PMP Multitask, specialised in multitasking machining for the medical sector, has chosen TopSolid CAD/CAM solution to respond to the rapid expansion that will lead to a move to a new structure in the coming months, where, thanks to lean and 4.0 logic, the company aims to double its production.
In its rapid expansion path, PMP Multitask, a company offering multitasking machining for the medical industry, has chosen to rely on TopSolid suite of CAD/CAM solutions. With a view to relocating to a new site that will quadruple the usable surface area, and with an annual turnover growth of 20%, PMP Multitask has in fact found in TOPSOLID offer the most suitable solution to unify the support tools for the design and production of its structure, benefiting from the knowledge shared between all operators and obtaining great versatility to manage a very fast and flexible type of production. Together with the highly appreciated solid modeling and putting on the table, however, decisive in the choice was the possibility of having floating stations of the purchased licenses, which further increase the flexibility of the software with optimal return on costs. The support and expertise of TOPSOLID technicians also enabled PMP to customize some post-processors and optimize production thanks to new machining strategies specifically tailored to their specific needs. Finally, the convenience of the PDM server in Top Solid will be of great help in the lean process that PMP will implement in the new premises, undertaking a change of image in the sense of efficiency and clean lines, as required by the stringent standards in force in the medical industry.
Special multitasking materials
PMP Multitask is a company founded in 2005 in Peschiera del Garda, on the initiative of brothers Maurizio and Alessandro Pederiva, who came from a previous ten-year experience in the family business. The company is specialized in multitasking processing of special materials, such as stainless steel, duplex, super duplex, aluminum alloys, special plastic materials, titanium and its alloys, heat resistant alloys, hastelloy, inconel and superalloys. The medical sector is the main reference sector, for which PMP has also obtained the specific 13485 certification, in addition to 9001 for general mechanics. Other industrial sectors served are therefore packaging and food, with some applications in the world of racing and hydraulics. "Thanks to multitasking machining," explains Maurizio Pederiva, owner of PMP Multitask, "we are able to supply finished components starting from the raw material, reducing production lead time and increasing precision levels in machining, thanks to the unique positioning of the part on the machine. The services offered include turning, milling, drilling, and tapping, as well as five-axis slitting and inclined machining. Everything is done in-house, thanks to a fleet of machines that includes eight latest-generation machining centers, including five continuous five-axis centers. In order to offer a complete finished product to end customers, the company therefore collaborates externally with a number of companies specializing in heat and surface treatments and other accessory machining operations. On the recommendation of a machine tool technician, in 2005 PMP became aware of TOPSOLID and decided to add a Top Solid test license to the two CAD/CAM solutions already in use on the workstations. The rapid expansion that has taken place in recent years, with increases at a rate of 20% per year, reaching a turnover of 1.2 million euros in 2018, will this year lead the company to move its activities to a new facility in the province of Mantua, which with its 1,200 m2 will quadruple the usable surface area. "With the strong growth in demand - explains Pederiva - last year we began to feel the need to unify the CAD/CAM solutions we used in the company. The choice went to Top Solid, with the purchase last September of four licenses to cover all the machining operations that take place in our machine park".
Highly flexible floating stations
TopSolid was chosen by PMP for its CAD/CAM applications for a variety of reasons, starting with the superior performance the solution offers in solid modeling. While PMP is subcontracted, it is often the case that PMP makes and advises customers on changes to the files that arrive on the shop floor. The software's high level of flexibility and flexibility, which has given the company a high speed of response in rapid changes from one machining operation to the next, is therefore highly appreciated. We often have to be very quick and flexible when machining small series of components," says Pederiva. "Top Solid is a highly versatile tool that fully satisfies this need, allowing us to quickly manage urgent requests, for example, by passing project files even between machines that are not fully compatible with each other, with practically no file modifications. Above all, however, decisive for the adoption of TopSolid solution were the floating stations, which allow the software to be installed on all machines in the workshop, so that they can be used interchangeably by all operators. "This feature was decisive," says Pederiva, "because it also makes the solution very cost-effective. Having floating CAD/CAM stations also allowed us to unify the knowledge of our operators, without having to depend on the skills of a single employee who previously managed the software on a single workstation". The project with TOPSOLID has therefore also included a training course for all PMP operators, who are now able to program with the same software in all its potential and modules on the entire fleet of machines in use.
Lean and connectivity for the medical sector
In the process of unifying the CAD/CAM solutions used, PMP has therefore worked closely with TOPSOLID on the customization of certain aspects of the instrument. "TOPSOLID has supported us very well in the customized development of some post-processors - explains Pederiva - and in the management of the tool magazine, with the creation of our automatic tool generation database. TOPSOLID advised us on the fastest and most efficient methods to create these customizations, and we obtained a very good result, also in the creation of exchange templates from one machine to another that allow us to be really fast". Thanks to its expertise, TOPSOLID has also advised the company on new machining strategies contained in the 5-axis modules made available, which allow a considerable gain in time in the specific machining operations carried out in PMP. "We have achieved significant time savings in machining and increased our competitiveness over our competitors. We use the complete Top Solid solution, with the exception at the moment of the module for the machining of variable pitch augers, a type of component that we do not often have to machine but which will probably be implemented in the future". Finally, the decision to rely on TOPSOLID proves to be a winning one, also in view of the forthcoming expansion of the company, with the imminent move to the new structure that will be built in the name of lean logic, to have a clean, almost aseptic workshop environment inspired by the highest levels of efficiency. In PMP's projects, lean should allow for a 50% increase in production, employing the same number of employees, 11 people working in the company to date. "We are already connected in logic 4.0 with part of our machinery - explains Pederiva in conclusion - and in the new building we will have a completely new company network that will allow us to connect everything with the management and CAD/CAM, which will transmit data directly to the machine through the network. This is also thanks to the convenience of the Top Solid PDM server, which has allowed us to greatly increase the back-up speed, as well as improving the control and security of the data itself". A real change in image will therefore accompany PMP's expansion in the months to come, with a decisive push in the direction of line cleanliness and maximum process efficiency, to offer service levels increasingly in line with the challenging demands of end customers in the medical industry.
(article written by Marco Zambelli - RMO month of February / March 2019)
