Valley Machine, located in North Plains, Oregon, specializes in providing precision machined components as well as full integration of their customer’s entire product life cycle; from precision manufacturing to technical mechanical assembly. They primarily manufacture components for the semiconductor, medical, photonics, optics, and aerospace industries. Having to support multiple industries, Valley Machine uses a wide range of various CNC mills and lathes, including five Mori NH4000 horizontal mills, some supporting 40 taper vertical mills, two Miyano BNJ42S twin turret, twin spindle machines and an Index C200 three turret, twin spindle lathe.
With Valley Machine’s busy shop floor environment, the ability to post-process edit-free code is critical to manufacturing the high precision components their customers demand and delivering them on time. Valley Machine made the decision to implement a CAM software system that could immediately run their complex mill/turn machines, as well as their standard mills and lathes, without having to write and troubleshoot custom post-processors. After evaluating the top CAM companies on the market, Valley Machine chose Esprit CAD/CAM software for its multi-channel synching ability, post processors produce accurate g-code the first time, and world-class customer technical support.
“The support we received prior to even purchasing the product was superior, and immediately providing the help I need is something the ESPRIT support team excels at. There was never a hesitation when I asked to borrow a machine setup or post for evaluation,” said Jeremiah Archer, Lead Programmer, Valley Machine. After purchasing ESPRIT CAM and attending a short week-long training program, Valley Machine was immediately able to start re-programming existing projects and begin new projects on their two Miyano BNJ42S machines. In addition, ESPRIT gave them the opportunity to create more complex parts on their Index C200 lathe, improving process planning and in turn decreasing part cycle time and increasing productivity. ”After just a week of basic Esprit training I could post edit-free code and quickly program one of the most complex lathes in the industry,’’ continued Archer.
Complex Machining Made Easy
Once Valley Machine was confident Esprit CAM could handle their shop’s complex programming needs, they began to optimize the machining capabilities of their new Index C200 lathe in order to manufacture an important component for one of their medical industry customers. The project involved producing 2,000 medical interconnects made from 303 stainless steel. In the past, Valley Machine faced many challenges when trying to manufacture these medical interconnects. In addition to problematic hand-written programs, they had to machine the parts on a twin spindle lathe then move the parts to a separate vertical mill to machine the face holes and milled profiles, which cost them valuable production time and money. With Esprit CAM software seamlessly running their new complex three turret, twin spindle lathe, programming the part was easy, with precise machine simulation and syncing capabilities that allowed Valley Machine to quickly re-sequence cutting operations. This not only reduced cycle time, but helped hold tight tolerances as well. “When the customer was switching materials around, we could adjust speeds, feeds and cutter passes accordingly,” Archer. Using Esprit, Valley Machine was now able to produce solid, edit-free lathe programs that helped reduce setup times and significantly reduced the cycle time, while also improving part quality.
