CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
10 October 2008
Implementation Investments
Delcam’s FeatureCAM Helps Ensure First-Class Packaging
The packaging equipment manufacturer Schubert from Southern German offers its customers first-class packaging solutions, with Delcam’s feature-based CAM software FeatureCAM playing an essential part in their manufacture. Even though it supplies its systems internationally, Schubert sees itself as a solidly-rooted German company. All of the components are developed on an in-house basis, or come from suppliers in the near neighbourhood of the company’s Crailsheim headquarters.
The origins of the company go back to 1959, when the founder, Gerhard Schubert, first had the idea of inventing a modular system for packaging machines. He continued to experiment in his parents’ garage, until the company was launched formally in 1966. Today, the company’s has 600 employees on its payroll at Crailsheim. Around 120 packaging systems are manufactured every year, with a total value of around £100 million. In addition, Schubert has branches and agencies all over the world.
“We were the first company to equip our packaging machines with robots, which put us in a position to open up completely new markets,” claimed Peter Schneider, Head of Schubert's Materials Management department. “Until then, we had only been developing packaging solutions for confectionery but now our machines package products from all industrial sectors – pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, drinks, confectionery, frozen foods, dairy goods and technology products.”
Schubert relies on FeatureCAM to process the numerous components for its various packaging machines. “We have been using FeatureCAM since the end of 2006,” reports NC programmer Hans-Jürgen Kenst. “Before that, we had tried out a few CAM systems but we were never quite sure which was the most suitable for our requirements. FeatureCAM turned out to be the right solution. There is no machining task that we can’t handle with the help of FeatureCAM.”
“The CAM software we had used in the past did not have a sufficient range of functions to meet all our demands,” said Mr. Kenst, explaining the reasons why Schubert invested in a second CAM system. “FeatureCAM’s automatic feature machining makes my programming a lot easier.”
“Our machine operators were not satisfied with the post-processor output either,” Mr. Kenst added. “They wanted to be able to make changes on the machine at short notice. FeatureCAM makes this possible. In addition, our old system didn’t have a post-processor that could output the special cycles provided by the Heidenhain control system.”
Another advantage for Schubert’s NC programmers is the machine tool simulation. “None of the CAM software we used in the past had this function,” Mr. Kenst explained. “It is a very important utility, as you can detect the possibility of collisions occurring and so prevent it happening.”
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