Prototyping for regulated industries demands rapid iteration without compromising precision.
This Mastercam case study explores how a design house moves from concept to first article on parts with tiny holes, delicate plastics and tight assembly fits.
The focus is on a verification-first workflow, disciplined fixturing and stock-aware toolpaths that keep risk low while enabling next-day parts for testing and validation cycles.
Client Snapshot
NOVO Engineering is a Vista, California design and engineering firm serving medical devices, life science automation, digital imaging and commercial products for brands like Medtronic, Synthetic Genomics, Hewlett-Packard and TaylorMade.
Facilities span 26 000 square feet in San Diego and 12 000 square feet in Minnesota, with design offices, labs and a prototype shop offering CNC turning, milling and additive.
A team of 50-60 design engineers develop product designs primarily in SOLIDWORKS.
The Challenge
NOVO’s work spans unusual materials, complex geometries and very small features.
Parts often require tight tolerances around 0.002 inches and drilling holes as small as 0.008 inches through up to 0.120 inches of material.
The team must plan carefully, iterate quickly and maintain surface quality for optical components, all while keeping machine time focused on cutting, not trial-and-error.
The Solution
NOVO standardised the programming workflow in Mastercam, using solid models from SOLIDWORKS as the single source of truth for CAM.
Programmers apply Mastercam Multiaxis, Mill, Lathe and Mastercam for SOLIDWORKS to generate unified toolpaths, then rely on in-system Verify, Backplot and Simulation to check clearances, detect potential gouges and remove air-cuts before any chips are made.
Dynamic Motion strategies – including Dynamic roughing and Dynamic OptiRough – help maintain stable engagement, spread heat along the flute, and dramatically shorten roughing time when plastics and other materials allow.
Design changes are picked up directly from SOLIDWORKS without extensive reprogramming.
Tools and tactics applied
- Multiaxis, Mill, Lathe, Mastercam for SOLIDWORKS for unified programming and fast design-to-CAM handoff.
- Verify, Backplot, Simulation to validate motion, fixtures and clearances off the machine.
- Dynamic toolpaths to remove material efficiently while preserving small-feature integrity.
Results
For plastic components, Dynamic toolpaths have reduced machining time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds, enabling more iterations with less spindle time.
Many parts hit assembly fits with tolerances around 0.002 inches, and the team routinely drills 0.008-inch holes through up to 0.120 inches of stainless steel or plastics.
The shop also benefits from a shared tool library, which accelerates similar future jobs.
We use the Dynamic toolpaths because they’re so efficient in removing a large volume of material in a timely fashion.
Leo Castellon, machinist at NOVO Engineering.
Why It Matters
High-mix, high-precision product companies face similar constraints: unusual materials, tiny features and frequent design updates.
A model-driven, verification-first CAM workflow with Multiaxis strategies, Dynamic toolpaths and SOLIDWORKS integration can shorten cycles while protecting part quality.
For solution details, visit our Mastercam product page.
The Bottom Line
NOVO Engineering shows what disciplined programming and verification can deliver for complex prototypes.
Solid-model handoff, Multiaxis strategies and Dynamic roughing reduce cutting time, support tiny features and make next-day parts realistic for verification and validation.
Looking to accelerate prototype machining with Mastercam? Book a demo or contact the sales team to discuss modules, machines and rollout.
Content adapted from the original case study published by Mastercam.
