Nadjar expands beyond grinding with ESPRIT

In order to safeguard the future of the family-owned company, founded by his father 50 years ago, director Renaud Nadjar has expanded the firm’s capability to perform other machining processes. Nadjar combines milling and turning with grinding to provide customers with a complete service. He now handles orders from the automotive, rail, chemical and machine-tool sectors for small- and medium-sized parts. Grinding is performed after heat treatment for parts that need to have an accuracy of several microns.

A CAM+machine package wins out

Nadjar’s first investment was in milling. Unimpressed by the programming software embedded in numeric control systems, Renaud Nadjar decided to equip the company with standalone programming software. He wanted to program more complex parts and program in the background while the machine was operating. He knew by talking to other subcontractors that there were problems with some of the solutions available on the market. Wanting to avoid those pitfalls, Nadjar decided to meet with several CAM software developers to help him make the right decision.

The partnership between machine manufacturer Haas and ESPRIT CAM software made it possible to purchase both in a package deal. "Thanks to this partnership, we were able to start with certified post processors and error-free CAM," Nadjar explained. He made an initial investment in three Haas machines with corresponding ESPRIT licences.

The developer of ESPRIT, DP Technology, works closely with machine-tool manufacturers to ensure that ESPRIT is compatible with all machines. The post processors are inspected and corrected by the manufacturers to ensure that users are fully satisfied.

The operator in charge of the Haas laths

Saved by aftersales service

Learning a new machining procedure, a new machine and new software all at the same time was a major challenge — on some days it must have seemed too much to handle. The technical support available for the ESPRIT software was the key to success.

After receiving training, some days were more difficult than others, but advice and technical support from ESPRIT reseller Usiprog helped Nadjar overcome all obstacles and develop the internal capability to program nearly any part. “The people from ESPRIT were friendly and efficient from the outset," he says.

The success of this initial experience led the Nadjar company to quickly buy an NC lathe with another ESPRIT license and then another milling machine. Now the team has a 2-axis turning license and a 2.5-axis milling license. An upcoming ESPRIT programming course will allow operators to learn about even more possibilities. “I’m always curious. I love learning, and each time a programming session is finished, I check to see if it's possible to find a way to machine more rapidly," Nadjar says.

Part made using two-axis turning and on-screen simulation of the machining.

Limitless 3D

The demand for 3D machining led the company to purchase the ESPRIT 3D milling module. It was a new challenge, but several months on, Nadjar is delighted with the investment. "The 3D module in ESPRIT is great. Because the software calculates everything, it prompts with coherent values, and we save an incredible amount of time. And of course, the results obtained are outstanding," Nadjar says.

For example, to program a resin panel in 3D, the programmer chooses a standard tool (a ball-nose cutter), sets a few parameters, and the software quickly takes care of the rest. Nadjar really appreciates the software's simulation capabilities: the state of the surface on the screen during simulation is just like that of the real part.  This allows him to adjust programming to obtain a perfect finish. “For me, ESPRIT is the solution we need to make complex parts and with incredible ease," he said.

A resin panel programmed with the ESPRIT 3D milling module.