorkPlan must be continuous and precise. This is particularly important when we’re looking at the profitability of an operation. In this respect, the software has fully supported the growth of Erpro Group, acting as its production planning backbone.”

The Erpro Group has also invested in Hexagon’s WorkNC CAM software, which now plays an important role in the workshops, particularly on the Erpro site.

“With WorkNC, we are able to machine a 3D-printed part on a five-axis machining centre, from the same CAD file,” says Vue.
This is where WORKNC comes into its own, as there are new parts that require manufacturing every day, all of which require new programs.

For further information
www.worknc.com

Large machine; big investment; huge impact

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied Stourbridge-based HCM Engineering, a precision toolmaker and die-casting process technology specialist, with a new large-capacity three-axis vertical machining centre.

The machine – a Mynx 9500/50 – is a box-guideway three-axis machining centre for heavy-duty operations, including interrupted cutting and long machining runs.

“It is,” according to Mike Hanson, HCM’s operations managing director, “a versatile machine: a real all-rounder.”
HCM’s new Mynx 9500/50 was installed in February 2021 at the company’s 12,000 sq ft facility, where it is being used to machine complex, high-precision die-cast mould tools for a number of leading OEM and tier-one customers – predominantly, but not exclusively, from the automotive sector.

The die-cast mould tools machined on the new Mynx 9500/50 are complex and characterised by intricate and high-precision features such as thin walls, ribs, tapers and cavities, and increasingly by their large size. Specific mould-tool elements machined on the Mynx include 3D ‘component’ forms and features, 2D plates, mould inserts, cores and slides. The elements are made from hardened tool steels and machined to tight geometric tolerances (0.025 mm), high surface finishes and exacting quality standards.

Established in 1969, HCM Engineering is an independent, privately-owned precision toolmaking company that has over 50 years’ experience and expertise in the moulding and die-casting business.

The company provides customers with complete ‘concept to completion’ tooling solutions, offering design consultancy and design for manufacturing services, through to the production and supply of high-pressure, low-pressure and gravity die cast mould tools. As part of its services the company also provides machined or 3D-printed prototypes for test builds.
HCM is committed to continuous improvement and achieving best practice and, as such, regularly invests in its people, plant and equipment to improve performance and competitiveness. Part and parcel of the company’s improvement programme is its willingness and readiness to invest in the latest advanced manufacturing technologies.

Says Mike: “We regularly monitor and review our performance. If, and when, we see any area for improvement, we act quickly and decisively to rectify the situation.”

The company’s progressive, and some may say ‘bullish’, ethos and approach is evidenced by its move, back in 2003, to create HCM India (a 50:50 joint venture enterprise) from scratch.

Says Simon Hanson, HCM’s commercial managing director: “To help combat tooling contracts from migrating to China and the Far East, we set up a new company in India. The joint venture has been, and is, a huge success: it has helped us remain competitive and has been instrumental in us securing new business.’ with: The joint venture has been, and is, a huge success: it has helped us to remain competitive and been instrumental in securing new business. HCM India has provided us with significant flexibility. We can design and manufacture hybrid mould tools, using both our UK and Indian facilities.”
The company’s ability to keep ‘one eye on the future’ is also evidenced by its successful five-year apprenticeship programme run in partnership with local FE colleges and training providers.

HCM’s investment in the Mynx 9500/50 was made for a number of reasons. Firstly, to increase the company’s machining capacity and capabilities: specifically its ability to produce large die cast mould tools increasingly required by, and used in, the automotive sector. HCM also wanted to improve the company’s productivity and efficiency by enabling it to adopt lights-out, unattended machining operations and, as a consequence, improve cost competitiveness and lead time fulfilment.

Automotive manufacturers under pressure to make vehicles lighter, more energy efficient and ‘cleaner’ are increasingly looking to make more parts from lightweight aluminium, zinc and/or magnesium alloys manufactured via the die-casting process.

“Customers’ tooling requirements are constantly changing,” says Mike. “Over the past 10 years the trend within the automotive sector is towards larger and more complex mould tools. It’s a trend, certainly with the rapid growth of electric vehicles, which looks set to continue well into the future.

“This is good news for toolmakers, as long as they have the requisite machining capabilities available to manufacture large-sized dies,” he continues. “To stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive, we identified that we needed to increase and improve our machining (milling) resources – specifically relating to the size and weight of parts (tooling) we could machine. Although we have a number of 2 and 3 m bed machines at our facility, we realised that it would be a strategically sound move to invest in another machine to enable us to succeed in a constantly-changing and ultra-demanding market. With the trend towards large mould tool production we decided to invest in the Mynx machine.”

Doosan’s Mynx 9500/50 is a large-capacity machine with a work envelope of 2500 x 950 x 850 mm that can accommodate workpieces up to 3500 kg in weight. The machine’s 2500 x 950 mm work table is being used by HCM to produce large workpieces, as well as multiple smaller jobs. These parts can be machined in a single set up and, such is the reliability of the Mynx 9500/50, unattended overnight and at the weekends.

Says Mike: “To help us increase our productivity and operational efficiencies, and to ensure we were able to meet customers’ often stringent delivery deadlines, we needed the machine to run lights-out.”

The machine features a BT50 built-in spindle (22 kW/10,000 rpm/452 Nm) with Big Plus dual-contact face and taper configuration.

“The Mynx’s rigid design and build, combined with its advanced spindle technology, enables us to ramp up feeds and speeds and to take aggressive depths of cut, all of which help reduce cycle times,” says Mike. “Its technical prowess, in addition to its 40-position servo-driven ATC with 2.5 second tool changeover time, gives us the ability and confidence to run the machine unattended.”

HCM is no stranger to Doosan machine tools or Mills CNC having invested in two DNM 650 Mk II vertical machining centres in 2014.

“Mills CNC knows our business and we have a good relationship with them: the previously acquired Doosan machines have performed well over the years,” states Simon. “In mid-October 2020, Mills made contact to inform us that they would soon have a large-capacity Doosan machine arriving in stock in the very near future. “The size and technical specification of the machine appeared to match our requirements perfectly and, when we found out its price and that it could be delivered, installed and be up and running in early 2021, we were, to put it mildly, very interested,” he adds. “Following further discussions with Mills we placed the order and the Mynx was installed in February. From order to delivery took just 10 weeks.”

Concludes Mike: “The productivity benefits we are experiencing from the Mynx investment are dramatic and significant. Just when machining 2D plates we estimate that we are now 800% faster.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Hexagon and Plex announce partnership

Hexagon, a global specialist in sensor, software and autonomous technologies, and Plex Systems, which offers cloud-delivered smart manufacturing solutions, have entered a new global partnership. The partnership will enable Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Plex to co-sell Plex MES software to Hexagon customers, helping them to take control of the plant floor through full visibility and connectivity, and realise the promise of Industry 4.0. Hexagon and Plex share a common vision for smart manufacturing, offering factories an incremental path to achieve greater automation and Industry 4.0 adoption.

For further information www.hexagonmi.com