Edgecam is helping a “toys for boys” manufacturer offer an important new service for model-making companies and private enthusiasts. And all within a few months of installing the software.

Matlock-based 17d Miniatures produces a range of scaled working models of locomotives, carriages and wagons, for three miniature railway gauge systems: 5”, 7¼” and 10¼”. The company’s locomotives for the 5” gauge are a scale of one-twelfth, at around 6 ft long, growing to approximately 12 ft for the 10¼” gauge. All trains are “sit-on”, with enthusiasts actually able to get inside some of the bigger ones.
“A large number of hobbyists have spent 20 or 30 years making working steam engines in their sheds, and are now finding that time is against them as they’re getting older,” explains partner Tristan Dengate. “As a result, they’re now looking for as many components as possible to be machined for them – and Edgecam has given us the opportunity to say: yes, we can machine that for you at a sensible cost.
“The ability to move away from castings is changing how we work,” he continues. “Due to the speed of Edgecam, products can be machined from a solid block, which is far quicker even though there’s more material to remove. With the Waveform Roughing Strategy we’ve been able to triple feed rates and have the cutter going in considerably deeper than we could with traditional roughing.”
And now, after switching to Edgecam in early 2017, 17d is looking to apply these techniques to manufacturing components for model cars, boats, lorries and aircraft. This will be a natural progression for the business, as it already offers a subcontract machining service for other companies.
For further information www.edgecam.com