A leading supplier of complex aerospace components is enhancing the reliability of its machining operations since investing in VERICUT verification, simulation and optimisation software from CGTech. Among many benefits, the implementation of VERICUT has seen this progressive manufacturing business reduce its scrap rate for FAI (first article inspection) parts to almost zero.

Established in 1979 and today located at Manisa in the west of Turkey, HMS Makina is a leading machinist of many different parts and products for a global portfolio of aerospace primes and their sub-tiers, mainly in EU countries. The company, which employs 440 highly skilled personnel, exports 70% of total sales from its modern 23,000 m² production facility. All of HMS Makina’s special processes carry approvals by major OEMs and NADCAP.

“With over 80 high-technology CNC machines we’re able to produce complex and precision parts from all kinds of light and hard metals, including aluminium, steel alloys, stainless steel, titanium, magnesium and nickel-based superalloys from plate, sheet, castings and forgings in compliance with customer specifications,” explains Onur Benzergil, New Part Supervisor at HMS Makina.

Mr Benzergil leads the team that carries out machining process design and NC programming for aerospace parts. HMS Makina has ability to offer finished aerospace products, providing post-machining services that include NDT (non-destructive testing), shot peening, surface treatment, painting and assembly. This market differentiation, alongside its quality-oriented production, makes HMS Makina a preferred supplier to the aerospace sector.

Complex geometry

The company produces a wide variety of aerospace parts for its customers, including forged titanium engine components and structural airframe parts.

“Machining these complex-geometry components requires a simulation program to prevent failure and avoid the expense of scrapping workpieces made from expensive materials,” states Mr Benzergil “As a result, we decided to make this investment because we see VERICUT as superior to other solutions.”

He adds: “We had been researching simulation systems for a long time, but VERICUT is known to every company working in this sector. Since it was such a critical issue, we didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”

Competitive edge

Installed in 2023, HMS Makina leverages the benefits of VERICUT to detect errors, potential collisions and areas of inefficiency before actual metal cutting. Innovating and gaining a competitive edge in aerospace means meeting increased demand and tight timelines with high-quality parts. VERICUT is the key to machining components quickly and with confidence.

“Notably, the software has allowed us to eliminate manual prove-out processes, freeing-up machine time to run more parts,” says Mr Benzergil. “It’s also proving highly beneficial in reducing scrap rates. Our scrap rate is now almost zero for first-article parts. In addition, safer machining really stands out for me. Even though this gain is not easy to quantify, I can say safety is the biggest benefit we see on a daily basis.”

HMS Makina also takes advantage of VERICUT’s AUTO-DIFF module at the end of every simulation. The company says AUTO-DIFF helps it detect errors such as potential gouges, providing approximately 99% accurate results.

VERICUT AUTO-DIFF compares a CAD model with a VERICUT simulation, automatically detecting differences, design weaknesses or mistakes in the design. AUTO-DIFF also reduces the time it takes to prepare an NC tool path. Notably, programmers can check for gouges or excess material while working on the program, identifying and correcting issues before machining.

Great expectations

“VERICUT fully meets our expectations,” states Mr Benzergil. “Today, we do not move to the production phase until the VERICUT simulation is complete.”

HMS Makina received comprehensive training and technical support from local VERICUT reseller, Ucgen Yazilimo, every aspect of the software, helping the company to understand the full potential of VERICUT.

“Of course, VERICUT should not prove difficult to learn for anyone who uses CAD software,” he says. “We became familiar with it in a short time period. Today, VERICUT is definitely helping us use our machinery more effectively, which in turn drives more efficiency. I think any company machining parts in the aerospace sector should invest in VERICUT. The software has a simple interface; so many details are well categorised and it’s very easy to access. The graphics are also advanced and I find the Reviewer plug-in very useful.”

VERICUT Reviewer incorporates all the functionality of NC Review mode in a stand-alone viewer that does not require a licence. The Reviewer can play forward and backward while removing and replacing material. Users can rotate, pan and zoom, just like normal VERICUT.

