Programmed for productivity

The company has been using Radan software for more than a decade to productively program its punching and profiling machines, while the later addition of the e2i estimate to invoice management system has provided substantial business gains. 

Employing 92 skilled staff working over two shifts, Shannon-based Bolgers has an impressive customer list that includes Caterpillar, FG Wilson, Perkins Engines, BAE Systems and Elite Electronic Systems. In fact the company was the first fabrication company in Ireland to be ISO/TS 16949 accredited and the first European fabrication supplier to be awarded the Silver level of accreditation in Caterpillar's ‘Supplier Quality Excellence Process'. Although components for the power generation sector account for around 44% of the company's turnover, its core skills and capabilities are used to good effect in other demanding sectors.

Around 10 years ago the company invested in Radan as a CAD/CAM system for programming its Trumpf punching machines. The initial step involved transferring the programs from a previous system into Radan before the production nests were optimised using Radan's advanced manufacturing data.

Today, Radan is also used to program the company's latest investment – a 3.2kW Trumpf laser. Engineering manager, Mark Pickford explains: “The decision was taken to increase the company's engineering capabilities, and we invested in a laser profiling machine which required additional production floor space. The second production facility now houses a Trumpf TC 3000 punching centre with Sheetmaster alongside the laser.

The laser is used to process thicker gauge material, up to an imposed thickness of 15mm to make material handling more efficient – although the laser can cut up to 20mm thick. The punching machines are used on material up to 5mm or 6 mm thick unless the part has an irregular profile, which the laser can process much quicker. Also, very low volume parts and one-off prototype work has been migrated to the laser to avoid tooling costs. With Radan, as soon as the program is written it can be transferred straight from the punch to the laser or vice versa for maximum production flexibility. 

The road to expansion

Complementing the existing 35,000ft² facility, completion of the company's second 20,000ft² production building has allowed Bolgers to expand its engineering capabilities to include six Radan seats, which include the 3D version of the software. “All work we undertake is on a subcontract basis and the 3D functionality allows us to take in customers' solid 3D models and develop the parts for manufacture on the various machine tools. Model data varies from customer to customer, but the majority will submit Pro/Engineer or SolidWorks files.” All solid models or paper designs from existing or potential customers are taken into Radan where the software creates the various developments required for the part. This can be processed by the laser on the same day due to the short set-up time and the punch press can also produce the parts quickly if the tooling exists but will naturally take a little longer as the tools have to be correctly assigned. “Radan has done a lot of work with laser profiling,” adds Mr Pickford. “It is very smart and comes as a complete package so there is very little you have to go into the software to change.” 

Keeping track

Radan manufacturing data is also used for parts quotation by transferring the information into the company's multi-purpose e2i system. Bolger Engineering has been using e2i for around six years with shopfloor data capture terminals used to track the progress of workpieces within the production environment. “The software was installed to handle purchase orders and invoicing but we then started to change the route cards over and include the bill of materials so it is now used for full shopfloor data capture. It generates reports for efficiencies and provides exceptional stock control meaning customer queries can be answered accurately with regards to the progress of any parts on the shopfloor without leaving your desk,” Mr Pickford confirms.

Route cards generated by e2i have a barcode which are scanned by the operators on the shopfloor to allow the system to log the operator's name, start time, finish time and quantity. It's a powerful tool which even captures scrap levels at the end of the process and gathers the data as part of the company's reporting structure.
“All of the machines are linked to a DNC network with files exported from Radan to an assigned area on the company server and the operators can call the job down,” Mr Pickford explains. “We also print the nest generation sheet to go with the route card and they can get the number of sheets required from the bill of materials also on the route card.”

Bolgers build to a forecast schedule for some customers while others simply issue a purchase order. Caterpillar, for example, is strict about how far ahead the company can produce and it works on an eight day turnaround from confirmed order to delivery. With such a tight deadline it is vital to have accurate data as Mr Pickford reiterates: “If there is a shortage of raw material we know long before the job is issued to the shopfloor as the e2i system will flag it up. Stock reports from e2i can also include the re-order level as well as the economic batch size to order to fulfill the production requirements. As well as standard engineering items, such as threaded inserts, the e2i system also controls the stock level of the paint used by the company's automated paint line.”

Mr Pickford is very complimentary of the service received from Planit. “We've had great support,” he enthuses. “From training days to helpdesk queries the knowledge of the staff has been a great benefit to us.”

Radan
www.planit.com