Synergy MouldWorks Saves Up to 20% on Mold Delivery Time with Cimatron Software

Using Motion Analysis to Identify Problems and Deliver Good-Quality First Parts
Another Cimatron feature that Wadley likes and uses to identify problems up front is motion analysis. There's a good kinematics engine built in for motion analysis that they use to see if their lifters or slides are working as intended. It'll note potential crashes, potential failure, if there’s not enough stroke, and other problems that might have been missed. “That saves us time down the road. It’s easier to see a potential problem at the beginning than at the end of the tool build in the prep. If we can catch that up front, we can save a lot of re-engineering, re-cutting blocks—and money in turn,” says Wadley.

For example, they noticed that one of the lifters in a mold was going to cause an issue upon ejection. They hadn't noticed that until they ran the analysis. They were able to correct that in the design before any steel had even been cut, which saved about a week or two of delays and enabled them to deliver the part on time.

Wadley also notes that using motion analysis gives the shop a better chance for successful first shots, which are generally a tight timeline: “Motion analysis gives us a better leg up to have good-quality first parts and successful first trials.”

Improving NC Toolpath Control and Surface Finish Quality

In addition to plastic mold injection, Synergy MouldWorks specializes in custom machining solutions, which Wadley says they would use the Cimatron NC package on its own for.

Previously, they were using SURFCAM for NC programming. “When we made the switch to Cimatron, we had greater control over the NC toolpath,” says Wadley. “We liked it for the control over the NC side of things. We had a greater control of manipulating the 3-axis toolpaths. Better surface finishes. Just the solid-based intuitiveness of the software was nice. Whereas in SURFCAM, we were working in a wire-frame environment.”

“Another deciding factor was how easily we could use solid models to manipulate our NC files,” says Robertson. “Because, in the mold industry, it’s not just simple cut-it-and-go kind of blocks. They're all one-off pieces and they're generally highly complex, so we have to make a lot of adjustments on the fly to make things better for machining. Cimatron allows us to do that on the shop floor with relative ease.”

There is no programming office at Synergy MouldWorks. Everybody does their own NC programming right at their workstation. “We do rely on the guys on the shop floor to be able to work and program their own NC machines, as well as look at assembly files to put a mold together. They don't make general assembly drawings on the floor. That's something Cimatron helps us with a great deal,” says Robertson.

Expert Technical Support and Trainers

Both Robertson and Wadley noted that the training and technical support offered by 3D Systems for Cimatron is excellent.

Wadley sums up his experience by saying: “Customer support from Cimatron has been second to none. They have a really excellent technical support team and they're really always there whenever you need them to either provide support over WebEx or on the telephone. Or, if you need training, they'll come to your shop. Their doors are always open. They've always been competent and easy to get along with—just a good bunch of guys.”

Regional User Group Meetings

3D Systems hosts regional user group meetings every year where Cimatron application engineers highlight aspects of new releases. “It's great to meet these guys and talk about the software and the changes that have happened with the latest version,” says Wadley. “It's not worth missing. Even if you take a few things away from one of those seminars, it can really help out.”

Wadley also finds the community aspect of the annual user group meetings to be a bonus: “It’s good to network and meet others who are using the software. People start talking about how they use the software and that might trigger something in my mind about how I could do something differently, a bit more efficiently.”