Fusion 360 and a Cadpro custom post bridges the gap between 4- and 5-axis.
Ariel Banco of Custom Plenum Creations began hand-producing automotive intake manifolds out of his garage in 2003. Fast forward seven years and Banco had evolved his business model and opened shop. He has since acquired three CNC machines and continues to produce intake manifolds for the Australian and international custom car market.
As a small business, Ariel needed to simplify operations and increase efficiency. He required a modelling and CNC software that would allow him to easily model parts and manufacture them. Additionally, his CNC machines were 4-axis, but his parts had features that required machining on the fifth axis.
Project goals
Banco was looking for CAD/CAM software that was simple to design with and that he could make changes to quickly. He explains, “It’s what I need for a business like mine, it’s not a high production business, it’s a lot of different parts and low volume. I need to make changes quickly and the process needs to be as smooth as possible.”
To gain 5-axis-like machining capability on his 4-axis machines, Ariel required a custom postprocessor that would take advantage of angle milling heads he had previously purchased. To ensure a smooth process, he also needed a seamless and intuitive workflow in Fusion 360 for programming toolpaths with the angle heads.
Solution
Banco employed Fusion 360 as the most user-friendly solution for the design and modelling of his intake manifolds. To address the 5-axis requirements, Scott Moyse from Cadpro, supplied Ariel with a custom post–processor. Moyse developed the post to make programming as simple as programming a 5-axis machine in Fusion 360.
Business outcomes
Fusion 360 has enabled Banco to model and programme on his machine quickly and easily and has driven a streamlined production model in his small business. The custom post-processor has reduced the time and cost it would have previously taken Ariel to produce his manifolds.
“It removed an operation that I had to do by hand and saved an hour per complete part. In terms of cost, it’s saved 2-3 hours a week, which is two weeks of savings per year. That’s massive for me with a small shop like mine where I’m trying to save every minute.”
Conclusion
Fusion 360’s ease of use has allowed Ariel to run his business more efficiently and helped him to avoid costly and time-consuming modelling glitches. As he explains, “Fusion 360 is easy to use, easy to learn and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without it,” said Banco. Cadpro’s custom processor has further enabled Banco to run his business less laboriously, saving time in the machining process and cost-effectively bridging the gap between a 4-axis & 5-axis CNC machine.