“I would recommend VERICUT to other businesses because it has very good infrastructure backed by a great team for technical support,” concludes Mr Benzergil. “VERICUT is a proven and constantly evolving program, and we’re finding it highly beneficial here at HMS Makina.”

In the past, the machine shop had suffered machine collisions, downtime, and re-machining of pieces due to the complexity and variety of the parts being produced. “So, we started looking for a solution” added Martin Stredňák. “We wanted an independent NC code checking software.”  After looking to the market and attending presentations and trainings in two different software companies, INGEMETAL ultimately selected VERICUT CNC simulation, verification and optimisation software. In 2021 they engaged AXIOM TECH (VERICUT reseller) to acquire and install VERICUT into the machining processes for NC code simulation and verification.

VERICUT Simulation and Verification

VERICUT software detects errors, possible collisions, and potential inefficiencies in CNC machining. Unlike CAM simulation, which only simulates the toolpaths and not the actual NC data, VERICUT checks the actual NC code that is running the machines, giving a true virtual machine and a 3D machining digital twin.

VERICUT can simulate any CNC machine, regardless of manufacturer and can seamlessly integrate with all CAM systems. Interfaces ensure that VERICUT integrates into the customer's specific software manufacturing environment. The simulation software is completely independent of the controller, CAM system and CNC machine used.

VERICUT Force Optimisation

The next logical step for INGMETAL was to purchase the VERICUT Force module, which analyses the NC code to further optimise machining processes, resulting in significant time savings and improved tool life.

VERICUT Force is a physics-based software module for optimising NC programs. It is used to analyse the cutting conditions during the entire NC program operation. In particular, the maximum reliable feed rate for a given cutting condition is determined based on the load on the cutting edge, spindle power and the maximum chip thickness. Martin Stredňák confirms, “this allows us to speed up or smooth the toolpath and thus reduce the machining time.” Over a period of 2 years of using VERICUT Force, INGMETAL has seen a saving in machining time of between 15 and 25% depending on the produced part complexity.

Martin Stredňák concludes, “Thanks to innovation and continuous improvement in the technological production of moulds for EPS and EPP moulding and shape complex parts, we are recognised players on the European and world market. We owe our innovation to VERICUT, which is the key to our fast and reliable machining of parts”.

The trial

An actual radiator assembly component from the race car was the perfect candidate for the trial. While highly complex in terms of features (requiring around 30 tools), the part is small enough to have a relatively short cycle time so the Machine Shop could quickly implement program changes as part of an iterative improvement process. The plan was to produce the part from solid 6000-series aluminium alloy bar on a Mazak Integrex five-axis turn-mill machine. Component tolerances are in the realm of ±7.5 µm. There are also several features with true positions of 0.10 mm, tied up to multiple datums.

“At the start of the project we had one day of VERICUT FORCE training for our Production Engineering Group here at Brackley,” explains James Peddle, Production Engineer at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. “We found it quite easy to use; it has a similar layout to the interface of other VERICUT products. After the training, CGTech gave us six weeks to ‘play’ with the software, applying optimisation to our trial part. CGTech returned at the end of the process to validate our work before transfer to the machine.”

The result

Machining the Force-optimised part produced outstanding results. The original cycle time was 3 hours and 15 minutes; post-trial it was just 2 hours and 27 minutes. Not only did the Machine Shop achieved this 25% cycle time reduction at the first attempt, but the trial involved the optimisation of just four roughing tools (two- and three-flute end mills). There is clear potential for even further gains.

“Theoretically, we could save even more time with some tweaks to entry and exit distances, and feed rates,” says Mr Peddle. “We could have pushed the tools even harder in some areas, although we would probably need a machine with different kinematics as the test part was quite small.”

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team confirms that the 25% cycle-time saving for the test part would translate financially, effectively reducing the cost for spindle time by the same percentage. With costs for labour, raw materials and energy currently very high, reducing component cycle times is today more important than ever.

The potential

“The ability to machine 10 parts in a day instead of eight, for example, would be huge for us,” states Mr Brown. “Moreover, if we scale-up the savings achieved on the trial part to some of our large components with long cycle times, the savings would escalate dramatically. One of our longest-running parts requires 125 hours. Based on the trial, we could likely save around 30-40 hours on this component by using Force. That’s a lot of extra capacity and cost savings.”

