FOCUS ON CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES designs was impressive . Introducing the software has led to a 90 % reduction in our CNC programming workload ,” said Damian Jones of ACE Ceiling Products .
Ceiling at Waterloo Tube Station .
Design into reality
Working closely with architects , ACE Ceiling Products gets involved at the concept stage of the project , helping to turn the architect ’ s designs into reality with advice on how they can be manufactured and assembled .
3D models of the concept , with rendered images , are built into ACE Ceiling ’ s Creo CAD software . Proposals and images are discussed with the architect before a full-size mock-up is built , working through to final approval of the designs . At this stage , installation is put out to tender and ACE Ceilings can start fullscale manufacture of the component panels required for the project .
Some of the major projects in which the company has been involved include the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium opened in 2019 ; Gatwick International Airport departure lounge ( North Terminal ); Goldman Sachs ’ headquarters in London and redevelopment of the ceilings in disused platforms and tunnels at Waterloo station .
Material savings
Around 90 % of ACE Ceiling Products ’ work goes through the Lantek software . Much of the project work requires parametric design of families of parts . The flattened component parts are then imported into Lantek Expert . Nesting is carried out according to material type and thickness , mixing parts from different jobs on the same sheet .
“ All the parts are brought into the software and nested as a collective . We may have 100 parts which are auto-nested together and then auto-tooled . We may then have 20 sheets or more to make up the workload . Parts are tagged into the sheet and we identify them with a series of small holes which make up a code for each part number . The auto-tooling is very good , making the process automatic , while the auto-nesting has generated savings of around 15 % in material usage despite our panel parts being large and difficult to nest efficiently ,” explained Damian Jones .
Lantek has developed some macros for ACE Ceiling Products to help it in the manufacture of specific families of parts .
“ We now have spare capacity , thanks to the Vipros 355 and 368 machines and the 24-hour unmanned operation capability of the Amada 2510 . Lantek has been a vital part in making this possible as its automated programming and nesting has given us the capability to use the machines to their full capacity . We are now ready to expand our business for the future benefit of our customers ,” added Damian Jones . n
Above and right : The AMADA Vipros 2510 punch press .
Above : This Floating Island feature ceiling system was manufactured from 1.2mm thick Elector Galvanised Steel for 100 , New Oxford Street , London .
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