Industry
Size Reduction Equipment
Production
- Laser: Tanaka
- Plasma, Oxyfuel: Messer
- Software: AutoCAD, Inventor, SigmaNEST
Challenges: Beveling
Many Williams machines contain a replaceable steel liner attached to interior sidewalls using a metal plug. A beveled countersink ensures a fit that is both secure and flush.
Bevel cutting poses unique challenges. “We had a real quality problem with bevel cuts,” said Foreman, Jim Colyott. “The process became a prolonged series of manual steps. It was nothing short of a three hour operation.”
“A manually intensive three hour process was reduced to a staggering three minutes.”
Automation
- When a Messer burning table was added to the process.
- A third-party recommended bringing in a new nesting tool specifically for the Messer.
- Williams held their ground: “We were not about to move away from SigmaNEST. We have been using the software successfully for more than eight years and over that time accumulated thousands of custom parts in the software’s parts library. We stood firm in our belief that SigmaNEST was the answer.”
Staggering Results
- A SigmaNEST-based solution was implemented fully maximizing the beveling capabilities of the Messer
- High quality bevel cuts were quickly achieved
- The manually-intensive 3-hour process was reduced to a staggering 3 minutes