Force calculates optimal feed rates by analysing factors that include tool geometry and parameters, material characteristics and cutting material, detailed cutting edge geometry and VERICUT Smart Part Technology. The software calculates cutting conditions using specific material characteristics, taking into account the strength of the material and the effects of friction and temperature. However, Force is about far more than cycle time savings alone. Cut-by-cut analysis of the interaction between the tool edge and workpiece material means the software is adept at predicting tool wear, delivering significant tool life gains in many applications.

“Although the trial part was aluminium, we machine around 25-30% of our components from titanium,” says Mr Peddle. “Using Force on these parts would likely extend tool life and generate savings.”

VERICUT Force offers a number of key tools that help visualise and identify areas with the biggest opportunity for savings in both cycle time and tool wear. Force graphs, for example, help users see cutting conditions, excessive forces, machining rates, power/torque, chip strength, material removal, tool deflections, and feeds for the original and optimised programs.

Mr Brown has the final word: “Although the use of VERICUT Force is just a trial at present, it’s in our mind. We see it as a highly effective production engineering tool.”

After a decade of using VERICUT machine simulation, verification and optimisation software, Advanced Manufacturing (Sheffield) Ltd (AML) is extolling the virtues of providing industry-leading protection for its high-value capital assets and expensive parts. VERICUT from CGTech is a key component of business success at this rapidly expanding precision machining company, which serves a plethora of customers in sectors such as aerospace, energy and defence. More recently, AML has embraced the efficiency and productivity gains offered by VERICUT’s Force™ module, which is driving tool life gains and cycle time reductions in the order of 30-40%.

Originally a spin-out from the award-winning Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield, AML is today a recognised market leader in delivering flexible manufacturing capability at the leading edge of machining technologies and efficiencies. The company is AS9100-certified and carries a Rolls-Royce Certificate of Approval. In addition, AML is part of the SC21 framework for ’21st Century supply chains’ to accelerate the competitiveness of aerospace and defence companies.

To manufacture the market’s highest quality precision parts, the company utilises the very latest technologies, including VERICUT simulation, verification and optimisation software from CGTech.

“We’ve had VERICUT from day one of manufacturing at AML, which dates back around a decade,” explains Engineering Manager Jason Mills. “VERICUT is our safety net; it looks after our complex components, some of which are machined from expensive forgings that cost in excess of £50,000 before we’ve even drilled a hole. There is no margin for error. We use all of the features in VERICUT, including gouge detection, collision detection and, more recently, the FORCE module. The software also looks after our machine tools through virtual simulations, which are critical because a replacement spindle could cost around £40,000 for the hardware alone.”

From receipt or generation of customer CAD, forging and stage models, AML engineers start building up what it calls the ‘Tech Pack’ from its Siemens NX CAM system, including documentation and any relevant paperwork. The company will then start importing the component, fixture and tool models into VERICUT. Here, AML can take advantage of its VERICUT NX Interface, a function that provides an easy and convenient way to verify, optimise and analyse individual NC programs, a series of selected tool paths or a complete sequence of operations, directly from within Siemens NX.

“We then start simulating the tool paths, checking for everything that could possibly go wrong, from collisions and near misses, to spindles running in the wrong direction,” explains Jason Mills.

AML has seven seats of VERICUT base and essential modules that include Verification (detects program mistakes and verifies part accuracy), CNC Machine Simulation (detects collisions and near misses between all components in the machining zone) and Multi-Axis (simulates multi-axis milling, turning and mill-turn operations).

The latter is vital as AML has 15 DMG Mori CNC machine tools on site, almost all of which are high-specification, multi-axis NT series mill-turn models. These include a large NT6600 with 6-metre bed and the latest arrival, an NT4250 DCG, which is capable of simultaneous five-axis mill-turn operations with a direct-drive motor installed in the B axis.

