Case Study: Instron Corporation achieves dramatic setup and production-time reductions with 3D Systems

GibbsCAM Allows Instron to Exceed Expectations with Multitask Machining

Instron’s Binghamton machine shop set out to improve machining efficiency for the aluminum grip assemblies used in its material testers. The parts—grip bodies, piston cups and adapter plates in four sizes—required multiple lathe and mill setups, long setup times (the grip body took six hours), long queues between operations and large lot sizes (80–100) that drove inventory, lead time and assembly delays.

The shop bought a Mazak Integrex i-200S II multitask CNC and a GibbsCAM network license, trained staff, and loaded the Integrex’s 72-tool carousel to run parts in a single setup. Setup time dropped to about five minutes, runtimes fell (e.g., piston cup 1.2→0.6 hr, adapter 1.5→0.7 hr, grip body 1.85→0.72 hr), lot sizes shrank, queuing was eliminated, and the shop saves roughly $1,200 per lot—freeing capacity and prompting consideration of a second Integrex.

Instron Corporation

Mark Welch

Supervisor of Machining