Verification Software Leverages Cloud for Tool Data

Sandvik Coromant introduces its CoroBore rough-boring tools, which are designed to address vibration, chip breaking and process security while Carbide Turning Inserts delivering high productivity. The tools are available in single, twin and triple edge. The tools are said to offer high performance in ISO P (steel), M (stainless steel), K (cast iron), N (nonferrous), S (heat-resistant super alloy and titanium) and ISO H (hardened steel).

To support these tools, the company has also introduced CoroBore 111 four-edged inserts, which are designed to provide optimized grade selection, good chip-formation qualities and increased tool life.

The CoroBore BR20 twin-edge tool has a differential pitch to reduce pitch vibration and enable use at longer overhangs and larger cut depths. It enables built-in step-boring without the need for an extra shim, and coolant nozzles which handle coolant pressure ranging to 70 bar (1,015 psi) to evacuate chips. The BR20 is available with vibration-damping Carbide Milling Inserts Silent Tools technology for long overhangs or where additional stability is needed, and is said to increase cut depth while maintaining security. According to the company, the BR20 can increase overhang by 30 percent compared to its DuoBore tool and tool life by 75 percent.

The single-edge BR10 is said to be ideal for back boring with its back-boring slide and cover. The three-edge BR30 has a short, rigid design and differential pitch for high productivity and low vibration.

These tools can be combined with the company’s Capto and EG modular systems for flexibility. Each solution is available separately or as part of a complete tool assembly kit.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Cemented Carbide Inserts

Sandvik Coromant introduces its CoroBore rough-boring tools, which are designed to address vibration, chip breaking and process security while Carbide Turning Inserts delivering high productivity. The tools are available in single, twin and triple edge. The tools are said to offer high performance in ISO P (steel), M (stainless steel), K (cast iron), N (nonferrous), S (heat-resistant super alloy and titanium) and ISO H (hardened steel).

To support these tools, the company has also introduced CoroBore 111 four-edged inserts, which are designed to provide optimized grade selection, good chip-formation qualities and increased tool life.

The CoroBore BR20 twin-edge tool has a differential pitch to reduce pitch vibration and enable use at longer overhangs and larger cut depths. It enables built-in step-boring without the need for an extra shim, and coolant nozzles which handle coolant pressure ranging to 70 bar (1,015 psi) to evacuate chips. The BR20 is available with vibration-damping Carbide Milling Inserts Silent Tools technology for long overhangs or where additional stability is needed, and is said to increase cut depth while maintaining security. According to the company, the BR20 can increase overhang by 30 percent compared to its DuoBore tool and tool life by 75 percent.

The single-edge BR10 is said to be ideal for back boring with its back-boring slide and cover. The three-edge BR30 has a short, rigid design and differential pitch for high productivity and low vibration.

These tools can be combined with the company’s Capto and EG modular systems for flexibility. Each solution is available separately or as part of a complete tool assembly kit.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Cemented Carbide Inserts

Walter M5137 Xtra tec XT Cutter Reduces Finishing Operations

So many of us have lost parts from tools slipping out of their holders. The reassuring whir of chips being made gives way to a screech and a thud, and we jump into damage assessment, hoping that the part is salvageable and knowing that it likely is not. Tool slippage is becoming more and more common as feed rates that were unthinkable ten years ago become commonplace.

Advanced machining technologies are drastically increasing feed rates for manufacturing, and this is especially prevalent in aluminum machining. The combination of more powerful machine tools and more aggressive machining strategies have pushed the material-removal rates towards levels that would have been unthinkable not long ago. Unfortunately, these high rates of material removal can put an enormous strain on the tooling.

Even light metals such as aluminum can cause problems with tooling when machinists run passes removing so much material. At a certain point, the forces required to remove so much material can pull the cutting tool right out of the toolholder. Losing a tool this way can severely damage a part, and replacing the tool can wipe out the time savings from the aggressive machine passes. Fortunately, some cutting tool companies are addressing this problem.

According to Mike MacArthur, Vice President of Engineering for RobbJack, more and more shops are complaining that tools can slip right out of the holder during aggressive machining operations. “Every job shop wants to remove material as quickly and efficiently as possible, especially in competitive industries like aerospace,” he says. “If a shop wants to make chips at the high rates you can achieve today, then it needs to invest in tooling that can withstand the forces generated by these aggressive passes.” To accommodate high feed rates in aluminum machining, RobbJack has standardized its cutting-tool offerings with features that keep its tools from falling out of place with its anti-pullout shanks.

The first step for improving the tools ability to stay in place was to put a focus on the tolerance of the tool’s shaft. “We made a conscious decision to hold every end mill shaft to h4 tolerance,” MacArthur says. For comparison, shrink-fit tools only achieve h6 tolerance. “The tighter fit provides a tighter grip, minimizing the potential for the end mill to slip.”

Grinding the cutting tools to such a high tolerance is only the first step, however. According to MacArthur, another major advantage is the gripping surface. “Some tool companies polish their tool shanks to make them as smooth as possible,” MacArthur says. “Instead, we actually grind a rough gripping surface into our shanks for improved holding power.”

