Because I-DEAS Artisan was compatible with SmartCAM, CPI was not forced to migrate CAD and CAM operations simultaneously. And I-DEAS ' intuitive user interface eased the transition from 2D to 3D, allowing CPI engineers to quickly adapt to solid modeling. Creating one piece of tooling with the previous process usually took about three days. With the new system, it takes only five hours. Previously, CPI needed two days to complete a project from model to manufacturing.
Engineers now complete five projects in a single day.
Based on the users' initial reactions to the software, CPI management predicted they would double productivity in six months. But within just the first three weeks, productivity had increased five-fold. The software produces a reliable, dimensionally stable model that permits the creation of highly accurate toolpaths. The tremendous increase in productivity resulting from solid modeling allows the company to meet the demand for its products with everyone working normal hours. As a result, CPI has almost totally eliminated overtime.