Moulds for glass bottles receive quick approval

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"In an alternative scenario, we use the laser scanner right at the start of a project to reverse-engineer a sample bottle sent to us by a customer who no longer has drawings and/or CAD data of the design,” he explained. “The scan data is e-mailed as an IGES file directly to the customer for approval, so there is no need to make a resin facsimile."

He went on to explain that the customer is interested not only in the visual appearance of the design but also its exact dimensions. The latter are said to be more easily extracted from digital data than by measuring a sample or model. If any small changes are needed to be made for a dimension or indeed to the design itself, these are communicated quickly by email or over the telephone, Nikon noted.

It is the ability to compress the front end of the mould-making procedure that allows around two weeks to be saved, Nikon said. It explained that, when approved by the customer, the IGES file is loaded into a Delcam CAD/CAM system at the Iasi factory and cutter paths are generated and post-processed for CNC machining the moulds. Inspection and assembly of the mould set then takes around four weeks, so total lead-time is reduced by one-third, which translates into a considerable commercial advantage in this competitive business.

Not only is time saved but cost is also taken out of the approval procedure, as air freight charges to customers worldwide are avoided, often cutting expenditure by thousands of Euros.

(ID:38473800)

Case Study

Moulds for glass bottles receive quick approval