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Bott invests to support lean culture |
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Saturday, 15 December 2007 |
Workplace and storage equipment manufacturer Bott has invested £700,000 in new plant to improve the efficiency and accuracy of its sheet metal processing, and the quality of its end products.
The investmenthas been in a Salvagnini P4-2516, a machine tool which forms sheet metal used to process Bott’s range of workshop and in-vehicle equipment. The P4 is used to fabricate punched sheet metal into a range of high density drawer cabinets, storage cupboards, workbenches, wall panel storage and tool display systems.
An off-line terminal and universal tool set reduce set-up times for individual programmes and this, combined with integration to Bott’s CAD system, allows the company to minimise lead times for its bespoke products and prototypes.
The plant is part of Bott’s lean manufacturing programme, and the P4’s increased output will further improve the company's current lean objective – to reduce downtime and improve delivery performance.
“This new plant represents a step-change in the early stages of the production process," said Andrew Poole, Bott’s engineering manager. "That, in turn, improves the efficiency of our entire manufacturing process, enhancing the quality and service experienced by our customers. Approximately 60 per cent of our products include sheet metal formed by this machine, so it is a fundamental part of our operations.”
http://www.machinery.co.uk/article |
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CNC platform is customisable and scalable |
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Saturday, 15 December 2007 |
NUM is launching a new CNC platform for machine tool manufacturers. Called Flexium, the modular platform is claimed to have unprecedented scalability that can be applied economically on a machine with a few axes, or as many as 200 or more.
This is combined with open programmability that gives users complete freedom to customise the man-machine interface (MMI) and add value.
Flexium provides machine builders with a common platform for all system building activities, from standard machines to special-purpose equipment such as transfer machines and integrated production lines. Underpinning the platform is the exceptional fidelity and control accuracy that is made possible by NUM's complete product line and proprietary communication interfaces - from controller to motor - and decades of intellectual property in designing machine tool control systems and software.
At the heart of the new platform is an advanced new CNC kernel. This is at least four times more powerful than the fastest version of NUM's existing Axium controller, which is a popular choice today in a number of machine tool applications including tool grinding, gear manufacturing, woodworking, high-speed cutting, and transfer and special-purpose machinery.
Two versions of the CNC kernel are available. Flexium 6 is a compact system that is cost-optimised for standalone machines with up to five axes of motion. The more powerful Flexium 68 handles up to 32 interpolated axes, divided into as many as eight co-ordinated groups. If more axes are required, to support very large equipment projects such as a multi-cell production line, then Flexium 68s may be interconnected using a real-time Ethernet link. Canopen interfaces provide additional system expansion capability, including positioning drives, I/O and handwheels, and operator panels. This enables the Flexium 68 system to be expanded to control over 200 interpolated axes, as well as further positioning axes and I/O.
The CNC kernels are complemented by a range of system building blocks including an industrial PC front end with soft-PLC functionality, MMI panels, I/O modules, drives, and a broad choice of servo and spindle motors.
Software flexibility has been at the core of NUM's development project. The resulting Flexium platform gives machine tool OEMs complete control over the look and feel of the machine. The system's PLC is programmed according to IEC 61131-3 standards, and offers a choice of development software, providing machine control programming environment in forms to suit individual programmers. Flexium's man-machine interface is also completely adaptable, and can be easily programmed using standard tools such as HTML, Java Script, or one of the PC-based rapid software development environments such Visual Basic, Delphi, Visual C or C++. This flexibility, which enables users to add their own 'look and feel' branding to each machine, is in stark contrast with some competitive platforms, which have fixed user interfaces that may only be modified by the vendor.
Jan Koch of NUM states: "NUM's CNC technology has been developed and refined over decades to the point where it is a leader in some machine tool segments. We have always complemented this with strong engineering support, and a partnership ethos where we work alongside the machine tool company and take complete responsibility for the control system. Flexium greatly widens the applications potential, giving the machine tool industry a platform with almost unlimited applications scope. We expect it to appeal to small and mid-sized OEMs, providing a common platform for any size of machine. It can be completely tailored to their needs, and has great software flexibility for adding value and building a distinct brand."
http://www.engineerlive.com/news |
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Quickparts® Awarded Patent for Instant Online Quoting of Rapid Prototypes and Custom-Manufactured Pa |
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Saturday, 15 December 2007 |
Quickparts the leading provider of custom manufactured plastic and metal parts, announced it has been awarded a patent for its instantaneous price quotation system for custom manufactured parts, known in the industry as QuickQuote®.
The patented QuickQuote system streamlines the quoting process by analyzing 3D CAD data and producing instant online binding quotes for custom manufactured parts ranging from rapid prototypes to production parts.
"Quickparts has been instrumental in helping to change the world of rapid product development," said industry consultant Terry Wohlers, President of Wohlers Associates, Inc. "The company has pioneered an online custom manufacturing business model -- a new paradigm in bringing products to market faster," Wohlers stated.
Quickparts' U.S. patent (No. 7,305,367) details a system and method for generating instant binding price quotations for custom manufactured parts using the Internet. Quickparts has leveraged the efficiencies of the Internet and CAD geometric analysis to streamline the RFQ and buying process.
"For nearly a decade, Quickparts has changed the way product developers buy custom manufactured parts. We're always looking for new and innovative ways to save product developers money," said Dr. Ronald L. Hollis, President and CEO of Quickparts. "Our patented instant online quoting system saves parts designers and buyers time and money by eliminating the waste in dealing with RFQs for their custom parts."
About Quickparts
Quickparts provides custom manufacturing services for engineers and designers who want to create plastic and metal parts from 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models. With its patented proprietary QuickQuote technology, Quickparts is able to provide product designers with an 'instant online quote' for the manufacturing of their custom parts from prototype to production. Quickparts custom manufacturing services include: Rapid Prototypes (SLA, SLS, FDM, PolyJet), Cast Urethanes, Injection Mold Tooling and Parts, Sheet Metal Parts, and CNC Machined Parts. In 2007, Quickparts was recognized as a fast-growth company appearing on Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list, Deloitte's 2007 Technology Fast 500 and the prestigious Technology Fast 50 Program for Georgia for the third consecutive year.
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=802719 |
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