In 2008, when Red Bull Technology decided to replace its existing flat bed knife cutter with two Zund knife cutters, one with a conveyor bed, the decision was made to evaluate CAM systems as well, in order to upgrade. Red Bull Technology manufactures Formula 1 motor sport cars for Red Bull Racing.
“We ran a series of benchmark comparisons and JETCAM had the lowest scrap rate and highest efficiency on material, with nests at least 16% more efficient than our current nests,” said Andy Bosworth, production coordinator. “It was also recommended by the machine tool vendor, which was a major factor in our decision to select it.”
After implementation of the machines in a new clean room, staff training took place, and was completed in one day. Licenses of JETCAM Expert with High Performance Nesting, JETCAM Orders Controller (for order management/reporting) and JET-Term (for DNC) were supplied.
“JETCAM is more user-friendly than our previous system, and also easier than another system I'd used in the past elsewhere,” said Steve Brown, composite kit cutter.
Improved Nesting Efficiency
Once the system went live, Red Bull Technology experienced a number of benefits, the most noticeable of which was nesting efficiency. Supplies of composite materials can be limited and lead times can be lengthy, so Red Bull needs to maximize its material efficiency.
“Recently we had to make some parts but could not get additional material, so had to make do with the material in stock,” noted Brown. “On our previous nests we were running at 300 mm short of requirement, but when I ran the plies through JETCAM’s high performance nester it saved us 305 mm -- enough to complete the order.” Added Bosworth, “If you can't make enough of a part it can leave the team in jeopardy if they don't have enough spares. We outsourced the cutting of another order as we had no time to cut it in-house. The supplier was telling me that they needed 327 linear meters to complete the job; however, when we ran it through JETCAM we did it in 287 meters.”
In addition to material savings, Red Bull Technology also saw an increase in throughput on the machine due to features such as common-line cutting, which allow plies to be separated using a single cut rather than leaving a skeleton.
“Our previous system would not always rotate parts at all available angles, and also could not perform common cuts,” noted Brown. “Previously one particular nest of a wishbone would take three hours to cut, but with JETCAM I can do it in 1 ¾ hours.”
Loading Orders Remotely
The process of loading JETCAM Expert with orders remotely is achieved using JETCAM Orders Controller (JOC). Brown says this has significantly improved time from order to nest:
“Previously it was sometimes quicker to cut a ply by hand than re-nest it. Now we just load a complete part or individual ply orders into JOC and all required plies are immediately ready to nest. I can queue up all the jobs and combine orders and then nest them together. We can also save end-of-roll material and create smaller nests to better utilize it.”
JETCAM has extensive reporting capabilities, providing instant nesting efficiency and runtime statistics, which Red Bull Technology loads onto its work orders. This provides the accounts department with immediate visibility of where material costs are within parts on the shop floor.
Purchasing also saw significant benefits, as Bosworth explained: “Many materials are specific to the Formula 1 industry, with some even unique to Red Bull Technology. JETCAM gives me the scope to forward order and plan better.”
Since installation the system has proven 100% reliable, with Red Bull Technology experiencing no downtime because of either machine- or software-related problems. Maintenance costs are also lower than before.
The motor sport industry differs from general manufacturing and has different indicators of success. Where most companies use the barometers of turnover and profit, Red Bull Technology has only one -- the podium.
“We can't work too far ahead, as designs frequently change, which would mean scrapping expensive parts,” Bosworth concluded. “Where we save most is in time. We don't have the luxury of lead times like other industries. With JETCAM we are now able to produce parts much quicker than previously.”
Reviewing the Benefits
Paying for itself within 3 months, the system proved to be at least 16% more efficient than previous software in benchmark tests. Machine cycle time was reduced by up to 42%, and just-in-time nesting provides faster part turnaround. The system is also user friendly, with staff training completed in only one day. Live reporting data gives immediate visibility of material costs on the shop floor, providing better forward-planning information to the purchasing department. And the change resulted in lower maintenance costs.