Endless possibilities for complex machining

It is in the county of Chantonnay, France that Robin Technologies evolved as a precision mechanics company created in 1980 by Damien Robin. During the rst decades of business, the team dedicated itself to the manufacturing of molds. After the mold market became ooded with competition from around the world, Robin Technologies decided to specialize in the production of mechanical parts and began to use Wire-EDM and 2 to 5-axis milling to machine more complex parts. They currently have fteen numerically controlled machine tools, mainly ONA and MAZAK, and today they manufacture various tools for aeronautical maintenance, die cutting for the agri-food industry, gearbox parts for the automotive industry, and various parts for the robotics and cosmetics industries.

 

The programming of these parts is entrusted to their experienced and passionate programmers, who are each specialized in their eld of Wire-EDM, 5-axis/3D milling and Multi-Tasking. The Managers at Robin Technologies favor productivity, and continue to invest in latest CNC machines, new manufacturing technologies and continuous training. Tony Jourdain, production manager explains: “My priority is to give our teams all the possibilities to be efcient, and therefore offer them the latest technologies and training that corresponds. I am 100% in favor of the investment in CAM solutions for example.”

 

A Smart CAM Investment 

Choosing ESPRIT for Robin Technologies meant choosing an innovative CAM solution that covered all their machine tool applications needs, making ESPRIT the perfect t. ESPRIT provided them with powerful and complete functionality in milling, turning, multitasking, wire EDM, swiss-style and B-axis machining. Therefore, giving Robin Technologies the ability to run an entire machine shop using only one CAM software - ESPRIT.

 

After purchasing ESPRIT Robin Technologies successfully took the leap to 5-axis and 3D machining, a strategic choice following the trends of the industrial evolution of the region and to meet the demands of the multiple industries that energize the Pays de Loire region. “We really improved our multitasking skills on our MAZAK Integrex centers using ESPRIT. We were able to take on projects that were much more complex and thus expanded our manufacturing capabilities”, summarizes Frédéric Allard, programmer in turning-milling.

 

ESPRIT allowed Robin Technologies to perfectly run their sophisticated range of MAZAK Integrex machine tools, which included two turning spindles for all-in-one machining, and a lower turret - minimizing congurations, tools, maintenance and time not devoted to cutting. Another strength of ESPRIT is post-processors that are tested and certied by the machine tool manufacturer, and have the advantage of being open source and therefore adaptable.

 

“ESPRIT gives us great exibility. Currently we have three EDM machines of different brands and I can do my programs without difculty and switch from one machine to another, thanks to the post-processors provided by ESPRIT”, says Sébastien Giraud.

 

Not only could ESPRIT run their MAZAK machine tools, but it also allowed Robin Technologies to maximize the capabilities of their Wire-EDM ONA machines as well. “The ESPRIT-ONA combination has allowed us to develop our machining in 4-axis with great exibility, and to improve all our operations”, explains Sébastien Giraud, head of EDM at Robin Technologies. Damien Roure, Head of ONA France also praised the relationship between ESPRIT and ONA machine tools saying: “Thanks to ESPRIT and the Usiprog distributor, we have the tools to deal with more and more complex wire cutting. The ESPRIT teams are attentive and react quickly to our problems and those of our customers. This reactivity is probably, along with the performance of the software, the strong point of the partnership that binds us to ESPRIT.”

 

Meeting New Challenges 

Robin Technologies is now well equipped with powerful CNC machines, the ultimate CAM solution to run their machines and fully supported by the ESPRIT distributor, Usiprog. They were ready to meet the challenges their customers presented, and in December 2015, an Airbus equipment manufacturer did just that.

 

Airbus consulted with the sales team at Robin Technologies for a very complex gauge with high added value, that could only be machined using 5-axis and 3D milling. With the help of their complex machine tools and ESPRIT CAM the Robin Technologies team decided to take up the challenge. Robin Technologies succeeded and the part was delivered on time and perfectly met the requirements of the customer in terms of quality, and cost.

 

Today advanced training courses allow programmers at Robin Technologies to accept even more challenges. For example, they were recently contracted to program a competitive mountain bike wheel hub with many complex milling and turning faces. The most complex operations being the Z-level roughing and then the composite spiral nishing.

 

Thanks to the help of the ESPRIT support team, programming was completed in one day and the Robin Technologies programmers further developed their skills. “Even today, the efcient and the close cooperation between us and ESPRIT reseller Usiprog makes it possible to face all obstacles”, concludes Damien Berthelot, CAM manager at Robin Technologies.

 

In the end, Robin Technologies is in perfect accordance with its company philosophy: to provide its customers with quality parts at attractive prices. Robin Technologies continues to develop their skills by choosing reliable and experienced partners, such as ESPRIT CAM, and adapting their strategy to changing market conditions.