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better production Shops Using Technology CAM Software Improves Turnaround Times C ope Plastics isn't your typical machine shop. In fact, before it began to primarily manufacture CNC-machined plastic parts, 60 percent of the company's business came from distributing plastic sheet and rod. The transition to manufacturing started to accelerate around 1998, just about the time the company acquired its first seat of Mastercam CAM software from CNC Software (Tolland, Connecticut). Since then, the company has grown through difficult economic conditions by increasing CAM programming and manufacturing efficiency to provide faster product turnaround times for its customers. While its primary business has flipped from distribution to manufacturing, Cope is still the largest distributor of plastic sheet and rod in This plastic generator housing used in the mining industry (lower right) is a metal replacement part Cope Plastics made using Mastercam's verify simulation feature (above). This feature enables programmers to be certain that material removal is correct before initiating high speed machining on a four-axis machining center (above right). Cope plastiCs problem Lacked CAM programming and manufacturing efficiency solution Mastercam software results Faster turnaround times, improved quality and consistency editor EMILY K . Probst, eprobst@mmsonline.com 102 MMS September 2013 mmsonline.com