Around 95 per cent of the parts are programmed through Edgecam, and almost all are complex, with tight tolerances of between five and ten microns.

Based in Swansea, South Carolina, ATD operates from a 70,000 square- foot facility in which it produces aerospace and automotive parts; onstruction, HVAC, railroad, and outdoor power-equipment; linear motion components, and parts for various other sectors.

Case Study Summary Company name: RTD Manufacturing, Inc. Business: Job shop with a wide array of capabilities Website: www.rtdtool.com Benefits achieved: Machining templates help apply best practices and cut programming time Ability to machine complex surfaces with the software’s 3-axis roughing and finishing cycles RTD Manufacturing Inc.

Case Study Summary Company name: Automation & Control Services, Inc. Business: Coining equipment specialist Website: www.plcexperts.com Benefits achieved: Ability to quickly perform standard, canned functions Increased ability to perform highly-specialized jobs Greater machining efficiency Extended tool life Automation & Control Services Inc, uses SURFCAM Traditional to produce a wide variety of custom solutions for the manufacturing and service industries “We’re training the machinists and designers of tomorrow with tools that will help them, and us, to be as successful as possible.

Case Study Summary Company name: Columbia Machine Works Business: Coining equipment specialist Website: www.columbiamachine.net Key benefits achieved: Cut programming time by at least 50 percent Greater ability to work with 3D models Increased ability to perform complex jobs Coining equipment manufacturer Columbia Machine Works has thrived for more than 60 years by producing highly specialized equipment and taking on challenging jobs that tend to scare away the competition.

Case Study Summary Company name: Blaze Precision, Inc. Business: Precision job shop Website: www.blazeprecisioninc.com Key benefits achieved: Use of a single solution for both design and manufacturing Flexible, user-friendly interface provides multiple viewing options Ease in machining complex surfaces When Archie Blazevich began his manufacturing career 39 years ago, he programmed machinery with a notepad, calculator, and teletype machine — which was the closest thing he had to the indispensable modern postprocessor.