Product category:
CAM, CNC and production management software
News Release from: Pathtrace Engineering Systems
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 11 October 2001
Big order for EdgeCAM Solid Machinist
software
Pathtrace Engineering Systems received a major order at EMO 2001 Hannover for EdgeCAM Solid Machinist software from Smiths Aerospace - Actuators Division, based in Wolverhampton, England
Pathtrace Engineering Systems received an order, at EMO 2001 Hannover, for EdgeCAM Solid Machinist computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software worth Euro 170,000 (UKP108,000) The order from Smiths Aerospace - Actuators Division, based in Wolverhampton, England has an expectation of achieving at least a 30 per cent improvement in CNC program preparation
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 3 May 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Handing over the order on the stand, Lester Poxon, Manufacturing Engineer at Smiths Aerospace, said: "After exhaustive initial evaluation of some 20 CAM products by co-ordinator of the project, Manufacturing Engineer Jamie Quinton, we decided upon EdgeCAM and look forward to significant productivity gains." As one of SolidWorks' largest UK customers, close CAD integration with no data translation was a key factor in Smiths Aerospace EdgeCAM decision.
Other factors included the software's feature recognition capability, realistic simulation, comprehensive functionality and programming flexibility.
The manufacturing facility at Wolverhampton comprises 45 CNC machine tools including vertical and horizontal milling machines, lathes and mill/turn centres which will be programmed off-line using EdgeCAM Solid Machinist.
Lester Poxon commented further: "It is vital for us that features held in the SolidWorks solid model are used in the CAM process." EdgeCAM works directly on the solid model without translation into a wire frame or surfaces allowing NC programs to be generated quickly using the native solid and utilising the CAD models' full intelligence.
"Off-line programming is currently a bottleneck in our production process and we are hoping to achieve at least a 30 per cent improvement in the time taken," he says.
Smiths Aerospace employs 400 people at its Wolverhampton site and produces actuator systems for the worlds' leading aircraft manufacturers.
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