“Business is extremely busy, so we also have a DMG Mori DMU 125 FD five-axis machining centre on order, and are looking at two more assets in the near future,” says Jason Mills. “We are not shy of investment if it makes sound business sense.”
The company also takes advantage of several further VERICUT modules, including AUTO-DIFF™, which compares a CAD design model with a VERICUT simulation to automatically detect differences, weaknesses or mistakes in the design.

“We use AUTO-DIFF on every component as part of our standard operating procedure [SOP],” states Jason Mills. “With AUTO-DIFF, anyone involved in the manufacturing process can identify an incorrectly processed job. We find that it often flags up errors, especially as we have numerous mill-turn machines. The tools on mill-turn machines can be flipped round either way, so if they are not set-up correctly, VERICUT will capture it.”

Additional VERICUT modules on site include CNC Machine Probing, which checks for probe collisions (all of the CNC machine tools at AML feature Renishaw probes), and TDM Systems, which provides a live, on-the-fly connection to TDM. The company is now building tools in TDM for direct import into VERICUT.

Most recently, AML has added Force - Milling to its list of modules. VERICUT Force makes optimising an NC program fast and easy by calculating the contact between the tool and material, cut-by-cut. Force also takes the cutting-tool edge and material into account, adjusting the feed rates accordingly so they are optimal and constant.

“We’ve seen up to 40% more tool life and 30-40% savings in machining cycle time when using VERICUT Force,” says Jason Mills. “The module is invaluable for our production work as it provides us with a competitive edge. It’s quite easy to use and understand. We simply pick the material from the database and input the cutter geometry, which we get from the tooling manufacturer. Force then does its calculations in the background.”

AML has come a long way since spinning out of the AMRC (the company remains a tier-two AMRC member to this day).

“We have 30,000 ft2 here now, which is a tenfold increase in 10 years,” explains Operations Director Mark Hands. “We’ve gone from 8 staff to 66; from two CNC machines to 15, and imminently about to sanction another two.”
It is all about continuous improvement at AML, a strategy that is spurring ambitious goals for the years ahead.

“For the 2021-2024 period we set targets to grow turnover from £4.9 million to £12 million; headcount from 55 to 110; and assets [CNC machine tools] from 10 to 22,” says Mark Hands.

AML is also working with a team of consultants from Sharing in Growth, business experts in the world of advanced manufacturing. The dedicated three-year transformation improvement programme is witnessing the entire AML team commit to an intense and comprehensive scheme of training, mentoring, coaching and development.

“We are big believers in reinvesting in our future, as well as our people,” says Mark Hands, who joined as a project engineer in 2011 and is now a company director and major shareholder. Similarly, engineering manager Jason Mills began his career at AML as a CNC machinist, while the company’s quality manager was originally a press brake operator.

The coming years are clearly bright for this progressive manufacturing business, where production follows a simple mantra: apply the best manufacturing technology available to provide low-cost parts to customers. This is more than just a tagline; AML was born out of advanced research activities and the company still believes that technology is a key differentiator in providing value for customers. AML aims to apply the best knowledge in tooling, CAM strategies, dynamic analysis and CNC machine platforms to deliver precision quality at high production rates. Key to this goal is VERICUT.

“VERICUT brings security to our business,” says Mark Hands. “Not just because our parts are expensive, but because some are 1-offs with no margin for error. We also rely on VERICUT to protect our CNC machines; large, expensive assets that are costly to repair. If we’re not protecting our machines or our parts, then we’re not protecting the customer programme, nor the relationship we have with them. Right first time within the business is a must and VERICUT is a vital part of that.”

Jason Mills concludes: “I can’t ever see us changing from VERICUT. We’re comfortable and happy with the software, as well as the level of support we receive from CGTech. Today we apply VERICUT to all of our parts. No matter what we change in NX, even if we just add a command to turn on the coolant, it goes through VERICUT as it provides confidence for everyone in the business, from directors to machine operators. You can’t put a value on that.”

MACH took place from 4 – 8 April at the NEC in Birmingham, where CGTech exhibited on stand 19-218. Visitors had the opportunity to learn more about the company’s full range of CNC simulation, verification and optimization software solutions.
Managing Director, Gavin Powell, said: “It was absolutely fantastic to be back at MACH. Expectations were subdued before the exhibition started, but the CGTech stand was busy from start to finish.”

