ESPRIT Keeps the Success Flowing for WET

For the last 12 years, WET has relied on ESPRIT computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to help them work their magic. “When we first got our mill-turn machines in 2008, we researched the software that would be best able to support our programming needs. ESPRIT was the answer,” says Oscar Ramirez, a top CNC programmer at WET. “We really needed to program our mill-turn parts to get the most from our machines.”

“We program our parts with the CAM system and we can make them with no editing. Previously, we had to do a lot of editing and manual programming to get the machine to make the parts that we needed,” says Oscar. “ESPRIT was the solution because I wanted our focus to be on the machining aspect and more effectively planning our schedule in advance rather than spending a lot of time trying to get a project to come out right.”

WET keeps their processes in-house, which has a number of advantages—and challenges. “In-house engineering means we’re always simplifying our designs to reduce manufacturing costs. But sometimes we just can’t simplify, so we have to make some parts on 4- or 5-axis machines,” says Oscar. “Our project priorities can turn on a dime. For example, we make parts for our service department, and those take priority. We have to be very agile. We use the machine swap feature to change a setup in multiple machines, even moving setups from one machine to another.”

Machine swap is an important component of WET’s success on the shop floor. “Machine swap is powerful and keeps us very agile,” says Oscar. “One example is a part we call a spider. It was initially programmed and scheduled to run on our Nakamura machine. The assembly rate went up when the assembly shop added a second shift, so we had to add a second machine to make more spiders.” Machine swap made adding spider assembly to their Haas Trunnion a quick and seamless process that enabled Oscar’s team to keep up with demand.

Oscar cites another part when it comes to saving time. “We used to use two machines to make a part called a skillet,” he says. “That required two long setups. With ESPRIT, we moved that part to the Nakamura machine to make it in one go. That saves us about three hours in setup time, and we need one less machine and one less operator, too.”

Oscar and his team have been consistently impressed with the CAM software’s capabilities, especially when it comes to keeping up with their ever-changing needs. “The software helped us simplify setups and improve quality by combining several operations into one,” he says. “So we get done-in-one setups and cycles on one multi-axis mill-turn machine. In comparison to making parts one operation at a time on simpler machines, we’re more efficient than ever.”

If Oscar’s team ever encounters an obstacle, he knows he can count on ESPRIT’s renowned customer service. “I don’t hesitate to go to their portal to ask for help,” he says. “Whether I need help creating a toolpath or need to change a post on our Haas Trunnion, I like the fact that I get a reply the same day and that I know someone is working on it.”

“We’re a project-based company, and sometimes the timeline to develop, produce, and deliver is very short. While we always have a couple of very big projects on the horizon, we expect to get many smaller projects as well,” Oscar says. “As a result of the short turnaround time, we have to constantly keep improving our methods and techniques so we can accommodate these projects, support our existing projects, and keep growing. ESPRIT plays a vital role because we get great toolpaths and the code is correct.”

For more information about ESPRIT, contact: ESPRIT CAM, 1150 Avenida Acaso, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA. Phone 805/388-6000, 800/62-8479, Fax: 805/388-3085, Email: [email protected], or visit  www.espritcam.com