Lecourt Prototypes produce larger than life models with WorkNC Auto 5

In 1992, following an in-depth market study, Philippe and Patrick Lecourt decided to set up their own company : Lecourt Prototypes. Based in Mry-sur-Oise, France, with an original staff of 4 people, Lecourt Prototypes specialises in the design and manufacture of models and prototypes of finished products. A smaller part of their activity and in response to customers' demands, is the design and production of plastic injection and foundry moulds.

"My brother and I are very proud of what we have achieved over the past 12 years", says Philippe Lecourt. "Our activity means that we have to keep a low profile because we are involved early on in the design process, well ahead of general production. We put the growth of the company down to our expertise and word of mouth from satisfied clients". Lecourt Prototypes today employs more than 10 people, 8 of which work on the shop floor and three others in the engineering department. The company works for, amongst others, key contractors in the automobile, household electrical goods, hi-fi and telephone sectors.

<< WorkNC Auto 5 is a real groundbreaker as far as 5-axis machining is concerned. This module has arrived just at the right time for us as it offers the solutions we were seeking for complex prototype production with 5-axis machining facilities. >>
Philippe Lecourt, Co-founder of Lecourt Prototypes

"Our clients naturally insist upon total confidentiality, but above all, upon our ability to react quickly to their demands. Our job is to make increasingly complex preproduction models which customers use to check feasibility before continuing the design process. Bearing in mind the industrial investments at stake, there is no room for error", adds Philippe Lecourt. "I believe it is right to say that our business is that of a craftsman, in as much as we only produce single order parts that require a high level of technological and trade specific know-how. On average, it takes about 7 days to produce a model, but we are frequently required to produce a prototype in as little as 4 days, and this is where IT tools are invaluable, both on the shop floor and in the engineering office".

The 8 people in the workshop deploy 5 NC machines. For High Speed 5-Axis machining there is a DMU 100V, a 100T and a 200T Deckel-Maho, a Huron milling center and an ONA spark erosion machine. "The range of machines is not fixed at all, it's exactly the opposite in fact. It evolves over time according to requirements and new technologies", explains Philippe Lecourt.

The staff of 3 in the engineering office use workstations equipped with Euclid and Catia V4 and V5 CAD applications. WorkNC arrived in the company in 1996. "We have been working with WorkNC for over 15 years now, I was using it before we set up our company and I was very satisfied. Choosing WorkNC was largely motivated by my existing experience of the software and of SESCOI", relates Philippe Lecourt.

Philippe Lecourt goes on "Recently, our requirements for 5-axis machining have evolved, parts were becoming more and more difficult to make. We started looking around to see what the different software editors had on offer. We knew that Sescoi were developing something for 5-axis machining releasing in 2004, so we decided to wait. Why go elsewhere when we had so much experience with WorkNC and appreciated how easy it was to use, the interfaces were reliable and it did everything we needed of it - except for 5-axis machining at that particular moment in time".

At the beginning of 2004 Lecourt Prototypes started to evaluate and test the WorkNC 5-Axis module, with a particular interest in Auto 5. "I immediately realised the advantages of Auto 5. The possibility of automatically converting 3-axis toolpaths into 5-axis toolpaths was the solution we had been looking for to meet our customers' demands. It was exactly what we needed in terms of speed and productivity for the 5-axis machining of complicated prototype parts with characteristics such as core and cavity forms and ribs, etc.", confirmed Philippe Lecourt. "It really is an innovation as far as machining strategies are concerned and it is also an excellent method of working with 5-axis technology because no specific expertise or training is necessary as it is totally integrated into WorkNC, which we know so well". For this reason Lecourt Prototypes obtained a new WorkNC licence in March, 2004. "There will always be a need for prototype production and the particular know-how which is associated with the trade. In our sector of activity, solutions like WorkNC Auto 5 are essential to simplify and speed up our work, particularly as we are having to meet ever shorter delivery dates", concludes Philippe Lecourt.