FOCUS ON CAD / CAM
“ Scheduled , fully dynamic automated nesting across all ASCO laser cutting and punching machines has delivered multiple benefits .”
PACKING A PUNCH
U . S . power management product manufacturer , ASCO Power Technologies , has reduced programming time by 75 % and increased efficiency with new nesting software .
ASCO Power Technologies , based
in Welcome , North Carolina ( USA ), manufactures automatic transfer switches , switchgear and other power management products . The manufacturer has a long history of innovation and is on a constant drive to bring new technologies and new products to its customers to help them become more productive .
The company has used JETCAM Expert nesting software since receiving it alongside a Finn-Power 880 CNC punch press in 1997 .
Around 2005 , the decision was made to standardise on JETCAM Expert for all new machines
Its performance provided a stark contrast to the different nesting software systems being used to drive other machines in its facility at the time .
The manufacturer now uses JETCAM software , integrated with its MES Aquila DMM , to drive AMADA , Finn-Power , Wiedermann , Euromac and Cincinnati punchpresses and laser cutting machines on its shop floor .
Challenges in focus
James Hunley , APT fabrication specialist , recalled : “ We used to operate a range of nesting software systems supplied alongside machines in the early days , with varying issues . One was slow and not user-friendly - more of a CAD system than software designed for punching . Functions such as batch nesting were very cumbersome . We moved to another system , which resolved some of the issues of its predecessor but brought its own problems . Making changes often required you to start again - not convenient when you had just spent twenty minutes tooling a part . “
ASCO Power Technologies is based in Welcome , North Carolina ( USA ).
34 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR February 2021