The EU-funded Fastool (Campbellsville, KY 42718; www.fastoolinc.com) research initiative, which aims to reduce mould toolmaking throughput times by 50%, is making excellent progress, according to the UK´s GTMA (Princes Risborough, Bucks HP27 9DT; www.gtma.co.uk), which is leading the project. It is halfway through the three-year programme that is looking at ways of increasing automation in toolmaking in three ways: reducing the programming time for pre-milling moulds in HSM machines by 90%; reducing the programming time to generate electrode geometry and NC programmes for machines by up to 95%, integrating HSM machines for electrode generation and EDM machines for mould production in order to increase machine tool efficiency from 16% to 50%.

GTMA members participating in the project have been given a copy of the new PowerMILL AutoCAM software developed by Delcam (Birmingham B10 0HJ; www.delcam.com) that automatically machines a part and then creates NC program files to allow overnight running on the computer and the machine tool. Participants will receive ongoing Delcam support in exchange for their feedback on the software.