Sheet metal working software saves costs

Lantek obtained some top quality leads and used the opportunity to cement relationships with its machine tool partners for the recommendation of its sheet metal CAD/CAM software. Version 25, which was launched at the show was well received by both existing customers and new prospects. Rob Powell, commercial director, Lantek Systems said, ´Visitors were particularly interested in the Lantek Expert ERP system and the new nesting algorithms in version 25.´ The Lantek Expert Quotes Module uses historic cost and profit margin information to help to compile accurate quotations, and the Inventory Module checks stock levels against orders to determine the actual production requirements, while the production process is monitored by the Production Orders Module.

Quick loading nests and links to the Inventory and Cost Modules give an up to date picture of the status of production to enable managers to optimise productivity and make informed decisions.

All the information in Lantek Expert is held in a central database to minimise duplication, speed access, and allow the cross referencing of data.

Tools include new icons which display the quantity status of each part at a glance, showing whether it has been completed, overproduced or that more are required. The 6% improvement in savings in material utilisation in Lantek´s Version 25 Nesting Module is achieved by producing a highly regular optimised pattern.

Powell added, ´With increased material costs, saving in this area will contribute directly to our customer´s profits.´ To further increase utilization, the Lantek software can now handle and save nesting patterns, which include the machining technology. Easier identification of individual nests makes it quicker to identify the part to be cut and reduces the risk of error.

Visitors to the Lantek stand also appreciated the new vectoring capabilities of the software. This addition in Version 25 allows art work to be easily converted into geometry so that they can be cut on a profiling machine without having to calculate all the individual dimensions. Powell concluded, ´MACH was definitely a very worthwhile exhibition. It gave us the opportunity to showcase the advances we have made in Lantek and further raise our profile as a leading supplier of sheet metal fabrication software in the UK.´ * About Lantek Systems - Lantek Systems, formed in 2000 is the UK arm of Lantek Spain, which has its headquarters in Vitoria-Gasteiz near Bilbao.

Lantek specialises in the creation and delivery of software to optimise the performance of sheet metal and fabrication machines; products to maximise economy of material usage; and software for effective production control in a fabrication environment. Lantek has offices in France, Spain, Italy, UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Czech Rep., South Korea, India, China and Poland.

More than 7,800 licences of the software are in use around the world, providing improved productivity and profitability for companies using oxyfuel, plasma, waterjet, punching and combination machines.