5-Axis Trimming Boosts Plastics Vacuum Forming Productivity

“We were not wondering if getting a 5-axis machine would be a good idea. We were convinced that it would be pretty dumb if we didn’t. So we bought a VMS 5-axis router with a Fagor control. Mastercam fit in with that beautifully. We were already familiar with Mastercam because we use it on our 3-axis mills and routers. So it was a really easy transition.”

- Dan Parisot, CNC Programmer
Eck Plastic Arts
Binghamton, NY

Printable Profile

In 2006, Dale Greife left his job at a large machine shop, bought the first of two Okuma mills, and opened his own very small job shop-- Aspire Machine in Union, MO. To gain a foothold in a very competitive marketplace, Greife knew he would have to be very capable and more nimble than others in his business. For that, he would rely heavily on his years of experience and a versatile CAD/CAM package that would allow him to do just about anything.

The Challenge

Eliminate bottlenecks caused by complex part trimming requirements.

The Solution

Mastecam Router

Benefits

Short learning curve based on familiarity with industry-leading Mastercam Mill software
Compatibility with all of their customer’s CAD files
Mastercam’s customizable interface puts the most commonly used tools on their desktop
Mastercam’s fast and efficient trimming results in more projects
Keeping up to date with the latest software with Mastercam’s Maintenance program

Project Details

When the trimming of complex thermoformed parts became a bottleneck at Eck Plastic Arts (Binghamton, NY) the company solved it by installing a 5-axis router and Mastercam Software.

CNC Programmer Dan Parisot described the trimming problem: “In 2006, our company was awarded a project that involved vacuum forming multi-faceted industrial equipment covers with a lot of slots, bosses, and clearance holes. Up to this point, we were trimming vacuum formed parts on a 3-axis mill. If the parts were complex, like these were, it could literally take days to do a small number of them.”

“These were very nice 18- to 20-inch long rectangular covers. Unfortunately, they had slots and clearance holes on the sides, and all sorts of funky edges that needed trimming. We were spending a lot more time setting them up on our 3-axis mill than we were on doing the actual trimming. We would have to orient the part in one direction, run what we could, then tear that setup down, set it up again, reorient it, and run the next side, until all of the trimming was completed.”

Familiarity with Mastercam software made it very easy for Parisot to make the transition to 5-axis work programming on the new router. To make the work go even faster, he took advantage of the company’s Maintenance program to download the latest version of the 5-axis Router software (X3 Router) even before hard copies of the program were officially released.

Working from a solid model of the part, Parisot uses his Mastercam library of tools and operations to automatically generate efficient trimming toolpaths. He relies heavily on the software’s Simulation capabilities to verify that all the required material has been removed, while assuring that the equipment will make appropriate but efficient clearance moves to avoid crashing the head or cutting tools.

This gives him the confidence that the machine operator can set the part up and just let it go, trimming all the features in multiple axes, typically without ever having to flip the part. As a result, operations that used to take days and require as many as five set-ups can be completed in an hour or so with a single set-up.

As the result of the fast turnarounds Mastercam provides, Eck Plastics got additional projects of a similar nature and subsequently some short to medium production orders from this one customer. What’s more, the new approach to trimming is so efficient that Parisot is now busy programming all of the vacuum-formed parts for 5-axis trimming.