CAD/CAM gives toolmaker 10 times faster production

“Electrode manufacture is now 10 times faster than it used to be,” says Sid Ramshaw, md for Newton-Aycliffe-based toolmaker D&S Moulds. “With PowerShape [hybrid modelling software] we can now define even the most complex split line imaginable in less than an hour.” The company has actually used a combination of software from CAD/CAM vendor Delcam to achieve this: hybrid modelling software coupled with milling (machining) software. And on the machining side, the results have been just as impressive. “We now have the confidence to machine to the finished size,” adds Ramshaw. “Previously, we used to leave ‘metal-on’ conditions and then use a secondary operation to achieve the final shut-offs. The results are now so precise that the time we spend on the final shut-off and other surface finishes is dramatically reduced.” And D&S is just like any other UK toolmaking firm. It’s having to battle against issues like cheaper foreign imports and last-minute product design changes from customers. “By buying purely on price, many firms receive moulds that need significant re-work before they can produce parts successfully. “Even when the tool is perfect, there will often have been some alteration to the component design whilst it is being made. So there isn’t enough time to ship the tool back to the OEM so we will do the corresponding mods to the tool.” The real bottom line benefits though are that the firm has now managed to win more orders for new tools because of the success of its modification and repair business. “Before we had the [CAD/CAM] software, we used to sub-contract work. Now we do everything in-house,” explains Ramshaw. “This gives us better control of both quality and delivery times. Clients are amazed at how fast we can turn a tool around, whether it’s a modification or a complete new tool.”