Case Study: Norfolk Specialties achieves 50% faster roughing and quadrupled tool life with 3D Systems' GibbsCAM Plunge Roughing

Norfolk Specialities uses GibbsCAM plunge roughing which improved tool life by approximately 88 percent and halved cycle time

Norfolk Specialties (a 14-person shop making one-off replacement parts) and Ouverson Engineering and Machine (a three-person shop producing heavy-duty axles and components) faced a common challenge: low-volume, high‑material‑removal jobs machined from raw stock that made roughing the bottleneck. Long cycle times, constant insert chipping, vibration and excessive side loads on older machines drove up tooling costs and risked machine damage.

Both shops adopted the new plunge‑roughing routine in GibbsCAM. By keeping cutting forces on the Z axis and using overlapping plunge passes, they halved cycle times, dramatically reduced insert wear (Norfolk reported up to 4× tool life; OEM saw about an 88% improvement on one part) and cut tooling costs (e.g., a Norfolk job went from 6 hrs/$56 in inserts to 3 hrs/$14; an OEM knuckle from 2 hrs/$98 to 1 hr/$12). The method also reduced chatter, produced cleaner corner radii and eased strain on older machines.

Norfolk Specialities

Dan Wilson

Machinist and Programmer