XL Precision Technologies already produces components for respiratory devices, but saw how existing customers and other medical companies may need more support quicker as coronavirus took hold.
A free temporary licence from Visi-enabled the firm to start increasing capacity immediately while an internal capital expenditure was set up, and the administration process of purchasing additional seats was completed.
“We’d been planning a £300,000 investment in software during the next three years, but this emergency highlighted how valuable it is, and made us realise that if we had more seats of VISI, we’d be even more effective in introducing new products,” said managing director Tom Graham. “We had licences to allow three people to work with VISI at any one time, while I have six engineers who I could dedicate to it.”
Having the free 30-day licences from Visi meant XL Precision was able to immediately dedicate increased production capacity to the new Covid-19 component runs.
Mr Graham added: “We identified the machines required, and because we have the appropriate VISI CAD/CAM software our engineers were able to convert customers’ drawings to a proper CAD design and create laser cutting, milling and EDM wire machine programs.”
XL Precision Technologies has used Visi universally across their whole development and production process for several years.
Mr Graham said: “Essentially, we manufacture to customers’ designs. Sometimes those designs aren’t optimised for manufacture, so we use Visi's modelling package to redesign it, or come up with new ideas. We also use the modelling capability online, where we’ll have a conference call and share our models with the customer’s engineers, wherever they are in the world.
“This is proving to be particularly valuable for getting quick approval on these new Covid-19 components. It really was vital that these parts go into production as quickly as possible… so Visi is playing a vital role in the battle to save people’s lives from this global virus.”
Once the designs are approved, they use whichever software element is required to prepare NC code for the relevant machine tool. As well as increased work on components to fight Covid-19, XL Precision is continuing to produce parts for elective surgery customers, as hospitals, doctors and surgeons still need the completed devices and instruments to carry out emergency treatment.
While the free 30-day license from Visi-enabled XL Precision to bring the CAD/CAM expansion forward immediately, the rest of its planned £300,000 investment over the next three years includes program management and quality software.
Visi www.visicadcam.com
Hexagon Production Software www.hexagonmi.com/products/production-software
