Robert M. Colletti - Conlet Plastics, Inc. - New Milford, CT

Alvin,

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the benefits of owning a Thermwood Model 67, 5 Axis CNC Router.

We had placed a purchase order for the router in December of 1995. At this time during our companies growth we found we were in quite a dilemma. Knowing we had to purchase a machine like this to stay competitive, yet spending $90,000 on a machine was a hard nut to crack. We had done our research and decided the Thermwood Model 67 was the machine we wanted. The deciding factor was when I sent a small vacuumed formed part to Thermwood to see if and how it could be trimmed using there machine. A week later I had my answer. Not only did the sales rep show up at my front door, but he brought my finished part, a video of my part being machined and a time study on how long it took to machine this particular part. To say the least I was in complete awe, the Thermwood completed the part 4 times faster then I could by hand, and when you are talking about 30,000 pieces, that is a considerable savings. At this point I had made up my mind that the Thermwood Model 67 was the machine for me, I simply had to sign on the dotted line. This story I still repeat today when a new customer comes to tour my facility and sees my machine. Here's another classic example. We manufacture a Panel for one of our customers, originally the part had to pass through 4 different hand fixtures to get completed. The completion time for one piece was 12-15 minutes (trimming time only). Today, using the Thermwood 67, the part is completed in 1 minute.

We took delivery on the machine on February 20, 1996, two weeks after my training at Thermwood Corporation. The training was well executed and I believe anyone who is purchasing a machine should attend the classes. The instructors thoroughly teach all the functionality of what the machine is capable of. Of course like anything once you get the machine and start using it you find new ways to improve not only programming but cutter selection and speeds.

After having the machine only a short time we soon realized it was more profitable to transfer existing parts, which were done by hand, to the Thermwood. In many cases we were able to modify an existing fixture to fit on the CNC table. Today, every new part produced is trimmed on the Thermwood, many parts are just not feasible to produce by hand. We have simplified our fixture making and set up time to minutes instead of hours which makes prototyping a large portion of our business.

Over the years we have had to repair or replace certain components on the machine. I must say the parts and service department are impeccable. Parts are usually delivered the next day and questions on programming and/or machine functions are answered promptly.

Today we are going to the next level, we recently purchased a CAD/CAM package which allows us to easily machine new molds and/or parts. Some of our customers supply an IGES file which can easily be loaded into the CAD/CAM software and within minutes a cutter path is created and parts are being trimmed.

Many times I am asked if I would purchase another Thermwood, my answer is simply, without a doubt. I look forward to the day I can purchase another Thermwood.

Cordially,


Robert M. Colletti
Conlet Plastics, Inc.
193 Pickett District Road
New Milford, CT 06776

Tel. 860-354-0885
Fax. 860-354-7610

www.conletplastics.com