Using the very latest CAD/CAM technology allowed an engineering company to produce early CAD and STL models for rapid prototyping of a piece of precision skiing equipment
The ski-mojo - a precision engineered piece of sporting equipment that reduces fatigue and provides the ability to ski all day - was in development for many years before Kinetic Innovations approached Senior and Dickson, product design and moulding specialists. 'We wanted the keep the entire development and manufacture UK based, so it was important to find an innovative and understanding partner,' said the inventor, Owen Eastwood.
Using the very latest CAD/CAM technology from Vero Software, Karl Freeman, senior design engineer, produced early CAD and STL models for rapid prototyping.
'It was important to get a 'feel' for the product before moving into the production stages,' said Freeman.
He was equally positive about the software technology used.
'We have been using VISI for nearly three years and the software has never proved itself more than on this single project.
Using a combination of VISI Modelling, VISI Mould and VISI Machining, we have streamlined our entire design process.
As there is only one working environment, there are no issues with data transfer and anyone from the drawing office or shop floor can open a design and extract the information they require.
With a time frame of just 12 weeks, we have produced full surfaced models, complete electrode sets and 11 full production mould tools with four major tool modifications'.
Freeman added: 'The development of the ski-mojo has been a collaboration of aesthetic design, functionality and manufacturability.
The first design included aluminium die cast parts, but to reduce weight and cost, we are now using glass filled nylon (GFPA).' This is not the only change, continued Freeman, 'The bottom straps and seat have been changed from sewn fabric to polyurethene and the calf support bracket has been re-designed with the geometry being twisted by an extra 10 degrees for an improved body fit'.
Once the CAD data has been prepared, it is passed directly to the shopfloor for toolpath creation.
'We have a highly experienced toolroom,' claimed Chris Hodgson, technical director of Senior and Dickson.
'We run multiple seats of VISI Machining running on the shopfloor next to the Hurco Ultimax machines and allow the machinists to generate their own toolpaths.
They are closest to the action and this allows them to make live decisions and have the biggest impact on machining productivity.
Since the introduction of VISI, we have produced a time reduction of approximately 30% and improved the quality of our tool design.
Without all of these improvements, it would have been impossible to remain competitive in our demanding market place'.
Commenting on the decision to work closely with Senior and Dickson, Kinetic Innovations said that Senior offered exactly what Kinetic was looking for - a 'one stop' service from product design through to moulding and full assembly.
The moulding shop contains 12 Negri Bossi moulding machines with clamping force ranges from 70 to 250 tonf (700-2500kN), as well as a number of 'pick and place' robots.' Eastwood commented that: 'Senior and Dickson removed the pain from design and manufacture, exactly what the ski-mojo does for skiers'.
* About the ski-mojo - the ski-mojo was recently launched at the UK National Ski shows at the Manchester G-Mex, London Olympia and the Birmingham NEC and can be seen at .
A basic desire to ski longer, when your body is physically too tired provided the inspiration for Owen Eastwood, a British Inventor, who provided the idea and design for the ski-mojo.
The ski-mojo is a precision engineered piece of sporting equipment which is connected to the back of the ski boots and strapped to the user's shins supporting spring-loaded arms alongside the thighs.
The ski-mojo supports up to 30% of the skier's upper body weight and acts as a shock absorber for the legs, enhancing control and balance on the slopes.
'The ski-mojo reduces fatigue and thus provides the ability to ski all day.
It's like the power steering on a car,' said Kinetic Innovations.
'You still need the skill to ski, the ski-mojo just makes it less tiring'.
* About Vero Software - the company creates, owns and distributes software for aiding the design and manufacturing process in specific sectors of the industry.
The specific sectors include the design and manufacture of plastics injection moulds, sheet metal stamping dies, progressive dies, shoe moulds, electrode production and others.
These widespread product types are in turn to be found in a multitude of manufacturing industry sectors such as automotive, electronic, medical, white goods and aerospace.
The original Vero Software company was formed in Italy in 1988 by four engineers, each with many years of computer aided design and manufacturing experience.
The initial products were marketed under the VISI CAD and VISI CAM names to meet the increasing demands for advanced yet practical software solutions in the mechanical design and production environments.
The company firmly believes that step gains in productivity can be made by building as much knowledge of specific design and machining processes within it's software as possible.
This philosophy of productivity through specialisation has led to new applications in the design of mould tools for plastic injection and progressive dies.
The company has offices in England, Italy, Japan, France, Canada, USA and China.
VISI now has more than 15,000 users world-wide and over 1,000 Machining STRATEGIST users.
The group now has more than 6,000 users registered for its annual maintenance services and supplies products to more than 40 countries through its wholly owned subsidiaries and competence centres.
