How our continued investment into digital technology is keeping us at the forefront of precision toolmaking

By Kevin Batty, General Manager

Digital technologies are at the heart of each and every job carried out by our highly-experienced team here at Paragon Toolmaking, from concept to completion.

Despite being a small business, we operate in a world market and so have to be forward-thinking to remain competitive.

We are fortunate to have a great team who have been willing to learn new skills and constantly adapt with constant technological developments, and an owner willing continually invest, helping us maintain a reputation as a leading toolmaker for industries from aerospace and automotive to construction, medical, food, pharmaceuticals and white goods.

Over the past two years we have invested more than £500,000 to ensure our factory is one of the best equipped and most modern in the toolmaking sector.

Now, every step in our process is linked by connective technology, and the latest advancements in digital product design. It is something we are immensely proud of.

Specialist software used from project concept to completion

We use the latest simulation software at the very beginning of every project at Paragon Toolmaking to assess the shape and material of the proposed final product, working backwards through the required stages of production, taking into account tooling methods.

This is a crucial process, allowing us to assess firstly if there are any likely issues to arise during the manufacturing process, to identify areas of stress, weakness or wrinkling in the part, and whether it will perform to the required specifications of its role.

New digital technology recently introduced to our business following further investment then enables us to create an electronic version of the required tool, and mimic the way the tool itself would be manufactured, enabling adjustments to be identified electronically, and to change the forming process used.

This use of digital technology crucially enables our costings team to provide very accurate quotes, and price jobs accordingly at the start, something which is beneficial to both parties, as no customer likes being told of a cost increase midway through a project, which can happen if there is not a full understanding of the process ahead.
By using digital technology, we are also able to test many variants without the cost of having to manufacture prototypes. We’ve on occasion tested as many as 20 different options for our clients in a matter of days which would have taken many weeks if we’d been doing it physically.

Upgrading machinery to match digital progress has been key

A toolroom is only ever as good as the machinery it uses, the digital technology which runs and connects them, and the skilled toolmakers who steer a project on its journey from concept to completion.

It is for that reason that we have invested so much into new machinery over the past couple of years, and into the training and development of our staff.

In the modern world, it is easy to allow digital technologies to outgrow the capabilities of the machinery on your factory floor, and we have found that we have needed to constantly upgrade our machinery to keep pace with ever-advancing CAD technology.
New additions have included a Hurco DCX32i CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) Milling machine, which has enabled us to manufacture tooling to form much larger 3D components and those using more complex parts requiring greater intricate details, bringing greater speed and efficiency to our processes.

With our Mitutoyo CMM machine linked directly to our design office, we are also able to import data from CAD and measure parts automatically in full 3D to determine the relationship between the co-ordinates of the “real life” part and the master model, enabling detailed inspection reports to be prepared ready for quality control sign off.

Inspection using CMM allows direct comparison between the finished part and the design, ensuring the highest standard of manufacturing.
Our USP is our offer of the best engineering and toolmaking minds combined with the very best in digital technology advancements, helping UK manufacturers develop products in the most efficient and profitable way, and ensuring costly production errors are avoided.
We are extremely proud of the team of highly-skilled and knowledgeable toolmakers we have.

They can sometimes see things that perhaps technology cannot identify because of their experience, but equally, our digital technology means we are never left relying on an individual, and can work with absolute accuracy and certainty at all times

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