August 29, 2012 -- Edgecam, the industry-standard CAD-neutral production CAM system, has joined the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to enhance the UK civil nuclear manufacturing industry’s machining capabilities.
The UK is preparing for an approximate £60 billion investment in new nuclear power stations – up to 16GW of generation capacity (source: NAMRC). Edgecam can help member companies in the manufacturing supply chain make the most of those opportunities by consistently producing the best tool paths, improving their productivity.
NAMRC is a collaboration of academic and industrial partners from across the nuclear manufacturing supply chain, to develop world-leading manufacturing processes and technologies. Supporting businesses from global giants to SMEs which are seriously interested in supplying the new generation of power stations, NAMRC assists with specific R & D projects, using its expertise and facilities to resolve manufacturing issues, giving companies a real competitive edge.
The NAMRC Machining Team works with members on engineering projects to improve their manufacturing techniques by bringing together the machine tool, cutting tool and software. The team chose to work with Edgecam specifically for its mill/turn and horizontal boring capabilities. Member companies can capitalise on the productivity improvements through the manufacturing team and the use of Edgecam to optimise manufacturing processes and maximising cycle times.
Single set-up machining is key to boosting metal cutting productivity and the use of multi task machines are now becoming common place in manufacturing. These high end machines are collision-rich environments especially when multi turrets, twin spindles, steadies, and tail stocks are all moving in a confined space. Edgecam provides full support for these multi task machine tools, allowing nuclear manufacturers to benefit from the technology and knowledge of the Edgecam product and team.
Edgecam’s membership involves supplying software and service to the manufacturing team at NAMRC.