Firstcut®Automates Threaded Holes

As part of the Proto Labs^® core commitment to continuous improvement, the on-line CNC machined parts service Firstcut^®has re-engineered the powerful software at the heart of its process and is delighted to announce the introduction of automated thread cutting.

‘Perhaps 15-20% of our customers request threaded holes,’ says Mr. John Tumelty, Managing Director of Proto Labs^®. ‘which is what prompted us to look at automating this process. By making them quick and easy to specify using the Firstcut^® process we’ve eliminated a secondary operation where there is always an opportunity for mistakes to occur. When we ship a part, you know the thread is correct and finished, so the customer is assured they have exactly what they specified.’

When a designer submits a 3D CAD model via the company’s Firstquote^® interactive online quoting system, Firstcut’s powerful software automatically writes the tool-paths for its state-of-the-art high-speed, CNC milling machines. The newly re-engineered Firstquote^® software now recognises the existence of pilot holes in a part and will give the customer the option of specifying whether and how they should be threaded*. Holes can be selected individually, while multiple holes of the same size can be selected collectively just as quickly and easily.