Smart Molding International 2-2021

molds and tooling 35 www.smart-molding.com molds were designed using Siemens NX CAD/CAM/CAE software and they are among the largest production molds ever made by Commercial, accord - ing to Scott Chase. The entire project took just over a year, from the initial contacts to the production of the first mold for use at RockWell. When picking a partner company for this critical project, RockWell President Vaughn Cook chose Commercial Tool Group, as he notes, “…because of their integrity and commitment to be - ing open with all of the issues, as well as the company’s transparency and honesty. One-stop shopping was also such a huge benefit, as we were able to communicate through one company to get all the work done. CTG is a true turnkey partner to us.” This Commercial system benefits its customer in various ways, as the sys - tem is more automated, permitting the company to produce greater volumes of product with higher consistency and traceability. Furthermore, it is much easier for RockWell to access all the information they need from one com - pany as opposed to coordinating with three or four different ones, as Cook noted. This seamless flow minimizes errors, which reduces production lead time and keeps costs down. Without the collaboration between RockWell and Commercial, Cook believes that there would be delays in scheduling, higher costs and lesser quality of work - manship on the finished products be - ing produced at his company. Vaughn Cook praised Commercial during the implementation and runout, saying, “It’s wonderful to work with and have support from a single source, lead - ing up to and during the implementa - tion of processes.” Commercial made adjustments to the software programs and processes on-site at the RockWell facility. “These products would have been impossible to fabricate with - out Commercial’s automated sys - tems, as the cost and safety risks would have been too high, in our calculations,” said Cook. RockWell uses Solidworks for engineering design work, while Commercial Tool Group uses the easily interfaced Siemens NX suite of CAD/CAM/CAE. The two compa - nies seamlessly exchanged conversion files. Regarding issues encountered by RockWell, Cook mentioned there were some early challenges but Commercial had been supportive in making sure everything was working well at each stage of the process. He was very hap - py with assistance received from Scott Chase and other employees at Com - mercial. Cook mentioned he would often be present at RockWell’s meet - ings with Commercial, making sure the process was running smoothly and that RockWell requirements were satisfied. Cook emphasized that many Commer - cial teammembers would travel to his production facility frequently to man - age commissioning of the entire sys - tem during this project. According to Cook, they were “highly dedicated and committed to hitting our scheduled deadlines, which were very tight.” “Although this was RockWell’s first project with Commercial, it certainly won’t be our last,” Vaughn Cook con - cludes, adding he is certain his com - pany will once again partner with CTG because of the high technical skill set of the personnel and the great people that he met. “It was a perfect match for our success with this new Denali line, which is already gaining popularity in the market.” Commercial Tool Group www.commercialtoolgroup.com Denali window wells from RockWell are lightweight and attractive, plus they won’t rust or corrode as metal wells do Molds made by Commercial allow the composite materials to be heated and formed Lightweight and easy-to-install Denali wells are available through various building supply and home center outlets across America (Pictures: Commercial Tool Group)