NC Machining... A profession and a passion at the same
time!
Managing Director, Brice Vincent explains,
« SIFOM started out working for the
automotive industry. In 2007, we began to work for the
construction and civil engineering industry, which was an
innovative move at the time.
For instance, we’ve manufactured
molds for swimming pools and even a mold for an artificial
water table. That was a great experience. Over the past 2 or 3
years, we have turned our attention to the aeronautical
industry.
In order to meet the requirements of this industry,
we diversified our production by manufacturing stamping dies,
assembly tools along with plastic and aluminum injection
molds. We are also in the process of obtaining ISO
certification». So today, these are SIFOM’s three main
markets, along with a few customers for precision tooling from
the gold-smithing trade.
WorkNC in use since
2002
« We knew the market
so we were aware of the WorkNC CAD-CAM solution, » said
Brice Vincent. « The first license was
purchased in 2002 when SIFOM set up shop. Today, there are two
WorkNC seats for programming jobs, and soon, there’ll be a
third one for simultaneous 5-axis programming» he adds.
According to Brice, « Over the past 10
years, WorkNC software development has always kept pace with
and anticipated our needs, and none more so than Version 21.
Today, it's extraordinary».
In addition to the
continual development of the WorkNC CAD-CAM software in
general, R&D has always taken SIFOM’s specific application
related requests onboard. « We’ve
enjoyed unflagging technical support over these past ten years
» says Brice.
Safe, reliable machining
programs
SIFOM’s programmers prepare their toolpaths
in WorkNC and run them directly on the CNC machine. « We don't need to simulate our machining
sequences, we've never had a breakage and that's going back to
2002 » enthuses Brice. The workshop runs machining
programs during the day for the most complex or shortest jobs.
The rest, i.e. the bulk of finishing and semi-finishing
toolpaths, are done overnight. «
They've got to be right first time. In 2011, right in the
middle of an industrial boom, the company was able to operate
22 hours out of 24. A great way of maximizing production
resources.
Absolutely no breakages due to CAM and WorkNC, only
occasional errors in the choice of tools, that's all we had
» says Brice. However, to achieve such impressive
results, SIFOM’s programmers always use the collision
detection functions within WorkNC.
Complexity, the
hallmark of SIFOM
As Brice Vincent stated earlier, he loves a
challenge and loves manufacturing complex molds and tooling
equipment. The company was recently entrusted with the
production of a delicate inclined part made from a composite
material with groove features, contour milling, holes,... in
short, requiring 60 hours of high added value machining.
This
part would usually have undergone 5-axis machining, but
unfortunately SIFOM had not taken delivery of their new 5-axis
CNC machining center at the time.
According to Brice, « We weren't going to let the opportunity of
getting a new customer and demonstrating our know-how slip
through our fingers. This was a twofold challenge for us: to
successfully produce and deliver the part within the deadline
and to demonstrate WorkNC’s capabilities to a customer who
used a different CAM system.
So we took on and met the
challenge and our customer was very pleasantly surprised. That
experience reassured us that we were doing the right thing
investing in the FIDIA simultaneous 5-axis machining center
which will be a further asset in our strategy of
diversification » says Brice.
5-axis technology, in
tandem with WorkNC CAD-CAM, is definitely the future for
SIFOM. « It’s important that you don’t
change a winning formula that works, especially one that works
really well » says Brice.
When asked about the benefits of using
WorkNC, Brice replies, « It's so easy
to use, it ensures our CNC machines operate in complete
security and it’s an essential part of our diversification
program, therefore for the future of the company ».
However, he believes the biggest benefit
may be the fact that his programmers have become so familiar
with WorkNC that they use the software to its full capability,
very occasionally calling for assistance from the WorkNC
technical support team.
Brice never hears any complaints... but he
has noticed the upward trend in the company's turnover. A
result which illustrates the worth of industrial software, as
a help and not a hindrance to users in their day-to-day work,
and a potential asset for protecting and improving a company’s
market position. |