Rescoll Manufacturing Turns to New CAM Software to Produce Intricate Medical Parts
The medical devices made today involve the machining of increasingly complex, high value-added parts, driving manufacturers to evolve rapidly to improve their production capabilities and maintain their competitive edge. Rescoll Manufacturing found that CAM software was the key to their improvement.
In the city of Pessac, near Bordeaux, France, the managers of Rescoll Manufacturing have seized the opportunity for rapid growth in the medical sector using ESPRIT CAM software.
Historical Expertise
The Rescoll entity was founded in 2001 as a private research laboratory providing chemical and mechanical analysis and testing of materials. Most of their work involves the certification of materials for Airbus aircraft. In the medical field, Rescoll tests many polymers, especially for implants.
In the Rescoll Manufacturing workshop, a dozen machines make it possible to machine complex parts in turning-milling.
In 2012, they created Rescoll Manufacturing and became ISO13485 certified as a dedicated manufacturer of medical devices. Today, the Rescoll Manufacturing team dedicates most of its production time to the medical industry and the rest to the aeronautics and robotics sectors.
The company's manufacturing activity primarily focuses on dental or spine bolting, stems, maxillofacial, and cervical plates. They are also in the process of developing highly crafted medical parts such as intravenous implants or cages.
The Essential Move to CAM Software
Over the years, manufacturers turned to Rescoll Manufacturing for projects that were becoming increasingly complex. The projects they were receiving not only included simple turning operations, but also the machining of complex parts, requiring more 5-axis milling and surface finishing operations -- and making part programming increasingly difficult.
From left to right: Sébastien Cain, from distributor-integrator UsInConcept, Hélène Horent, from DP Technology, and Fabien Guillaume, Methods Manager at Rescoll Manufacturing.
In 2014, the managers at Rescoll Manufacturing decided to invest in Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software. "Our wish was to integrate a reliable CAM solution that could be adapted to our entire range of Swiss and 3-5 axis machines. We knew ESPRIT's potential and the distributor UsInConcept reinforced our choice," explains Fabien Guillaume, Methods Manager at Rescoll Manufacturing.
A Rapid Rise in Productivity
To keep pace with the constant advancements in the medical market, Rescoll Manufacturing managers chose to implement ESPRIT CAM and immediately began training their programmers on the new software's turning, 5-axis milling, and multi-tasking modules. "After we began using ESPRIT, we quickly realized that the software offers us a lot of flexibility and possibilities when programming parts," says Guillaume.
Implant plate programmed with ESPRIT and machined in a single operation on a 5-axis lathe.
Rescoll's programmers quickly began programming various 5-axis parts on their own and optimized the full use of their workshop's CNC machines, rapidly increasing their productivity. In addition, the Methods department also created a library of standard machining processes using the CAM software to automate, facilitate and improve the generation of CNC programs.
Process archiving and automatic shape recognition helped cutting tool managers fully utilize the new functions for intelligent machining. With production in the shop on the rise, Rescoll Manufacturing faced a new challenge that involved programming a cervical plate with complex 3D surfaces, which required 5-axis machining on a milling lathe. With the help of ESPRIT CAM, the Rescoll Manufacturing team was able to machine the part in just one operation while meeting all of the customer's expectations.
Capturing Evolving Markets
For Rescoll Manufacturing, the integration of the new software solved many machining difficulties related to tight tolerance intervals, weak machines, and refractory materials. "We had problems completing a grooving operation on a 3-axis machine, and ESPRIT allowed us to simply program the machine using trochoidal cutting movements, which solved all our problems," says Frédéric Combarnous, head of Rescoll Manufacturing.
A cobalt chrome implant machined on a 5 axis Mazak lathe. It is difficult to machine this part, due to the fact that the piece has to be totally finished, with small diameter end mills.
The growing experience of Rescoll's programmers also made it possible to diversify the typology of its parts and extend their use through improved quality. Moreover, the simulation features integrated within the CAM software were another advantage for Rescoll Manufacturing, enabling them to visualize everything from the machine environment, to the machining of the part, to any possible interferences.
This allowed them to accurately program parts more quickly and easily. "ESPRIT is a very reliable tool that allows you to anticipate errors and optimize the set-up times on the machine," says Guillaume.
After using the software for just a few months, Rescoll Manufacturing dramatically reduced its programming time and enhanced its production capabilities.
The machining assembly to cut the part in the 5-axis lathe.
"With ESPRIT, we can optimize toolpaths, test manufacturing processes, and reduce programming and cycle times," summarizes Combarnous.
Rescoll Manufacturing had faced a choice between continuing to produce basic parts or taking the necessary steps to grow their production capabilities to capture evolving markets. They chose the latter.
Today, using the new CAM software, programmers at Rescoll Manufacturing can respond rapidly to customer requests and successfully meet any machining challenge from the medical and aeronautic markets.
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