CMP Bresso produces moulds for a variety of industrial sectors, including automotive, medical, sport flooring and electronics. And at the turn of the Century it became one of the first companies in the Piedmont area of Italy to produce synthetic corks for bottles of wine.
Company owner Walter Bresso says that for the corks, they produced multi-cavity moulds, compared to the trend at that time of using single-screw moulds. A challenge in another industry sector came with the construction of moulds for plastic tiles in sports facilities, which are resistant to atmospheric agents, and can be installed on any foundation. He says VISI played a vital role in creating a product which is now widely used in international markets.
“The customer brought us a plastic tile made by an American company and asked to produce something similar. We designed a complete new tile, called Gimmy. It’s a modular, frost- and impact-resistant flooring that’s non-toxic, anti-bacterial, and made of completely recyclable technopolymer plates.”
And those jobs were child’s play with VISI…so much so, that Walter Bresso describes the software as “a good mate that’s always near us, and is helping us constantly in everyday technological challenges. Simplicity and efficiency are two common features that can be found in all VISI solutions.”
CMP Bresso has an internal mould design unit, led by Walter’s sister, Daniela Bresso. The company operates a number of 3D CAD stations using VISI Modelling, and a CAM station working with VISI Machining 2D and 3D to create toolpaths. Daniela Bresso says: “We’ve been using VISI for over 20 years. Each project usually starts when we receive a 3D file such as IGS, Step and Parasolid, and we create rapid prototypes in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, which is a common thermoplastic polymer, using a 3D printer. ”Once the customer is happy with the prototype, the mould making process begins for the ongoing production.
VISI Machining 2D provides her team with a practical and intuitive solution for programming their 2.5 axle machine tools, and controls the positioning of the fourth and fifth axis where required. The operator easily defines machining parameters, cutting conditions and tool holders, and the availability of multiple origins allows imported geometries to be quickly oriented around any reference, even for multi-axis machining.
Walter Bresso says his company is not typical of traditional mould makers. “We’re able and willing to solve significantly complex projects.” He says this is particularly true of their capability to create moulds for thermoplastic products which were originally made of metal. “A metal component can’t be reproduced exactly as it is, in plastic, so we redesign it, and then use VISI to create the mould to ensure the part does exactly what it’s supposed to.”
Another solution to a complex issue involved co-moulding a metal element of a car window component for Ford. “Normally, that type of component is made of metal and coated with a primer – an interface agent that binds with the gasket rubber. The issue was that painting, drying, sticking, along with the danger of chipping and peeling, meant that the product wasn’t reliable, so Ford asked us to come up with a solution.” CMP Bresso co-moulded the product by covering the metal with material compatible with the rubber gasket. “When it’s inserted into the mould, the rubber sticks and becomes a single piece. Thanks to our experience, we managed to create a skin of only three tenths of a millimetre that wraps the entire piece. Torsion tests showed the device exceeds the limits imposed by Ford, by eight times.”
www.visicadcam.com
