Flexible Machining Systems
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Success Story OPEN MIND Brings Investment to Fruition at FMS Supplying World Class manufacturing companies and building a reputation for delivery and quality requires an ability to stay abreast of modern technology. This is something that Flexible Machining Systems Limited (FMS) of Horsham... ...has demonstrated with its recent acquisition of two seats of hyperMILL CAM software from OPEN MIND. was the best fit solution for our needs. What immediately struck us was the compatibility with our SOLIDWORKS CAD package.” Dedicated to precision manufacturing for the aerospace, medical and blue chip industry sectors, FMS has invested heavily in machine tools with 10 Mazak turning & machining centres being installed within the last six years. It is the latest addition, a 5-axis VariAxis 730 vertical machining centre that prompted the acquisition of hyperMILL . Bought for the increasing complexity of components, the 5-axis VariAxis has proven to be a major investment for FMS and with productivity and collision avoidance a necessity, the company immedi ately turned to hyperMILL . The latest generation of hyperMILL is now compatible with SOLIDWORKS and for customers like FMS Ltd, this means that its current drawings and files can be immediately and effortlessly transferred by hyperMILL without the laborious task of manually converting each file. “The SOLIDWORKS compatibility was an immediate attraction to us as it will save us a lot of time and prevents reworking as we move to the latest generation of CAM software. Not only is it compatible with SOLIDWORKS but it also works with our Vericut verification system,” continues Mr Smith. The best fit solution Technical Support Manager at FMS Ltd Peter Smith comments: “We were machining complex 5-axis parts by using 4-axis machine setups and then re-fixturing the jobs. It was time consuming and our current CAM system was having difficulty coping with the work. We literally exhausted the CAM system as two of us are programming for anything up to 10 hours a day.” From 2-axis to 5-axis The 30 employee company produces components from one off to small batches for world leading manufacturers in the some of the most demanding industry sectors. With this in mind, time is of the essence for FMS Ltd and transferring and reworking its CAD programs to suit a new CAM system was a daunting prospect for the ISO: 9001 registered company. The hyperMILL package is dedicated to 5-axis machining and is immediately set to improve the functionality from 2-axis to 5-axis for FMS Ltd. About FMS Ltd. Flexible Machining Systems is a manu facturing company that specialises in CNC machining and assembly. FMS are often perceived as an extension of our customer’s own business due to our abil ity to adapt and modify our systems to suit their changing demands. > www.fmsltd.co.uk © OPEN MIND Technologies AG. “We strenuously reviewed 3 or 4 market leading packages and the hyperMILL pac

“We have found limitations to our CAM software and transferring to hyperMILL will considerably improve our productivity as well as reduce our programming times. The hyperMILL has exceptional collision avoidance and this is a necessity with our sizable investment in machine tools. In essence, hyperMILL is destined to be one of the most exciting investments the company has made in improving our 5-axis operations,” continues Mr Smith. ® “We have a very high level of confidence in OPEN MIND, the hyperMILL system and the UK support team. OPEN MIND convinced us that they had the right package and...