“Every feature is more or less conventional, but putting them together in a single compact and competitive mechanism is really a challenge.”

“Being a job shop we have to maintain flexibility. Most of the parts we work on are very small. Everyone’s trying to fit more in a smaller package. And we do a lot of design for manufacture work with certain clients to ensure that we make them the parts they …

“As a designer, handling and inspecting the full- or scaled dimensions of a part or product often inspires insight into what changes are necessary. It’s amazing how influential a 3D part can be in helping you make a decision on something.”

“I asked the programmer about a specific weld bevel that, with our process at the time, would take me eight or nine hours. I watched him program it in GibbsCAM in 15 minutes, and then watched a large horizontal mill machine it in 45 minutes. I immediately saw their high …

“A good CAD modeler, a good CAM package, a 4-axis machine, and on-machine probing strain gage are all the tools we need to have the flexibility to make anything. The combination of software and machines is priceless. Whether it is from Inventor or GibbsCAM – they work extremely well together …

“Geomagic was the perfect solution to our very specific need – to be able to create and easily manipulate detailed 3D models from point clouds, It enables us to produce highly accurate appliances that provide a custom-fit for each baby, and a means of specifying each patient’s unique 3D prescription.”

“If we hadn’t tested these parts, and instead ordered them with the wrong design, it would have cost us up to 6 months in delays and over £10,000. Instead, because of the 3D printed parts, we were confident that the altered design would work perfectly so we could go to …

“Not only were we able to create a much more intricate intake mount that interfaced with the engine."

“Even if we don’t make the tool. We will quote a job to run the parts. We also have run into customers who were not satisfied with their work done offshore.”

"We’ve been looking for a system that is easy to use for the maintenance engineer but has the ability to provide more in-depth reports if required by support staff. It must be accurate, repeatable and most of all, mobile, as AOG events can occur anywhere within our network of 136 …

“The software combination of SOLIDWORKS and GibbsCAM has been fantastic. We model in SolidWorks and store the files in SolidWorks Vault. Programmers retrieve models from the Vault with GibbsCAM and create toolpaths directly off the model or selected geometry. The headlight fixture created a big surge in work from that …

“Our [CAM software] representative heard of our tool wear problem and introduced the GibbsCAM VoluMill™ module. With [that module] we were able to increase cutting depth, use a lot more of the insert, and distribute the load on the cutter. Inserts lasted five times longer, and we removed more material …

“I had done CNC milling and turning, but putting it all on one machine was challenging at first. With [the CAM software], it didn’t take long to learn the process.”

“The new ‘la cupola’ model had to be in line with the design classic on the market for so many years. The ability to place the prototype side-by-side with the older model and compare the different versions made our job a lot easier. Visual control is extremely important.”

“The total time savings, representing about 5-6 weeks per product, allows us to speed up all our processes and increase efficiency, not to mention the financial savings: it now costs us 70 percent less to make a prototype than it did before we had a 3D Printer in-house. Now, we …