Tracking and Nesting Software for Highly Effective Composite Fabrication

JETCAM International s.a.r.l. (Monaco) has released Version 4 of their CrossTrack Composite Manufacturing suite, including the new Material Tracking Lite (MTL) software aimed at shops that want low-cost material life tracking of rolls and kits. CrossTrack MTL provides a cost-effective way to implement traceability of both rolls and kits of plies across the cutting room. Staff are presented with a simple interface where batches of material can be created and booked in quickly using barcode scanners. Unlimited locations can be added, after which stock can then be tracked as it moves around the facility. Once plies are cut the resulting kits can also be added and tracked. CrossTrack also tracks the remaining life of both rolls and kits, and allows for full reporting using a powerful in-built reporting engine. CrossTrack MTL is ‘nesting system agnostic’ and does not need to integrate with Expert CAM/Nesting software, but can be upgraded to higher end versions at any time in the future if required.

CrossTrack 4 also includes the option to connect to RFID scanning systems for completely hands free and automatic scanning of materials or kits as they arrive or leave locations, removing the requirement for staff to manually input or scan each item. Many shops must provide traceability reports for their customers when delivering finished parts, and all versions of CrossTrack now include an immediate traceability report for either a given roll or kit at the right-click of a mouse. Each kit report details comprehensive data, including movements, and for a particular kit and plies it consists of and any roll of material associated with it, along with its location, time-stamps and who created the log entry. Other features include improved grid/nest batch reports, the ability to link materials that are not plies into a given assembly (i.e. honeycomb ‘fillers’), and database slimming, which results in significantly smaller database file sizes as data is added to the system. CrossTrack 4 is also able to use barcode scanners for semi-automatic barcode scanning, as well as advanced RFID scanning technology for automatic roll, kit, mold and other items tracking.

JETCAM also offers the latest versions of their Expert nesting software and Orders Controller software, both of which include several new major features. Expert software supports virtually every CNC punching, laser, plasma, routing, waterjet and flatbed cutting machine available today, allowing users to program any combination of CNC machines with a single CAM system. Its new interface also benefits from continuous improvements, including right-click menus and sub-menus from within all component and nest screens. The company has also continued to expand their JETCAM University online learning center that is free to use for all existing customers and can be viewed on a desktop, tablet or mobile device at jetcam.com. Since launching in March 2016, several thousand videos have already been viewed.

“CrossTrack 4 now offers a scalable solution that is suitable for all types and sizes of composite manufacturer – from SMEs through to multinational enterprises,” explained Martin Bailey, the general manager of JETCAM. “CrossTrack MTL delivers an extremely cost-effective solution to fabricators needing to track material location and life. As it does not need to integrate into a nesting system, shops wanting to keep their existing nesting software can do so, but they have a full upgrade path to take advantage of our high performance nesting in the future if they wish to do so. The addition of the MTL learning course in our Online University means that customers can be self-sufficient in a matter of hours.”

JETCAM International s.a.r.l., “Millenium” 9C, 9 Boulevard Charles III, Monaco MC98000, +44 (0)870 760 6469, info@jetcam.com, www.jetcam.com.