CAM Delivers Efficiency

Messier-Bugatti, a provider of aircraft braking systems, has switched to Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM system to support its move into five-axis machining. Previously, Messier-Bugatti only had equipment with up to four axes. However, with the move to continuous 5-axis machines, the company felt that it needed a more efficient CAM system to make the most of its new capabilities.

A SAFRAN Group company, with a global workforce of 1,500 employees based mainly in France, the United States, and Singapore, Messier-Bugatti specializes in aeronautical braking systems and carbon brakes. The company has equipped more than 3,500 commercial aircraft and has been an Airbus partner for more than 20 years. Most recently, Messier-Bugatti won the job to design, develop, and manufacture the wheels and carbon brakes for the A350XWB long-haul commercial jet. They are also an OEM supplier for Boeing, Bombardier, and Dassault Aviation.

The Molsheim works in eastern France, where the PowerMILL seats are installed, is the company’s historical birthplace. It is now the production plant for wheels and brakes, hydraulic systems, and equipment, as well as handling carbon-disk refurbishment for customers worldwide.

Beginning the move to this program, the production team ran trials with Power­MILL on landing gear components and hydraulic manifolds. Citing important factors, such as the flexibility offered by PowerMILL, together with the high efficiency of the resulting programs, the company purchased the software in 2007.

Stéphane Schneider, manufacturing process engineer, describes how the Delcam software has become a major asset for them. “We find it easy to import CATIA parts into PowerMILL, thanks to Delcam’s Exchange translation software. Then we create the programs within PowerMILL. Finally, we check the toolpaths in Vericut. If needed, we can modify any sections of the toolpaths quickly, before machining the parts.”

Among the many advantages that Power­MILL presents to this type of work, he especially appreciates the control over the different high-speed machining strategies, the smoothness of the toolpaths, and the significant reduction in the vibration of the parts during machining. As well as helping to maintain accuracy, this protects the tooling and the machines.

“Thanks to PowerMILL, the Messier-Bugatti team saves programming time and avoids programming errors by reducing the number of manual operations,” Schneider says. “The Delcam support is very quick to respond, no matter what request we have. In fact, we have a very good relationship with the whole Delcam team.”


Delcam
Salt Lake City, UT
delcam.com

Messier-Bugatti
Walton, KY
messier-bugatti.com