Businesses are reducing the time of product design by half through the outsourcing of Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) automation. Companies that use CAM automation by engaging special firms for CAM automation outsourcing services not only shorten their product development cycles but also have a cutting edge advantage in the competitive markets.
This blog offers you an in depth account of how CAM automation outsourcing can bring about this transformation, in a language that can be understood by common people and with illustrations that are easy to follow.
What Is CAM Automation Outsourcing?
Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) refers to software applications that control machine tools and automate manufacturing processes. When companies choose to outsource CAM automation, they often partner with a professional engineering firm or freelance engineers. These experts handle tasks such as tool path programming, design verification, and production optimization. This collaboration enables in house teams to focus on innovation and market expansion rather than getting bogged down in technical activities.
The Bottleneck: In House Design of the Products
Traditionally, product design is a long, cyclic process that requires:
● Programming machinery manually.
● Several experimentation and error cycles.
● Close coordination between design and manufacturing departments.
In-house teams are usually constrained by such factors as:
● Outdated equipment
● Lack of specialized skills
● Limit on the use of resources to scale fast.
Such problems delay progress, raise expenses, and could miss the opportunity in the market.
Why Companies Outsource CAM Automation?
Outsourcing CAM automation is the close collaboration with specialized service providers who do not deal with any other services but develop, optimize, and maintain automated CAM workflows. These professionals integrate domain expertise and the latest technologies to simplify the process of manufacturing preparation.
The most common reasons why companies opt to outsource are:
● Speed and Scalability: Outside teams will be able to adjust to the evolving workload and deadlines quickly.
● Cross-Industry Experience: CAM professionals who are outsourced usually possess cross-industry knowledge and also know several software packages, including Mastercam, Siemens NX, or Autodesk Fusion 360.
● Cost efficiency: Companies do not need to pay full-time specialists, but pay only at the time when services are necessary to save money on their labor.
● Strengthen Your Core Business: With the outsourcing of technical and routine CAM activities, in-house engineers will be able to concentrate on more important company matters, such as innovation and product development, rather than programming optimization.
The direct impact of these advantages is that the design process is accelerated and more reliable in terms of production outcomes.
Correlation Between CAM Outsourcing And Design Time Reduction
An average product design process consists of a number of stages that are interrelated. They include: concept development, 3D modeling, prototyping, testing, and final manufacturing setup. Any postponement in solving CAM programs can cause disruptions to the whole process. Some companies also offer remote CAM service.Outsourcing of CAM automation prevents most of these bottlenecks by:
Highspeed Data Conversion And Automation Of Toolpaths
The CAD models can be rapidly translated to machining paths through rule-based automation of outsourced CAM engineers. However, once templates are configured, it is possible to program large batches of similar parts in a few minutes rather than hours.
To take an illustration, a tooling manufacturing company that used to spend an entire day coding a
multitude of parts can now program 80 percent of the operation with standardized CAM templates coding it in less than 2-3 hours.
Concurrent Engineering And Design
When CAM is outsourced, design engineers are able to proceed simultaneously on subsequent product designs. During the process of model refinement, the internal team engages its external CAM team to check manufacturability and generate toolpaths with the newest versions of the model. This parallel workflow has a significant reduction in the design-to-manufacture handoff.
Reduced Trial-And-Error
Internal teams can use up hours that are spent optimizing machining parameters through expensive iterations. Off-the-shelf libraries of machine configurations, cutting tools, and materials are used by outsourced CAM experts. Their experience enables them to do away with repetitive simulation cycles, and this saves time and machine resources.
Better Data Reusability
The CAM outsourcing partners have organized databases of machining templates, toolpaths that have been tested, and knowledgeable databases. These can be reused in other projects once made; not only will it remove repetitive programming effort, but it will accelerate the ramp-up of similar components.
Measurement Of The Time Savings
The reduction of time is related to the complexity of parts, industry, and the maturity of workflow, but research and case studies indicate that the average programming and design preparation time has been reduced by 40-50 percent. Keyway offers you reliable CAM automation outsourcing services, thereby easing your process of product manufacturing.
Consider this example:
● Pre-Outsource: The engineers could take 8 hours to code a precision part, do verification, and coordinate design changes.
● Post Outsourcing: Workflow templates and workflow optimization reduced the overall time to 4 hours or less, half of the previous time.
➔ Multiply dozens or hundreds of parts per month, and this efficiency will result in enormous financial and productivity savings.
Long-Term Strategic Benefits Of CAM Automation Outsourcing
In addition to speed, CAM automation outsourcing has a number of long-term benefits that contribute to the performance of product development further.
● Quality Stability: With auto templates, there is uniformity in the generation of toolpaths and also reduced human error.
● Continuous Improvement: CAM partners update automation scripts on an ongoing basis, as per the new machining strategies and best practices.
● Increased Flexibility: It could be a production scaling, a change with new materials, or the implementation of new machines; outsourced CAM processes are flexible.
● Quick Market Response: It provides the shortest product design cycle, so quicker market entry, which is vital in businesses such as aerospace, automotive, and consumer electronics.
These benefits not only allow the companies to reduce time but also to create a data-driven design ecosystem that is sustainable.
Outsourcing CAM Automation: How to do it Effectively
One should go about CAM outsourcing in a deliberate manner in order to get the highest returns on the
investment.
● Evaluate Internal Processes-Find out CAM processes that are repetitive or time-consuming and are automatable.
● Select A Trusted Partner-Find a service provider who has experience in your industry, with whom you can work with and whose software instruments are compatible.
● Standardize Data Format-Provide a smooth flow of information between the design, engineering, and manufacturing departments by aligning the CAD/CAM data standards.
● Begin with Pilot Projects-Use a small project as the first automation and measure the outcome, and then increase the scale of the workflow when the workflow becomes effective.
● Stay Collaborative-Have a free flow between the house engineers and the outsourced teams to ensure the learning and integration on an ongoing basis.
With the correct management, CAM automation outsourcing will not be a solo operation but instead a joint continuation of your engineering
The Future of CAM Automation
With the further evolution of AI-based design and digital manufacturing, the outsourcing of CAM automation is bound to be even more effective. New technologies, such as machine learning, digital twins, and cloud collaboration, are making it possible to have entire design-to-production pipelines. With predictive machining techniques coupled with intelligent automation, organizations can realize even quicker, more accurate as well and more economical product development periods. It is those manufacturers who will be setting the standards within the industry in the future since they are the ones who are adopting this change.
Final Thoughts
To manufacturers who would want to remain competitive, outsourcing CAM automation is not an option but a requirement. Not only does it reduce product design time by up to 50 percent, but it also improves overall quality, scalability, and operational agility. Outsourcing increases the level of efficiency by integrating specialized knowledge, standardized automation, and continuous improvement that will enable the creation of a smarter and quicker path to production-making efficiency your primary competitive edge. Keyway streamlines your production process for unparalleled efficiency and quality by offering precision-driven manufacturing solutions. For more information on our business, visit our LinkedIn.
