CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
16 March 2007
Implementation Investments
Delcam's PartMaker Aids Move into Medical Manufacture
Using Delcam's PartMaker CAM software has helped Tennessee-based Bell-Memphis, Inc. to move successfully into medical manufacture. Using PartMaker to program all their CNC machines has not only sped up programming but also reduced set-up times.
The company, which was founded in 1942 by Roy Bell, Senior, started out as a contract manufacturer for the war effort during World War II. In the 1950s, it developed a better design for a turn-buckle that greatly simplified the repair and maintenance of aircraft control cables. While aerospace is still the largest part of the business, around 40% is now in the orthopaedics industry.
Bell-Memphis entered the era of CNC in 1997 when newly-hired plant manager Bob Latham convinced the owners that the company had to modernise its manufacturing. Some 10 years later, the company has over 20 pieces of modern CNC equipment ranging from a variety of Star CNC Swiss-type lathes to a number of different types of Mazak and Mori Seiki mills and lathes, plus a Fanuc Wire EDM. This line-up of CNC equipment makes the versatility of PartMaker especially suited to Bell-Memphis.
"The move to medical was a very dramatic change for us," says Mr. Latham. "If you had walked in here in 1997, you would have seen your typically old, dirty manual shop. We've done almost a total transition from that." One helpful tool in making that change has been the addition of the PartMaker software. Bell-Memphis first implemented the system in 2003 and today does virtually all of its programming with the software.
Set-up times were the big issue. "PartMaker has reduced machine set-up times by more than 50% in a lot of cases," according to Mr. Latham. "Using PartMaker, less time is spent at the machine proving out the program. It is beneficial to prove out the program visually and show the operator what approach you are taking to a part."
"With the software, you can develop the whole process from scratch and actually see what the part is going to look like when it comes out. The opportunity to pull in solid models and program from them is also very helpful."
"The biggest bottleneck in programming a Swiss-type machine is balancing out the "wait codes". For me, that was a major nuisance before we got PartMaker. You could spend a day straightening out "wait codes" and getting all your synchronisation right," according to Mr. Latham.
"The impact of PartMaker has been pretty dramatic, especially when we got into orthopaedic parts that we wouldn't have been able to make without the software. For us to try to program some of these parts manually would have been a nightmare."
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.