New prospective visitors to the stand were enlightened by the core benefits of simulating and verifying their CNC process using VERICUT software while existing customers received personalised demonstrations to see what they could save on their actual projects with the VERICUT Force NC optimization module.

Scott Ravenscroft, UK Sales Manager, added: “MACH has been a great opportunity to re-engage with some customers and show the new features we have in VERICUT and what is coming up in the next release. We’re also going to be very busy following up on the new leads that stopped by to see VERICUT for the first time”.

CGTech’s VERICUT® software is the standard for CNC simulation, verification and optimization. It is used by companies throughout the world to simulate machining and correct errors in NC programs before starting any real machining. Optimization capabilities included in VERICUT Force reduce machining time while extending tool life.

Irvine, CA – CGTech has released a white paper titled “True Constant Chip Thickness Machining: The New Standard of NC Program” to discuss a method of creating optimized NC programs to limit chip thinning and excessive forces on CNC machines and cutting tools.

The goal for efficient CNC machining is to achieve a constant chip thickness that meets manufacturing standards. Maintaining a tool’s ideal chip thickness through an operation ensures that the tool is being used to its full potential. While it’s easy to tell when an NC program pushes a machine or a tool beyond its capabilities through tool breakage, collisions, undue machine wear, there are no equivalent signs for NC programs that are under performing.

Unoptimized and underperforming NC programs can lead to unnecessarily long cycle times, excess wear on cutting tools, and poor surface finishes on machined parts. While adaptive milling and other optimization techniques have attempted to address the issue of chip thinning, none of these achieve constant chip thicknesses throughout the whole cut.

The white paper covers:
• How NC program simulation software exposes the problem of variable chip thicknesses
• The issues with existing adaptive milling techniques
• Why spindle speeds and feed rates are critical for NC program optimization
• How to use optimization software to establish a new standard for NC programs

“Anyone doing CNC programming and machining should pay attention to the capability to create ideal NC programs for optimal CNC machining,” says Pete Haas, CGTech Product and Cutting Specialist. “True constant chip thickness will become the new standard in the manufacturing industry.

The white paper is now available to download for free on CGTech’s website: https://cgtech.co.uk/constant-chip-thickness-white-paper

Glasgow-based Castle Precision Engineering has been an advocate for the use of VERICUT CNC simulation software on its shopfloor for many years, protecting high value customer components as well as its own advanced machine tools. More recently the company has embraced the efficiency and productivity gains offered by the FORCE module of the software.

While Castle supports a number of advanced industry sectors, such as medical devices and power generation, the majority – around 90% – of its circa £20m annual turnover comes from the aerospace and defence sectors. To cater to the diverse needs of its customer base there are three focused sub-divisions that encompass what the business has to offer; Rotatives, Prismatics and Toolroom.

Roy Yuile, Manufacturing Engineering Manager at Castle, explains: “Rotatives and Prismatics are the two core areas of our production business, and both require extremely high levels of precision and machining expertise. Over the years we’ve carved out a niche for ourselves in manufacturing critical rotating parts for the aero engine market – failure of these parts can bring an aeroplane out of the sky, so our OEM customers are not only trusting us with their reputations but also with the safety of the pilots and passengers whose flights they power. We also manufacture a wide range of complex prismatic products to very exacting tolerances for applications such as defence optronics and hydraulic actuation systems for control surfaces and landing gear.”

Prismatic parts are typically machined from relatively straightforward materials, primarily aluminium alloys along with some steel and titanium. However, rotating aero engine components usually involve more exotic and difficult-to-machine materials including titanium and nickel-based super alloys, where forgings valued up to $100,000 for a single workpiece are not uncommon.

With a population of around 60 CNC machine tools representing the very latest multi-axis manufacturing technology from DMG Mori, Makino, Doosan and Grob, the shopfloor at Castle is a lesson in housekeeping and efficient organisation for all to see. Looking more like a cleanroom than a workshop, it highlights what a class leading aerospace supplier should strive to achieve and creates an environment that nurtures professional behaviour at every level.

