A bank of Mazak machine tools at FutureAM that are programmed with hyperMILL

With a machine shop boasting over 40 machine tools that provide exceptional flexibility and capability, Future Advanced Manufacture (FutureAM) has carved an incredible position and reputation in the sub-contract manufacturing arena. However, when the company found its existing CAD/CAM system lacking capability in several areas, the Cheltenham-based business turned to Open Mind Technologies and its industry-leading hyperMILL CAD/CAM system.

The shopfloor at FutureAM has a diverse mix of machine tools that include three- to five-axis machining centres and multi-axis turning technology from a variety of leading brands. Applied to projects with Tier One suppliers across oil and gas, nuclear, marine, defence, aerospace, space and medical industries, the Gloucestershire company also offers a complete project management service from design, programming and machining to inspection and testing.

Working closely with Future Advanced Manufacture, Justin Talboys-Cotton, a sales manager at Open Mind Technologies, said: “When Future Advanced Manufacture initially came to us, they took a couple of seats and trained a few people, so hyperMILL could run alongside their previous system. This was a slow and managed integration but eventually, they decided to get one seat for each programmer. This has been supporting the comprehensive training plan where we slowly feed all employees through a training programme to learn hyperMILL. This provides a common footprint and thread through the machines and the programmers in the business.”

Mr Talboys-Cotton added: “Previously, FutureAM had no graphical simulation and they were running programs to the best of their knowledge on the machines. By adopting hyperMILL Virtual Machining, FutureAM now has a full digital twin of the machines running full NC code simulation. It does not just stop there; they have also invested in Optimizer module which will automatically work out the best and most optimal solution to fit their required tool path within the machine envelope. With their previous supplier, FutureAM were limited to just milling only. hyperMILL has now also given this customer turning capability — all in one supply.”

Pictured right: a large component programmed with hyperMILL at FutureAM

Oliver Allen the head of R&D at Future Advanced Manufacture, said: “With our previous CAD/CAM supplier, five-axis machining was more a bolt on to their CAD system whereas with hyperMILL, the five-axis suite is incorporated into the system and Open Mind provide full support for this. Our previous supplier could not offer that.”

He continued: “hyperMILL is an all-in-one system that has CAD and CAM together, whether that is 2.5-D, 3-D, five-axis machining or turning. We are providing all of this in one package whereas previously FutureAM had two or three systems that they were dipping in and out of. With hyperMILL, the learning curve and daily operation are now much easier.

“Now that everyone here is using hyperMILL, it is very apparent with productivity levels increasing and efficiency improving with the company subsequently making more money. Therefore, the board is extremely happy with their purchase of hyperMILL from Open Mind Technologies.”

Mr Talboys-Cotton concluded: “There is a lot more potential for future capability at FutureAM. Some of the machines are on post-processors and we now have virtual machining technology on the new machines, so I think we will progress other machines on to hyperMILL Virtual Machining in the future. We can also look at setting up more advanced training plans. We have already conducted the standard training with additional staff working through the standard training programme, but there is the opportunity for further bespoke and more in-depth training to make the staff at FutureAM true experts in programming for their specific needs.”