How We Reduced Setup Time on a 5-Axis Cell

A Midlands subcontractor running a 5-axis cell was struggling with recurring setups. Each new job seemed to start from scratch: fresh fixtures, fresh tooling, fresh proving-out.

We focused on three things:

1. Fixture standardisation. A small library of reusable fixture bases cut the number of bespoke setups by 60%.
2. Programming discipline. Templates and consistent tool naming meant programs were readable and maintainable by more than one person.
3. Setup sheet discipline. Clear, photo-led setup sheets reduced the reliance on memory.

The result: recurring setup time dropped by more than half, and the shop could quote shorter lead times with confidence.