Crowley Tool, based in Hendersonville, Tennessee, manufacture insertable form tooling for the screw machine industry and run several Agie Wire machines. In 2001 they evaluated the market for software to drive these machines. They did not choose PEPS at that time, instead choosing to go with another leading brand. Commented Todd McDonald, Systems Manager; “We decided to go for the comfort factor of what appeared to be a large and reputable organisation, however I felt severely let down - the software did not generate code that would run every time, maintenance pricing was expensive and when I reported a bug it was ignored.”

Two years later, the time came to replace one of their Agie machines, so Todd installed an Agie Classic 2S, with a view to purchasing five more. The machine was supplied with PEPS Wire EDM. Said Todd, “I immediate felt at home with PEPS, and was able to use it very quickly in conjunction with our existing CAD system to automate the programming cycle. In the trial period I familiarised myself with the system completely without needing training, and from installation to this day PEPS has never generated code that the Agie wouldn’t run first time.”

The most apparent difference between their existing system and PEPS was speed. Crowley prides itself on fast setup times, which were already at 12 minutes - with PEPS this was reduced to only three! Added Todd, “The forms we produce daily are very straightforward. The number of stages you need to go through with PEPS is reduced because so much is handled automatically by the default settings.”

As with any new system there are always questions to which the answers are not immediately apparent. Todd’s experience of PEPS support, however has far exceeded his expectations. “Whenever I’ve had to call technical support my questions have always been readily dealt with - they’ve always gone that extra mile to make sure that the question has been answered fully. The software has always performed reliably as well - a marked difference from previous experiences.”

Crowley Tool made the decision to purchase five more Agie Classic 2S machines after the success of the first machine, and at the same time decided to replace their CAM system with PEPS. As the company continues to grow, new machines may be on the horizon, and Crowley will continue with the Agie machines because of their reliability and accuracy. PEPS will also continue to drive their entire Agie range of Wire machines. Todd finished by saying “It makes sense to have one system to drive all of our wire machines. I can train a member of staff with only a basic understanding of CAD on PEPS Wire EDM in only half a day. We use and recommend PEPS simply because it’s easy to use and generates 100% accurate code - every time.”

About The Company:

Name: Crowley Tool

Established: 1978

Staff: 50

Business: Insertable form tooling

Benefits Achieved:

• Learnt the system without even attending a training course
• Number of steps from design to NC code is minimal
• Produces 100% reliable NC code every time
• Reduced setup time by 75% to just three minutes
• Developments specific to Agie machines help Crowley get the absolute best out of their investment
• Excellent technical support

Comments:

"I have received better support for PEPS than I have from any other software or hardware vendor - ever."

Todd McDonald
Systems Manager