Dan Patrick, Project engineer said, “It may still be necessary to manually program some components on line at the machine which may not have valid model files, but with most new projects the model file is the heart of the project so it would be wrong not to use this as source data at every opportunitiy.”

With advice from Cadtek, Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd installed two seats of SolidCAM which integrate seamlessly with its SolidWorks CAD systems. Operating from inside SolidWorks, SolidCAM works directly with the model data, enabling the engineers at Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd to quickly add the 5-axis trimming paths once the datum and orientation of the part has been established.

Dan Patrick added, “It isn’t uncommon for new components to come in families, so we start by programming the most complex one which contains the most features. We can then simply suppress some of the operations to get the trimming paths for the remaining simpler components.” Once the toolpath has been prepared, SolidCAM verifies it, showing the tool, the holder and the machine tool, picking up any collisions in its graphical simulator and ensuring that the machine operates safely and reliably.

The programming work load at Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd increased rapidly during 2007, so as its engineers were becoming familiar with the software, programmers from SolidCAM helped by creating some of the toolpaths. Dan Patrick said, “Assistance from SolidCAM helped us to overcome the initial backlog of work. Now more familiar we regularly produce new trimming programs in less than half the time it would have previously taken.”

Programming ‘off line’ in SolidCAM has also raised the efficiency of the physical trimming equipment. Parts programmed manually on the machine resulted in downtime, as trimming could not continue at the same time. While parts are programmed in SolidCAM the machine can run without interruption.

Big Bear’s customers have seen benefits from the introduction of SolidCAM. Most now supply designs as CAD models which simplifies the transfer of data and ensures that design intent is communicated unambiguously. Within Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd, more and more parts go through SolidCAM route, eliminating the possibility of error and enabling the company to offer project turnaround times which would previously have been very difficult to achieve.

Dan Patrick concluded, “Growth at the company is continuing at a very healthy rate with an emphasis on lean manufacture. The introduction of SolidCAM has contributed to this expansion, enabling the company to manufacture more complex parts in a shorter lead time, raising throughput, and maximising the productivity of our trimming machines.”