Access a Powerful CAM software with no commitment !
From 3D CAD parts to the workshop: act/cut, key tool for the routing of wood panels in the Beneteau Group
The Beneteau Group has been using Alma’s nesting software and programming software for nearly 20 years to pilot machining and routing machines for wood parts on all its production sites in France and the United-States. Beginning 2009, the Group started using the new module that enables it to directly machine any CAD-designed volume part and considerably rationalizes the preparation of the wood parts.
The company
World number one in the field of sailboat manufacturing, the Beneteau Group is also one of the main European players in the market of motorboats. Originating from the Beneteau company, the Group’s yachting activity has been developing for 20 years thanks to several external growth operations. The result is a large range of sailboats and motorboats: Beneteau, Jeanneau, Lagoon et Prestige offer more than 100 models of 20 to 60-foot boats and CNB is specialized in the manufacturing of over 78-foot custom-made yachts for luxury yachting. Innovation is a top priority for the Group. Within BJ Technologies, the Group’s service entity, the Industrial IT department plays a key role in the implementation of new CAD/CAM tools and innovative methods.
The needs
- To rationalize and unify the programming of wood routing machines (machining of nested parts and finishing machining on single parts) on several sites of the Group.
- To suppress one finishing machining process in software dedicated to the preparation of single parts.
- To transmit directly from CAD and CAM systems the 3D files of the wood parts, and to automate the assignment of the associated machining.
- To optimize the use of machines by assigning the machining to the parts according to their capacity.
- To reduce the loss of material during the nesting of the various wood parts (around 200 000 panels cut every year by the Group).
The solution
The act/cut software (9 licenses on 3 sites) for optimized nesting of wood parts and programming of all the Group’s routing machines (4 production sites in France and the United-States), operating according to various processes (one-sided or double-sided routing of nested parts, edge machining and specific operations on single parts, routing panel by panel or routing of stacked panels, machining on both sides of the panel…) and with different machine brands (CMS, Komo, Rover-Biesse).
The dedicated module “Routing Tools Allocator” for the automatic assignment of machining and tools to the 3D volume parts imported from CAD, irrespective of the system used (Catia® and PRO/Engineer®), via automatic recognition of the basic technological functions on both faces and on the edge.
The Beneteau Group chose Alma as early as 1990 to optimize the cutting of the wood parts used for the partitions and inside arrangements of boats. In order to homogenize our production means, today we use act/cut to program the routing machines of 4 production sites in France and the United-States. The software manages a great diversity of machines and processes: one-sided or double-sided routing of nested parts, edge machining and specific operations on single parts, routing one panel after the other or routing of stacked panels, machining on both sides of the panel… In 2009 the introduction of the module that enables us to directly and automatically assign machining to 3D CAD parts has significantly simplified the preparation and assignment of the parts to the machines. - Benoit Mériau, Industrial IT Director, Beneteau Group
The advantages
- Simplification of the programming process thanks to automatic programming of edge machining and specific operations on single parts.
- Reduction of the manual interventions and preparation time of the parts to be machined.
- “Intelligent” assignment of the parts to the machines, with optimization of the use of resources.
- Rationalization of the programming of wood routing machines.
- Higher versatility of CAM programmers and better sharing of skills.
- Facility to program machines on remote sites.
- Improvement of gain in material for the nesting of several parts.
- Expected optimization of flows and higher flexibility in production thanks to on-demand nesting.
©2010 Alma