Protecting this advanced manufacturing capability is VERICUT CNC simulation software. Roy Yuile says: “CAD is at the front end of our engineering workflow – we’ll either import a 3D model supplied by customer or draw one up from a 2D definition, and break this down into the various stages of manufacture from material supply to finish part. These stage models and their accompanying fixtures or workholding devices are transferred to CAM, where we’ll build tools, generate toolpaths, post NC code and then port the whole job straight into VERICUT using their CAM interface.”

He continues: “VERICUT has been an established part of our workflow for well over a decade – nothing goes out to a machine without first going through VERICUT and that is across the board. It is an essential safely net, not just for the product but for our machines and our personnel as well. We’ll have some programs in our factory that have been around for 10 or 20 years, alongside jobs that are fresh out of CAM. We use VERICUT to simulate any new or modified code before it goes out to a machine – we have a digital twin for almost every machine tool, and because VERICUT reads the same G-code as the machine controller, it’s completely CAM-agnostic and can simulate code from any source.”

Very often process improvements are done using VERICUT because the software offers the opportunity to prove edits in a virtual environment. “We don’t edit at the machine console because of the risk involved,” Roy Yuile adds, “if you mess up you have no safety net. Instead, our engineers will bring the code back into VERICUT, make their edits and then hit simulate to check that the program is safe to release. Smashing pixels is a whole lot cheaper and safer than writing off a machine tool, so verifying code using a digital twin before we actually put anyone or anything at risk is an integral part of our workflow. This risk-based approach is absolutely crucial not just in aerospace and defence, but for any high value product and business.”

With VERICUT an established part of Castle’s business for the past 12 years the software has proven its ability to protect the company as well as being a key improvement tool for their manufacturing processes. Roy Yuile states: “VERICUT Force is a step further along this curve. Moving beyond the goalkeeper functionality, Force allows us to start optimising our processes as well as proving that they are safe.”

Every manufacturing business faces the same three challenges from its customers; quality, delivery and cost. “Generally quality and delivery are a given, and cost is where we win or lose,” Roy Yuile says. “The pressure within the aerospace industry on cost is enormous and for us to be competitive against global competition we have to be smarter, faster and more efficient. Physics-based optimisation software has been on our radar for a while, and we started looking at it seriously a couple of years ago.

“There are a few key players in that market and we evaluated them all. There’s a lot of clever maths behind it, but the basic idea of physics-based optimisation is to analyse a toolpath line by line, calculate the forces acting on the cutting tool at any given point in time and then adjust the feed rate in order to balance or control that force and chip load.

“This means there’s a lot of number crunching involved, but before you even get there you need to build an accurate digital model of the machining process. Since we already simulate every job in VERICUT, the major advantage of VERICUT Force is that building this model takes almost no additional effort – all Force needs is a bit more information on tool geometry and material characteristics, everything else is already there. The cycle time savings you can expect to get from this kind of optimisation are typically 10-20% and VERICUT offered an almost ‘plug and play’ solution for both milling and turning that was really attractive to us.”

During the evaluation phase the engineering team at Castle worked with CGTech UK to create a test case based on an existing process involving both turning and milling which was provided to multiple software vendors. As Roy Yuile points out, “To be honest they all came back with broadly similar results for cycle time reduction, but it was the useability that was the differentiating factor for us. We have everything built up in VERICUT already and because CGTech have done a really good job of making Force as user friendly as possible it helps make the benefits of physics-based optimisation a lot more accessible.”

He says: “It is exciting, the idea that we can go through our existing workflow, take a job that we have proven as a stable process and then say ‘Right VERICUT, analyse this for me and tell me where there’s room for improvement’.

“The interesting thing is because we are working with a lot of difficult-to-machine materials it’s not always about cycle time. Sounds counterintuitive, as typically the main benefit of optimisation is the opportunity to speed things up, but sometimes it’s also about slowing things down to reduce peak loading on the tool. Smoothing out spikes in cutting force or chip load can have a major effect on tool life but it is harder to quantify the benefit as you can’t tell until you go and try it.

