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feature production; a Product Development Center for mold qualification and short test runs; and a suite of of f i c e s fo r a d m i n i s tr ati o n, tr a i n i n g a n d meetings. Manufacturing capabilities include wire and sinker EDM, CNC hard milling, various types of grinding (jig, surface, ID/OD), five-axis multitasking and laser engraving. Around 80 mold manufacturing specialists and their leaders are employed there. Mr. Graham joined Rexam in late 2011 after eight years as a consultant in the design and installation of automated mold manufacturing systems. A spectacular but short-lived implementation of cellular mold production designed by Mr. Graham attracted considerable attention in 2003. Many of his ideas for automated mold manufacturing were developed for that installation. "What attracted me to Rexam was an opportunity to advance mold manufacturing to a new level of flexibility and productivity. I also like the team-based approach to mold manufacturing that is a hallmark of Rexam's manufacturing culture," Mr. Graham says. The MegaCell, which will consist of four other cells similar to Rail 1, will be the centerpiece of RMM's push to state-of-the-art mold manufacturing technology. "It's cutting edge on many levels," Mr. Graham explains, "but the dual-mode operational capability is an especially important strength." That's because, he says, dual-mode capability addresses and resolves one of the main dilemmas m o l d s h o p s c o nf ro nt w h e n eva l u ati n g th e jump to an automated system: how to get high production without giving up flexibility. "The successful mold manufacturer has to have both," Mr. Graham declares. Customized for Custom Work At first glance, Rail 1 may not appear conspicuously different from other machining cells. On one side of the rail-guided robot carrier are two sinker Identical pallet receivers on the machine tools and CMM ensure precise and repeatable location, whether the robot or the operator loads the pallet. mmsonline.com September 2013 MMS 79