Providing solutions to its customers has always been at the heart of Newmarket, ON-based Palcam Technologies Ltd.’s success.

So it wasn’t a surprise that when the company recently decided to strengthen its focus on the die and mold sector that it maintained its solutions-based approach.

“Our focus has always been on providing manufacturing solutions to help our customers compete in a very difficult environment,” says Greg Hart, technical sales with Palcam.

Continues Hart, “The die and mold marketplace is under continuing pressure to reduce selling prices while our customer’s costs, especially materials and labor, are increasing. Palcam’s solution has been to create a manufacturing facility that is geared totally towards serving the die and mold market.”

Amajor part of the new solution that Palcam is offering to the die and mold sector included the installation of six new CNC machines during the last 12 months.

The six new machines include two Makino a61 horizontal machining centers (HMCs) with a pallet system, one Makino a81 HMC with a pallet system, one Matsuura MAM72-63V PC2 five-axis vertical machining center with pallet, and two DMU 70 eVolution milling machines.

“Our research and development efforts here have come up with a concept of cell manufacturing. Each one of these new machines has been put into a specific manufacturing cell for a specific type of component,” explains Hart.

Walter Palisca, president of Palcam, says that each manufacturing cell has been set up to specialize within a specific style of block and/or component.

“Each machine has its own unique capabilities. For example, the five-axis machines offer more versatility than the horizontal machining centers while the horizontal machines offer more roughing power and pallet changing capability. It’s the collection of machines working together that is yielding the benefits to our customers,” says Palisca. According to Palisca, the six new machines represent a total capital investment of $3 million.

“We have multiple machines in each cell which allows the company to increase its total throughput. Capitalizing on each machines’ automation features, while utilizing the latest tooling and machining strategies, our customers benefit by having large volumes of their work processed in the shortest possible time. This means that our customers can meet their shortened deadlines,” explains Hart.

Palcam, which began operations in 1996, has 40 employees at two facilities covering 30,000 sq. ft. In fact, the firm recently moved into a new 24,000 sq. ft. facility to accommodate the additional equipment and its enhanced focus on the die and mold sector. Palcam works with a variety of die steels including 4140, P20, H-13, A2, D2, Hastelloy, and more.

“We do a lot of custom components involving only one or two parts at a time. However, some of the prototyping work that we do can move into the higher quantities,” says Palisca. Adds Hart, “What we are selling to the marketplace is our ability to manufacture one-off components and turn them over for our customers in a very short space of time.” “The new machines have opened up new opportunities for us. When spindles can run longer with less labor, the price of each component can go down. Die and mold makers now have a competitive alternative when their business cycles fluctuate,” says Hart. “They can rely on Palcam to provide components to their criteria for prices similar to what they can produce internally.”

However, Hart points out that the manufacturing cell concept that Palcam has introduced to its operation is only one part of the new solution that the firm is offering to the marketplace. “We’ve had great success in hiring and training highly skilled and motivated workers. We’ve also strived to create a very clean and very safe work environment that gives these skilled people the best chance for success.”

For example, Palisca points out that the company recently installed a new 20,000 cfm air cleaning system including 80 tons of air conditioning in its new facility. “This was an investment of $250,000 alone in this system,” he says.

The Makino a61 HMC is designed for automated and cellular manufacturing applications that require maximum throughput and reliability. The a61 features two pallets and a pallet change time of seven seconds. The unit features a 40 taper spindle and maximum spindle speed of 12,000 rpm. The Makino a81 features a 50 taper spindle and maximum spindle speeds of 10,000 rpm. The a81 provides rapid traverse and cutting feedrate of 1,969 ipm. The Makino machines were supplied by UBJBoehringer Inc., Mississauga, ON. Telephone: 905-501-0048.

The Matsuura MAM72-63V PC2 VMC offers rapid traverses of 29.9 in./33.2 in./24 in. in the X/Y/Z. The machine features a 19.7 in. diameter pallet. The 40 taper spindle offers a maximum spindle speed of 12,000 rpm. The Matsuura HMC was supplied by Elliott-Matsuura Canada Inc., Oakville, ON. Telephone: 905-829-2211.

The DMU 70 eVolution milling machine features a NC-swivel rotary table and a standard 18,000 rpm spindle. The machine is designed for five-side and up to five-axis simultaneous machining. The DMU machines were supplied by DMG Canada Inc., Mississauga, ON. Telephone: 905-795-2891.