Delcam’s PowerMILL saves machine tool costs for packaging company

Changing to Delcam’s CADCAM software produced huge time savings for Indian packaging manufacturer ASB International.  The company found that Delcam’s solution for the design and manufacture of its PET containers showed a 50% reduction in design and programming time, plus an average 30% reduction in machining time for its moulds.  As a result, a planned production increase at the company was able to be achieved with two new high-speed machine tools rather than the three new machines that were planned initially.

Based in Ambernath, Maharashtra, ASB International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese multi-national Nissei ASB Machine, a world leader in the production of bi-axially-oriented PET containers.  The company operates one of the most modern, largest and most high-tech manufacturing facilities in the world.  It applies international manufacturing and quality standards to provide a comprehensive design to manufacturing service, and supplies moulds, machines and manufacturing systems to discerning customers anywhere in the world.

To cater to the growing demand for its blow-moulding machines and blow moulds, ASB decided to add high-speed CNC machines for manufacturing its high-quality moulds at the Ambernath plant.  At the same time, the company decided to review its choice of CADCAM system.  The existing software had very limited options for high-speed programming and suffered from long processing times.  The system was difficult to learn, with very little support in India.

After an initial presentation of Delcam’s complete design and manufacturing solution, ASB decided to benchmark the software against its existing CADCAM solution.  The evaluation convinced the company that it could improve its productivity with the Delcam systems, and also that Delcam India could provide better training and support than its previous supplier.  The result was an order for initial seats of the PowerSHAPE CAD software, together with ArtCAM for decoration, and the PowerMILL CAM system.

After eight months of successful operation, ASB added an additional PowerMILL seat to provide the programs for its Makino and Mori Seiki horizontal machining centres, and for its Mazak Integrex turn-mill equipment.

ASB then added an extra PowerSHAPE seat to complete the replacement of its previous system.  The company has also introduced shop-floor programming after training all its machine operators on the Delcam software.  Future plans at ASB include extending the use of PowerSHAPE and ArtCAM into its product design department and adding the PowerINSPECT inspection software as part of its quality control systems.

 

01 February 2008