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Success Story

ANCORP - Empowering Science and Technology Since 1965

ANCORP - Empowering Science and Technology Since 1965

Customer challenge

ANCORP is a manufacturer of high and ultra-high vacuum components. For more than 50 years ANCORP has been committed to exploring and solving unique and ever-evolving problems for customers, while always embracing technologies and adapting to change along the way. In order to increase the efficiency of their machine shop and maximize production, ANCORP realized that they needed to further automate their Autodesk Fusion 360 with the FeatureCAM CAD/CAM system. ProFORCE is the Authorized Autodesk Partner who provides ANCORP with technical support and training services for their CAD and CAM products. ProFORCE met with ANCORP to gain more insight about their equipment as well as the practices and procedures of users out on the shop floor. It was clear that improvements could be made by updating their CAM system to better match their shop. Increasing the intelligence of automation within their CAM system could allow shop personnel to be more efficient, and increase their productivity.

Project goals

ANCORP had a goal of updating their CAD/CAM solution to better streamline their shop workflow. This would require standardizing configurations and processes within their CAM system, and training shop personnel on how to use and maintain the system. Their Autodesk Fusion 360 with FeatureCAM subscription includes various levels of automation. Updating the baseline machining strategies, configurations, tool cribs, and project files to better match the various machinery throughout their shop floor, would provide for a more automated and streamlined experience for their users. Updating their CAM system to more accurately match their actual equipment will allow the users to rely more on automation and be more efficient.

Solution

ANCORP purchased technical consulting services for ProFORCE to come on-site and work directly with shop personnel out on the floor. Their shop has various machines types and configurations and use specific tooling and materials for a range of applications. This requires shop personnel to have broad skillsets that match. ProFORCE worked directly with each user to better understand their requirements and to determine how best to update their CAD/CAM solution to better represent their actual machines, their specific tooling, and stock materials and toolpath strategies. Once their CAD/CAM system was updated, ProFORCE then trained each user on how to work with the new system to better streamline and automate the workflows within each area of their shop.

Business outcome

ANCORP recognized there was a need to improve workflow on the shop floor and had identified areas where more automation could be introduced or improved. Their FeatureCAM solution includes various levels of automation. Updating FeatureCAM settings like machining strategies, tool selections, and report generation tools (setup sheets) refreshed the automation within their CAD/CAM system to be more tuned to actual machinery, available tooling, and typical machining strategies desired by users. Because of the update to the automation tools within their FeatureCAM, users are able to more rapidly achieve the results they need. Because their FeatureCAM system is now better matched to the DNA of their shop, it automatically provides users with the desired selections and entries that they expect. This improvement in the automation within their CAD/CAM system now provides their users with more time to spend on other areas within their shop.

Conclusion

“We were ready to fine tune the configurations and automation of our FeatureCAM system. Doing so would require first-hand insight about things like machine configurations, tooling and conditions, and user preferences, so that our FeatureCAM systems could be upgraded to more accurately match what is actually in our shop. We contracted ProFORCE to come on-site to spend some time with our users out on our shop floor and that allowed them to better understand the DNA of our shop and set up FeatureCAM to be tuned to match our shop equipment and user preferences. Now FeatureCAM makes entries and choices that allow users to be more efficient. Sometimes automation seems to work against you. With FeatureCAM, automation is your friend, and is there when and where you need it most!” - Eric Juli, Manager–Custom Manufacturing, ANCORP

Project summary

    Duration & delivery

  • 2
  • 2021-11-11

    Autodesk solutions

  • FeatureCAM
  • Fusion 360

    Services provided

  • System Implementation
  • Configuration & Deployment
  • Workflow Documentation
  • Technical Support

    Customer industry

  • Design & Manufacturing
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Small Shop Leaps into 4 & 5-axis Milling

AA Tactical is a Veteran owned, family operated, facility which was a smaller machine shop with 3-axis milling capability. Their customers included inventors and manufacturers that had requirements for more advanced parts. AA Tactical realized that in order to meet these demands, they would need to invest in 4 & 5-axis CNC equipment as well as related CAD/CAM software and support services. AA Tactical was already successfully using Autodesk Fusion 360 with FeatureCAM as their CAD/CAM solution, which they had purchased from ProFORCE. ProFORCE is an Authorized Autodesk MAKE Partner who was already actively supporting their CAD/CAM needs for 3-axis, but additional CAD/CAM training and services would be required in order to support their 4 & 5-axis mill requirements.

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