18 December 2009
Injection mold design and manufacture. Established in 1982, Aalbers Tool and Mold supplies high quality injection tooling for the automotive industry. Based in Ontario, Canada, the company also manufactures tooling for a wide range of consumer products. Employing 118 people, with a 50,000 foot² facility and 4 custom machining plants adding an additional 28000 foot², Aalbers Tool and Mold has a very large manufacturing capacity. The company can build tools up to 3500 ton press size & equipment able to handle 50 ton mold weights.
Looking for a 3D solid modeller
In 2007 Aalbers Tool and Mold purchased the TopSolid CAD/CAM range of software. Prior to this the company worked with a 3D software but it did not manage solids. TopSolid is in fact used to design all tools built by Aalbers Tool. The following factors were considered for purchasing 12 TopSolid'Design, 12 TopSolid'Mold and 2 TopSolid'Electrode above other CAD/CAM solutions on the market:
- Advanced kinematics – to simulate and prove designs
- Ease of transferring information to the customer – thanks to TopSolid kinematics which enable videos to be generated for customers. In addition the free TopSolid'Viewer enables data to be exported to all customers.
- TopSolid is a completely integrated solution
- Ease of creating & managing company standardized components
- Technical support from the TopSolid VAR, DDS Software Solution
- Successful import and export translators to other software solutions
The principal advantages of TopSolid for Aalbers Tool & Mold are:
- Increased efficiency in developing parting surfaces, solid blocks & components.
- Start-up templates configured to Aalbers standards & their customer standards. Building templates specific to customer standards for both press requirements & mold assemblies creates less room for error.
- Ease of creating & managing “shop specific” standard components. Aalbers has standardized its own line of mold components with TopSolid'Mold.
- An estimated 50% time reduction in mold design times – Aalbers Tool and Mold already saved 40% design time in the wheel liner tool (which was the second tool designed with TopSolid) and this is anticipated to increase to 50% now that their standard templates are in place.
- Easier part modifications - Part changes are made quickly with TopSolid. These changes are easily managed parametrically for adjustments if required. In addition, TopSolid'Mold provides a quicker feasibility process, thanks to its analysis tools.
The future
DDS Software Solutions is the TopSolid VAR that provides support & training for Aalbers Tool & Mold. Technical support is a key factor in the smooth transition from one software solution to the next. “The support we've received for TopSolid has been great. Any questions and concerns are answered with complete commitment to success by DDS Software solutions. » explains Toni Hansen, President of Aalbers Tool & Mold.
In the future Aalbers Tool and Mold wishes to use the complete integrated CAD/CAM package from TopSolid for design and machining and to manage the entire manufacturing process with TopSolid'Pdm. One of the main reasons that the company chose TopSolid was the complete CAD/CAM integration provided as well as integrated job-specific solutions so the company will chose the solutions which best correspond to its needs.
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