Its acknowledged that not all parts are created equal, and in some industries, parts made from standard issue materials just don’t have what it takes to perform or last for any prolonged period. This becomes more critical depending on the specified industry and application; sometimes you need a part capable of withstanding more challenging conditions – and that’s where Winsert excels. Winsert develops, casts and machines a number of heat, wear and corrosion- resistant alloys into parts that can withstand high-pressure loads, corrosive fuel environments and high temperatures. These products include valve seat inserts, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), engines, brakes and turbo system wear components and assemblies; and valves and blades for various applications used in the medium to heavy-duty engine, food and chemical processing industries. The company casts Cobalt, Nickel and Iron based heat and wear resistant alloys using induction melting and shell sand processes with pour capacities up to 750lbs and casting weights range from a few grams to 20lbs. Equipment used at Winsert includes spectrometers, extensive heat treatment capacity, on-site non-destructive testing and x-ray inspection. Most production work is fully machined using grinding, turning, mill and mill-turn along with complete assembly processes. Customers rely on prototyping capabilities from casting to fully machined parts in as little as 3 days to 1 week from simple to complicated geometries. Putting this all together, Winsert’s evolving product range is furthering customer competitive advantages regarding cost and service life. Nearly 40% of the company’s projects begin in the prototype and sample department, that creates pre- production parts from Winsert’s proprietary cobalt, nickel and iron-based alloys. The very thing that makes these materials so special is also what makes them difficult to manufacture. Because the materials are developed to address specific customer needs, there are also no standard cutting recommendations. But Winsert can’t compromise on the robustness or uniqueness of its materials. “We can never relax or do what our competition does with industry- standard materials,” says Paul Dickinson, VP Special Projects at Winsert. “We have to machine cast alloys that easily rival the most challenging cobalt and nickel base materials.” While Winsert’s parts vary in complexity, foundry patterns require very clean toolpaths that will generate the required finishes at a consistent draft without conducting non-productive ‘air cutting’. Confidence in the code and simulation is a must, as many of the programs have long cycle times and often machine only one part. It is here that ESPRIT has stepped up to the challenge, especially as Winsert is often asked to commit to short lead times on projects that require foundry tooling. The Winsert machine shop runs more than 70 proprietary CNC 2-axis lathes, three Miyano BNE and BNA series 6-axis lathes, a Hurco 3-axis mill and a Kitamura 3XiF vertical mill. While it was still a lathe shop, Winsert began running ESPRIT in the late 1990s, due to its ‘impeccable’ lathe CAM capability, flexibility and customisation. When the company added milling operations in 2009, ESPRIT continued to deliver, even though other brands were evaluated. “ESPRIT became the clear choice,” Dickinson says. “And yes, we would have changed to a better system if we’d found one because productivity is that important!” ESPRIT enabled the company to save processes and improve toolpaths. The system also provided better options for 3D machining and clean, accurate G-code. “The proof is when I am talking shop with other professionals, listening to their frustrations and limitations with their CAM system,” Jeff Kubash, new product technician machinist at Winsert says. “They explain how much time is spent generating toolpaths, editing code at the machine, and their complete lack of confidence with the code. It is nice to be on the other side of that coin with ESPRIT.” Kubash says that the special features ESPRIT have developed over time — including templates, tool libraries and saved processes — have all helped Winsert to reduce time spent on front-end programming. Cycle times have been reduced by as much as 90 minutes through superior roughing toolpaths and enhanced 3D processes. ESPRIT also allows the company to control cycle times and eliminate extra tool movements that once left tool marks on the work piece. The future of Winsert lies in expanding its heavy-duty alloy success into new industries. With new product lines being introduced all the time, Winsert and its prototype sample cell are working to become even more responsive and flexible in order to accommodate exacting customers with highly specific needs. “We create our future by excelling at what we do every day. The future of Winsert is to continue to diversify our portfolio, both inside and outside the engine. We’ll do that by consistently exceeding customer rapid-response requirements. And that’s why we choose to use ESPRIT,” concludes Dickinson.