Faster turnarounds for French mould maker

Ketos, based at Savoie in France uses WorkNC to firstly machine prototype moulds for producing just one or two parts, or a mini-series of up to 30 parts. Managing director Anne Rostain says the accuracy with which WorkNC then interprets the design data guarantees that the production mould is a perfect replica of the prototype.

She says: “When we design our products we aim to create precise, high performance profiles which meet different navigation criteria. Therefore, it’s essential that machining operations produce the exact reflection of what we’ve imagined and designed.”

Ms Rostain says her company regularly test new profiles, meaning staff program two or three new moulds each month for high-tech composite components.

The company, which was established over 25 years ago, operates with 10 employees from a 300m² workshop. Key customers are predominantly surfing enthusiasts from all over the world, along with specialised retail outlets. The company ethos for continuous development ensures its products have evolved to achieve product reliability and sustainability. With a passion for its bespoke products, Ketos works with high quality materials that offer the best technical and environmental solutions.

Using a Raptor 2.5-axis CNC machine, driven by WorkNC 3-axis software, Ketos manufactures its products mainly from bio-sourced resin and designed with SolidWorks CAD. With meticulous detail going into product design, the company has to ensure the end product is exactly as designed.

WorkNC allows Ketos to take designs seamlessly through to manufacture by converting CAD into CAM. Ms Rostain says: “With WorkNC we maintain control over the complete cycle, from design through to in-house production, at a reasonable cost.”

Using WorkNC for the past two years has dramatically improved turnaround times, estimated as 2.5 times quicker, and giving overall production efficiency. Before investing in WorkNC the production process was completely manual with a modelmaker producing resin moulds based on the prototype.

Ketos decided to invest in WorkNC as well as an NC machine tool to automate production. “We needed a 3-axis solution to drive our NC machine which was simple to use. WorkNC was easy to implement and its cost was rapidly paid back.”

Accuracy has also played a key role in saving time. Ms Rostain describes the software as “crucial” for creating one off prototypes. “Each mould is unique, which can be time consuming to create. However, WorkNC allows Ketos to be very responsive and to rapidly test new ideas.”

The company has benefited from WorkNC's user-friendliness and the machining sequences functionality which allows it to use data from the library and simply apply it to new jobs. This provides a higher level of automation.

Ms Rostain concludes by saying WorkNC is reliable, secure and effective, and easy to implement.

“We save a lot of time thanks to the use of machining sequences which allow us to re-use and make adjustments to existing programs. The wide range of 3D machining strategies, the possibilities offered by 5-axis strategies and robotisation available with WorkNC, suits us perfectly.”

Vero Software www.worknc.com