MKW Engineering Group are based in the North East of England at Ryton, Tyne and Wear. The MKW group employ 150 people. As the company has grown it has developed further divisions including Stargate Precision Engineering, which covers the companies precision machining requirements and is equipped with 3, 4 and 5 axis CNC equipment.
MKW Engineering was founded in 1976 and started business as a fabrication company. MKW are general subcontractors and have the capacity to produce varied applications, including precision milling, turning, boring and fabrication work. MKW are sub-contractors and produce parts for a variety of sectors, including aerospace, defence, oil and electronics industry.
The imminent arrival of a new 5 axis CNC machining centre brought forward the need to implement a cultural and system change at the company. The Mazak Integrex 1060V8 was the first to be installed in the UK and required powerful CADCAM software to run it. The purchase of the machine was to enable MKW to take on jobs of larger size and more complex in nature. The machine which has a capacity of 1,500mm x 1,500mm is a CNC vertical turning and milling centre. MKW’s previous CAD/CAM systems were both unsuitable and unable to cope with large programmes and did not have a level of machine verification required for complex machining. It was imperative that they could see the motion of the machine tool during programming along with the secure knowledge that the system was detecting any possible collisions before the programme was sent to the machine.
A major problem with their existing system was the inability to produce 5 axis machining programs, which is essential to run their new 5 axis machining centre. The decision was made that a new software package should be implemented for their manufacturing requirements.
Because the software was to be used at both the plants
of MKW and SPE, they required a universal solution,
which would allow them to centralise their manufacturing.
MKW’s approach to such a cultural change was somewhat unusual in that the management empowered the programmers with the responsibility of choosing the best package. After seeing various systems the programmers gave a technical and commercial appraisal of what they considered the best 3 systems for their requirements. Missler was the last solution to enter the equation, and after Abdul Abibi, senior production engineer viewed it at an exhibition and discovered it was one of the fastest growing software providers in the world they invited MCL CADCAM Ltd, the UK distributor to show the benefits of Missler to the management team. Missler excelled in all areas which it was tested on, including its excellent file translator capabilities. All the parts which MKW gave to MCL were programmed without any problems. Before the final decision was taken MKW contacted some existing Missler users in the UK and visited one of these companies to see how Missler was benefiting them, the feedback was excellent. Mike Larkin, Managing Director at MCL CADCAM recalls “When I saw MKW’s requirements I realised straight away that Missler’s totally seamless integrated software was the perfect fit for them.”
The management of MKW identified the need for one software
solution to control all design and manufacturing needs,
from fabrication through to machining and inspection.
It was on the philosophy of “One programme for
all applications” that TopSolid was chosen.
MKW needed to start production quickly, so the learning curve needed to be quick and seamless. Work was started immediately on the existing Integrex machine and post processors were supplied by MCL for all 17 CNC machines, which Missler would be controlling. To make sure that MKW was able to use the software proficiently their 3 main programmers came down to MCL’s head office in Huddersfield for one to one training, which has been backed up with onsite training as required. Extensive support has been supplied by MCL, including sending an applications engineer on site to expedite implementation so that the transition was as simple as possible.
"I really found the one to one training very useful. I was able to put it in practice as soon as I got to work. "The ease at which I can now develop 'flat back reducing cones with angled offset pipes' has astounded me. With my old system, what used to take several hours to develop, now takes no more than an hour." Kevin Crozier, programmer, MKW.
The benefits of Missler were immediately noticeable as they were able to import files which they had previously had trouble with, and in the 3 months of installation they have completed 3 major projects, which they would have been unable to complete without Missler. Due to the significant benefits and additional productivity derived from using Missler software, Expansion plans have already been considered for the purchase of a new machine tool along with additional Missler software modules. At present MKW have 3 seats of TopSolid which comprises of modules of 2-5 axis simultaneous milling and up to 8 axis turning, including live tooling, fabrication for CNC punching, CNC profile burning and CMM inspection.
MKW have the capacity
and ability to accept a variety of work and in different
formats. Files and models are typically supplied on
email, but MKW also accept jobs as pdf files, faxes
and paper drawings. Missler’s excellent file translator
enables MKW to accept a variety of formats including,
Catia, ProEngineer, AutoCad, DXF, DWG, IGES, Step, VDA,
STL, SolidEdge, Unigraphics and SolidWorks. The files
can be received as solid models or created in TopSolid
then converted to CNC programs, seamlessly and quickly
with the knowledge that the end product will be correct
first time, which results in shorter lead time and reduced
overall costs, the files are usually saved for later
use in case of repeat orders.
The powerful machine tool simulation and flexible machining strategies inside Missler have allowed MKW to complete a large, complex and awkward shaped component in one set-up. This allowed MKW to reduce costs and improve delivery time without the risk of crashes and collisions to their machine.
An order has been taken from a large company specalising in aluminium extrusions. The large assembly drawings of piping structures are being converted to TopSolid ready for the flat sheet development and manufacture of the various sets of parts required. These are subsequently nested and passed to one of the machine processors ie, punching or flame cutting. The associativity of Missler ensures that if any elements of the original drawing are changed, the downstream production is automatically updated, this ensures the finished items are correct as designed.
The time savings of this process are very significant,
some examples show time savings of 80% against their
previous system.
The benefits of Missler have also benefited MKW’s customers. A customer passed to MKW drawings for the production of a 3D weld prep. These drawings were converted in Missler to solids and were prepared for machining.
“With TopSolid I was able to discover that a weld prep from a table of figure's did not work. I was then able to quickly and easily modify the part while the customer watched to his satisfaction.” – Kevin Crozier
The customer had his parts correct first time, which was particularly important due to the very expensive material involved, this saved them considerable time and money.
Missler has enabled MKW to produce parts for companies, which are a better quality, completed sooner and for a 10% reduction on price. “The Missler solution has proved very beneficial in MKW’s goal of increased customer confidence and satisfaction. In an increasingly competitive environment we need to be able to react fast and be right first time every time. Missler is a tool which allows this to be a reality.” Rahmon Nassor, Sales and Commercial Director.
MKW Engineering - www.mkw.co.uk