BobCAD-CAM helps SE Model Products produce complex parts efficiently
CAD-CAM software is used by thousands of manufacturers throughout the world to automate and streamline CNC Machining. For one Florida business it played a major roll in leveraging success and business expansion. SE Model Products in Miami, Florida decided to share their story: “We started SE Model Products 3 years ago with the purpose of importing and selling gasoline engines for large scale radio controlled model airplanes, a passion we had since we were kids. We researched companies overseas that would manufacture with our trade brand “SE-Engines” and we found a Chinese manufacturer willing to brand their engines with our name, and with certain specifications we needed for our market and quality standards.”
“After a period of not being extremely happy with the response of the public, just because the product is Chinese, we decided it was time to find a way to manufacture them here in the US, so we started researching equipment, methods, suppliers and so on, and decided we needed a milling machine to make most of the components. We did not have any machining experience, but we went ahead and purchased a HAAS Vertical.
Two or three months after, we received the machine. A huge piece of equipment installed in our facilities, and we barely knew anything about it from what the installer and trainer from Haas taught us… mainly how to switch it on and off!”
“We found someone willing to teach us the basics, and at that point we realized we had to be way more proficient than an apprentice to manufacture high precision engines even if they are only toys, we want to offer the best quality and performance, nothing less. We had to find a way through which we could acquire experience and knowledge, and at the same time generate some form of income to support our operation until we were ready to manufacture for ourselves, so we signed up with MFG.com, a firm that connects suppliers with buyers, and started quoting on various jobs with the help of our instructor, and started getting some awarded. We created the DBA “SE Machine Works” for the purpose. Our instructor came, programmed the CAM for the orders we were getting, gave us a list of tooling needed, and set up the works for production. All this after hours, since he has a day job. We spend interminable hours at night setting up, testing, etc., and we really weren’t participating in the process more than as observers. More so, our profits, if any, went to pay for the instructor/programmer’s time, and our goal of becoming proficient seemed to be getting further and further away, even though we were learning a lot of strategies for machining, tool usage, machine capabilities and limitations, materials, and mainly all there is to know about basic machining processes. But just acquiring knowledge on its own tends to be discouraging, when so much time is involved and no reward is reached.”
“At a point, a year ago, we decided to buy and learn BobCAD-CAM, so we purchased the software and the training videos. We sat down and watched the videos in their entirety and researched what we couldn’t grasp or understand to be sure we had it right. Whenever we needed to ask BobCAD anything, they were right there to answer and help and that really helped. One week later, we were making parts! We started recreating parts our programmer had done before, to compare results, and then we jumped into making parts for our customers –no matter how complicated, we found ways with BobCAD. Since, we haven’t looked back. We are confident we can make any part we quote on, and we know the results we are going to get with BobCAD are going to be excellent. BobCAD-CAM cnc software gives us starting points to figure feeds and speeds for our tools and materials, offers us many strategies for machining, and its support is second to none. From 20 hour setups per job with our programmer, we went to setups of less than 2 hours for very complex parts and much shorter for simple ones and we do them ourselves! We are generating cash flow through work for other companies, which range from automotive to medical, through armories, consumer and educational manufacturers, and we are tackling any job our equipment can make. In the meantime, we are perfecting the designs for our engines, machining our prototypes and testing, and once we have the quality we want, we will come out with engines made completely in the US, with great performance and affordability.”
BobCAD-CAM is a software that is extremely easy to learn and use, really intuitive and with a support department that leaves absolutely nothing to wish for. Always preoccupied with improving their customers’ experience, publishing videos and blogs on different options and strategies and making sure their customers have the best alternatives available.
“We look forward to upgrading to the simultaneous 4th axis version of the software and maintaining our relationship with BobCAD-CAM for as long as we machine!”
Courtesy: BobCAD-CAM Inc