“On one of the jobs we were analysing recently we were looking at a histogram of chip load and seeing that for maybe 5% of the time it was twice as high as the average load, telling us that there were regular spikes throughout the tool path. Now we have the ability to identify where these occur and slow the feed rate to level them out, reducing tool wear and improving both tool life and process stability.”

Force has been in use at Castle for about a year, and Roy Yuile is keen to highlight one of the often-overlooked benefits, consumables spend. He says: “Carbide cutting tools are a major expenditure for us. When we are costing a job the two key variables are how long it is going to take on the machine and how much we are going to consume in carbide. Any reduction in cycle time Force can deliver is good, but so is any improvement in tool life.

“Although cycle time is a monetary saving in the sense that you free up machine capacity that you can sell to somebody else, consumables are a direct cash spend. If it takes £100 of carbide to make a particular part and we can reduce that to £80, we are literally not spending £20, that’s £20 that stays in our bank account. Cycle time savings are soft money, they’re potential revenue, while consumables spend is hard money, it’s cash.”

Castle have always been early adopters of manufacturing technology, and VERICUT has established itself as an essential part of the company’s digital workflow. “We put a lot of effort into ensuring our simulations are an accurate representation of the real process, as the benefits VERICUT delivers are massive, both as a safety net and as an improvement tool. All of our programming is done offline, and being able to accelerate the proving out of new jobs by doing most of it virtually saves a huge amount of production downtime, as well as de-risking the entire process.”

“We trust VERICUT,” Roy Yuile concludes, “and that trust comes from experience. When manufacturing high-value components for such critical applications, we need to have confidence that we’re using the very best tools for the job, and VERICUT delivers.”

Reflecting its commitment to high levels of ongoing service, technical support and training, CGTech will shortly announce that it will provide a new ‘Training for Life’ programme. Customers on active maintenance may send one person, per Verification license (limited to five in total), to any standard virtual or physical training class each year.

For over three decades CGTech has remained committed to driving innovation and excellence in CNC manufacturing, while providing best-in-class software, services, and support. Continuing this devotion to its customers the new Training for Life programme will come into effect from 1 January 2022, aligned with new and renewed user maintenance contracts.

Technical Director, Gavin Powell, explains: “Since 1988, CGTech has been a trusted partner to our customers providing NC simulation and verification to protect their CNC machines and business. We remain committed to delivering the high level of technical support and guidance our customers have come to expect, and we hope this new premium training offering will help manufacturing businesses to remain at the cutting edge.”

He points to a number of key areas that the company has focused upon. At the heart is VERICUT as a world-class software solution. “We will continue to invest in staff and resources to deliver superior service and technology. Our global engineering team has grown to help bring new enhancements to our software faster than ever before. On top of the improvements this year there are many new enhancements on the horizon in 2022.”

Continuous Improvement has always been a key philosophy as CGTech continues to develop and enhance its products, bringing customers in the most demanding industry sectors the best cutting-edge manufacturing software available.
Unmatched Technical Support. “Our Technical Support staff are among the best in the industry, and we have invested in new talent in order to respond even faster to customer needs, including custom configurations, project deliveries and general assistance.”

Greater licensing flexibility, such as Cloud, Commuter and Temporary Licenses are available to suit each customer’s specific needs. CGTech also offer Perpetual or Subscription Licenses to accommodate any budget constraints.
“Now,” says Gavin Powell, “we have even more options for training and education. To ensure access to high-quality education and training from anywhere in the world, we now offer virtual VUEs and live online training classes. The launch of a new ‘Training for Life’ programme extends this even further for customers on a maintenance plan.

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Note to Editors

About CGTech

CGTech’s VERICUT® software is the standard for CNC simulation, verification, optimisation, analysis, and additive manufacturing. CGTech also offers programming and simulation software for composites automated fiber-placement, tape-laying, and drilling/fastening CNC machines. VERICUT software is used by companies of different sizes in all industries. Established in 1988, and headquartered in Irvine, California; CGTech has an extensive network of offices and resellers throughout the world. For more information, visit the CGTech website at www.cgtech.co.uk, call +44 (0)1273 773538, or email info.uk@cgtech.com.