He cites an example of an agricultural earth-moving part requiring pins on a number of flat surfaces, an ejector stem covering the internal face opposite the nozzles on the moving half.
Even complex molds present no problem to designing in EDGECAM.
We have standard catalogues so it’s easy to download the tool base, and I always try to start machining the cavities and cores as soon as possible.”Īs a skilled toolmaker with many years’ experience, he is able to accurately create and place all ejector pins and gates with EDGECAM. “Many customers may only have an idea of the end product, or just a paper drawing…so we draw something up for them and add the shrinkages in EDGECAM, building the tool around it. So, the logical third prong of their business is tool making, and Colin Merry designs all their molds with EDGECAM. I’d often see two or three ways of doing something, and I’d pick the one that seemed to be the most effective.” “I learned everything from those highly-skilled toolmakers. The three-man company developed in 2001 from an original tool making business founded by David in 1990, where Colin undertook what he calls a ‘non-standard apprenticeship,’ involving learning a variety of traditional engineering and mold making skills from time-honoured craftsmen. Without EDGECAM we’d struggle to be what are and do what we do.”Ĭolin Merry works with his brother Ian and father David. “Because our parts are high precision we need to ensure that we get everything right first time, every time. EDGECAM drives both milling and turning, and he says they use it on all components. “We’re using it with the latest WNT cutting tools, and as we’re programming it with EDGECAM we’re definitely not holding back on speeds and feeds across a range of materials.”Īnd if it’s a turning part, it goes through a DXF converter and is being machined on their XYZ 1630 lathe in a matter of minutes.Īs well as using EDGECAM on the emergency repair side of the business, it is also vital for their general engineering and manufacturing – again, focusing on automotive, medical and aerospace. Their XYZ 500 LR mill was the first of its kind in the UK when they installed it, and is the first XYZ machining center to feature linear rail guide technology. “This is especially valuable in the middle of the night,” he says. If the part is to be machined on either of their Hurco VM 10 or XYZ 500 LR mills he creates roughing and profiling cycles initially, and while they are running he’ll work on the remaining programs. “We don’t need 3D models for this type of work…I only have to draw it in 2D which means we can get it on to the CNC machine tool extremely quickly.” Once they have built up a complete picture of what they need to make, and are happy with the measurements, they begin the design and manufacturing process using EDGECAM’s 2D functionality.
“And if a part is broken we need to know why, so we can engineer a solution.” “For instance, if it’s something like a shaft, we need to know if it was worn…because if we make it to the identical measurements of the one we’ve been given, it won’t be right, so we need to overlay the original dimensions onto the worn part. The first part of the process is to find out from the customer why the component failed or was broken, what it does, and which aspects of it are critical. “We need to give those jobs top priority so our customers can get their production lines up and running again.” He says their emergency service is a mix of repairing the actual damaged component, and remaking it from scratch. “In fact, anything that has mechanical movement where a part can break down and cause a production catastrophe.” The company is regularly called upon to repair components for a wide variety of machines, including punches, presses, die stampers, rollers, and even ovens. “A number of our customers operate production line machines, and need them to be running constantly – there’s a lot of pressure on automotive companies, in particular, to deliver, because many products are manufactured on a ‘just in time, built to order’ basis.” “I’ve often been in the workshop at two o’clock in the morning repairing parts for automotive, medical and aerospace companies, whose production lines have ground to a halt because a component has broken or failed,” says owner Colin Merry. “We’re using it with the latest WNT cutting tools, and as we’re programming it with EDGECAM we’re definitely not holding back on speeds and feeds across a range of materials.” DJM Engineering Provides Emergency Repair Service With EDGECAMĪ long-established family-run injection mold maker and engineering company thrives on helping customers out in emergencies.ĭJM Engineering (Banbury) Ltd uses EDGECAM for quick, emergency 2D design and machining to repair customers’ damaged or broken parts and get them back in action within hours.