October 22, 2010 - RALU, based in Carnago, Italy manufactures stainless steel indoor and outdoor furniture as well as providing sheetmetal subcontract services.  They have been using JETCAM with a succession of Power punch presses since 1997. In 2010 they decided to purchase a Trumpf TCL3030 laser and started to evaluate software to drive it.

Managing Director Angelo Rabuffetti commented; “We investigated three systems. Despite running an old release of JETCAM we could see that it was still better than the newer systems. It also had the strongest laser support.” Marco Quadrelli, programmer added; “We explored the other systems deeply and found that it was still easier to create orders, split them by material and thickness and to make nests.”

The decision was made in June 2010 to upgrade to the latest release of JETCAM, added High Performance Rectangular and Free Form nesting, converting the licenses from standalone to floating  and adding a postprocessor for the new Trumpf machine. An engineer spent two days on-site upgrading the system, configuring it for the Trumpf and providing training for the staff. They also used SCAP (Single Component Automatic Processing) to automatically apply a layer of profiling information to all existing geometry files, making them immediately available for the new machine. JETCAM Orders Controller (JOC) was also installed to provide easy creation of order lists.

Although RALU had used JETCAM for a number of years they were surprised by the number of benefits that the new version delivered. Logic had been improved on the Right Angle Shear module, which halved the time required to program for it. Tool teach mode reduced programming time by 60% for the punch, with the system learning preferred tooling for specific cutting routines. Material utilisation also saw considerable and immediate benefits. Remnant sheet management allows RALU to create a database of partially used sheets and intelligently recommend which sheets to use for each job, where previously these remnants would have been thrown away. The high performance nesting modules also reduce waste and material sheet changes, with Marco citing a 15-20% improvement on their existing punch part nest efficiency; “JETCAM generates nests that I was not able to produce manually. On one particular order I managed to get all parts on a single nest, which previously was impossible.”

The inclusion of JOC provided an easy interface to build lists of orders for parts or complete assemblies for each machine, separated by material and thickness. New parts or complete kits can be ordered by simply right clicking and specifying the required quantity. This information is then synced with JETCAM and ready for nesting. Order lists that would previously taken 1 ½ hours now take around 10 minutes.

RALU is working on expanding its sales network both in and outside of Italy. They plan to share capacity with other manufacturing partners that also use JETCAM to ensure that they all benefit from the material savings and a common geometry format. Angelo finalised; “Implementing CAM software is something a company has to do, but JETCAM  adds a real nett value to our production. In just one month we have seen massive savings, and we feel that this will only improve over time.”

Software:           

• JETCAM Expert Premium
• HP-RAN and FFAN nesting modules
• Floating license
• JETCAM Orders Controller

Machines:                                                                                          

• Finn-Power SG6 punch press
• Trumpf TCL3030 Laser

For more information contact Martin Bailey, Marketing Manager at Email Contact. Digital images are available to download from http://www.jetcam.com/press/pr_133_ralu.htm.

About JETCAM International s.a.r.l.

JETCAM International has been developing and distributing its JETCAM Expert range of CADCAM software since 1986. In use in over 70 countries worldwide, JETCAM Expert software supports virtually every CNC punching, laser, plasma, routing, waterjet and flatbed cutting machine available today, allowing users to program any combination of CNC machines with a single CAM system. The software has received various accolades and awards due to its high level of automation and fast return on investment.

Contact Details:

JETCAM International s.a.r.l.
"Millenium" 9C
9 Boulevard Charles III
Monaco
MC98000

Tel: +44 (0)870 760 6469
E-mail: Email Contact
Web: www.jetcam.com