5 Star review of our Multicam CNC Machines
“influencing factors of the Mulitcam CNC Routers over other models include the price parity, the footprint in which the machines operate compared to a moving bed router, their ease of use, robust build, reliability and the intuitive user friendly software package”
5 Star Cases is one of UK’s leading flight case manufacturer, serving many industry sectors including Entertainment, Medical, Telecommunications, Military, Robotics & Motorsport, just to name a few. What started in 1981 as a small, fairly local business has now grown to be one of the largest and most respected flight cases manufacturers in the UK & Europe.
They have the ability to tackle almost any flight case project, large or small, complex or simple and pride themselves on prompt and efficient service, with extremely quick delivery times. Their production facility is well equipped with modern production systems including 3 large-format Multicam CNC machines, panel and extrusion saws, hot-melt adhesive systems and foam band knife saws. Together with die-cut hydraulic foam presses, extrusion profile punches and a panel laminating line for flight case manufacture, this ensures 5 Star’s capabilities are second to none.
The 5 Star Cases premises occupy in excess of 45,000 square feet of space, including production, stores and administration. Each department, whether it’s production, administration or storage, is kept up to date with the latest equipment and facilities.
5 Star Cases initially purchased a Multicam 3000 Series from CNC World to replace and existing cnc machine with a moving table. They were so impressed by the robust build, the ease of use, the precision, and the efficient use of the space required to operate the machine, that they have since purchased another 2 Multicam 5000 Series CNC routers.
1. What Market sector does your company operate in?
We operate in the protective packaging market including flight cases, bespoke protective covers and personalised luggage trunks.
2. What does you company produce?
We manufacture protective packaging mainly for the entertainment industry but also for medical and other, our main product lines are flight cases, foam inserts and protective bags and covers.
What sets us apart is we focus on low volume but high complexity. This means that while the quantities produced may be relatively small, the bespoke designed packaging with modified foam inlays, ensures the safe delivery of unique and intricate products.
3. What equipment did you require and how did you find out about the equipment to meet your requirements?
We have 3 Multicam CNC Flatbed routers. We use these for the production of the case carcass, the partitions, and any other requested modifications. We also use them for the foam and plastics inlays.
We have found that these versatile CNC machines have worked reliably, as expected.
4. What specific features or capabilities of our Multicam CNC machine attracted you and influenced your purchasing decision?
We were interested in the Multicam CNC Routers in particular because of their robust build, their ease of use, and their precision. They also make very efficient use of the space required for machine to operate. We previously worked on CNC Machines with moving tables that required a lot of space in which to manoeuvre and operate in.
5. Were there any specific projects or applications that you had in mind when deciding to purchase our Multicam CNC machine? If so, how do you anticipate the machine meeting your requirements?
The machine has met our requirements for the production of all of our manufacturing projects.
6. How did our Multicam CNC machine compare to other options you considered in terms of quality, price, and overall value for your business?
Some of the influencing factors of the Mulitcam CNC Routers over other models was the price parity, the footprint in which the machines operate compared to a moving bed router, their ease of use and the intuitive user friendly software package.
7. Did you receive any recommendations or feedback from others in your industry that influenced your decision to purchase our Multicam CNC machine?
No recommendations – but visited several companies to understand the suitability of product and the level of support offered, and the evidence of that support being actioned (visited current end users with CNC World)
8. What materials do you use in your manufacturing?
We use a variety of materials including:
Plywood
Polyethylene foam
Plastics (polyethylene)
Aluminium
High pressured laminate
Phenol coated plywood
PVC coated Plywood
9. Is time of production an important consideration to your business?
Yes it is. We have 3 CNC machines and we operate the machines 5 days a week on a day shift and night shift, so they are running 20hrs any given 24 hr period. Time of production is important to any manufacturer, in my opinion, so having three machines running two shifts definitely helps.
10. What was your deciding factor to go ahead with the purchase of the MultiCam?
Our existing machinery was outdated and Multicam ticked all the boxes:
Price
Support
Stability
Confidence in well-established business
11. How easy is the machine to use?
Based on previous experience with comparable products – Multicams are the most user friendly and meet all our expectations. The interface is as simple as using a smart phone, with easy to use language and simple instructions.
The software supplied is easy to use and modify, even during a project and you do not have to change the tooling when changes are made. You can program the software with all your regular parameters so that you do not have to surface block each time you change the depth of material. This is extremely useful and time saving for us as we use materials that range in thickness from 6mm to 15mm.
12. Does the machine meet your expectations?
Yes
13. How have you found the customer journey with CNC World to be from initial enquiry to delivery?
From the scheduling of equipment, to the delivery and associated support, CNC World have been, and continue to be very proactive and responsive.
14. How have you found the after sales support to be from CNC World?
The After Sales support from CNC world has been very good. You can always call for advice on a specific product or tooling and CNC World can deliver. It is reassuring to know that if we need to call for an engineer, one will be with us within 24 hours and there is always the phone support to talk us through any issues that may be rectified on site by our own CNC operators.
CNC World always make us feel welcome at their head office in Dereham, which is really useful for demos of the right tooling for a specific project or new product.
15. What has the purchase of the machine done for your business?
The Multicam CNC Routers have enabled us to increase manufacturing capacity. This is mainly due to the accuracy of the machines in repeatability, flexibility and output.
16. Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve or accomplish with the help of our Multicam CNC machine, and how do you anticipate it will contribute to your business growth or success?
Apart from the moon landing…
We see that the Multicam CNC machines will contribute to a sustainable increase in quality and volume of output.
Whatever industry sector you work in, 5 Star has a flight case solution. Why not make an appointment and visit their factory to see the care and consideration that is put into every individual case that that is produced.
Visit their website www.5star-cases.com to find out more.