The gripping surface provides extra friction that helps keep the cutting tool in place. Together with the high tolerance, this provides excellent grip. According to MacArthur, these techniques have improved the grip of RobbJack tools by 70%. This has enabled some customers to achieve full slotting with a 1" tool, ¾" deep at 33,000 rpm and 1,000 ipm without risking tool slippage.

In addition to preventing tool slippage, the rough surface the company grinds into the shank further improves the performance of RobbJack end mills. The increased grip improves the stability and rigidity of the tools, preventing runout and keeping the cutting edges more uniformly engaged in the material. The uniform fast feed milling inserts pressure this places on the cutting edges increases tool life by avoiding pressure spikes that can damage flutes. Plus, avoiding runout enables the user to consistently hold much tighter tolerances.

According to the company, this also reduces the pains that come with changing out tools because the tight grip helps to eliminate variability in the tools’ performance. Even smaller-diameter tools that do not see aggressive roughing operations can benefit from the reduced runout and improved consistency of of the anti-pullout shanks.

This increased precision and tool life complements other features of RobbJack tools, as you can see in the A1-303 and FM-series end mills for machining aluminum. Specifically designed for gun drilling inserts gun drilling inserts aerospace applications, these end mills include the anti-pullout shanks that come standard with RobbJack tools, in addition to the Mirror Edge preparation. This feature is designed to eliminate chatter in aluminum machining, an important benefit for aerospace work. These features together, along with the coating, have extended tool life 500% over similar tools and increased the material removal rate to 76 pounds of aluminum per minute. According to RobbJack, this can save a shop over $400,000 per year.

In order to keep up with the advanced machining strategies available today, shops must invest in tooling capable of supporting these strategies, MacArthur says. “Aerospace and automotive manufacturing are competitive industries, and keeping up with the competition means pursuing aggressive material removal rates. In order to capitalize on these techniques, you need an end mill that will stay in the toolholder and keep the chips flying.”

Check out RobbJack’s tool offerings.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: carbide Insert quotation

So many of us have lost parts from tools slipping out of their holders. The reassuring whir of chips being made gives way to a screech and a thud, and we jump into damage assessment, hoping that the part is salvageable and knowing that it likely is not. Tool slippage is becoming more and more common as feed rates that were unthinkable ten years ago become commonplace.

Advanced machining technologies are drastically increasing feed rates for manufacturing, and this is especially prevalent in aluminum machining. The combination of more powerful machine tools and more aggressive machining strategies have pushed the material-removal rates towards levels that would have been unthinkable not long ago. Unfortunately, these high rates of material removal can put an enormous strain on the tooling.

Even light metals such as aluminum can cause problems with tooling when machinists run passes removing so much material. At a certain point, the forces required to remove so much material can pull the cutting tool right out of the toolholder. Losing a tool this way can severely damage a part, and replacing the tool can wipe out the time savings from the aggressive machine passes. Fortunately, some cutting tool companies are addressing this problem.

According to Mike MacArthur, Vice President of Engineering for RobbJack, more and more shops are complaining that tools can slip right out of the holder during aggressive machining operations. “Every job shop wants to remove material as quickly and efficiently as possible, especially in competitive industries like aerospace,” he says. “If a shop wants to make chips at the high rates you can achieve today, then it needs to invest in tooling that can withstand the forces generated by these aggressive passes.” To accommodate high feed rates in aluminum machining, RobbJack has standardized its cutting-tool offerings with features that keep its tools from falling out of place with its anti-pullout shanks.

The first step for improving the tools ability to stay in place was to put a focus on the tolerance of the tool’s shaft. “We made a conscious decision to hold every end mill shaft to h4 tolerance,” MacArthur says. For comparison, shrink-fit tools only achieve h6 tolerance. “The tighter fit provides a tighter grip, minimizing the potential for the end mill to slip.”

Grinding the cutting tools to such a high tolerance is only the first step, however. According to MacArthur, another major advantage is the gripping surface. “Some tool companies polish their tool shanks to make them as smooth as possible,” MacArthur says. “Instead, we actually grind a rough gripping surface into our shanks for improved holding power.”

The gripping surface provides extra friction that helps keep the cutting tool in place. Together with the high tolerance, this provides excellent grip. According to MacArthur, these techniques have improved the grip of RobbJack tools by 70%. This has enabled some customers to achieve full slotting with a 1" tool, ¾" deep at 33,000 rpm and 1,000 ipm without risking tool slippage.

In addition to preventing tool slippage, the rough surface the company grinds into the shank further improves the performance of RobbJack end mills. The increased grip improves the stability and rigidity of the tools, preventing runout and keeping the cutting edges more uniformly engaged in the material. The uniform fast feed milling inserts pressure this places on the cutting edges increases tool life by avoiding pressure spikes that can damage flutes. Plus, avoiding runout enables the user to consistently hold much tighter tolerances.

According to the company, this also reduces the pains that come with changing out tools because the tight grip helps to eliminate variability in the tools’ performance. Even smaller-diameter tools that do not see aggressive roughing operations can benefit from the reduced runout and improved consistency of of the anti-pullout shanks.

This increased precision and tool life complements other features of RobbJack tools, as you can see in the A1-303 and FM-series end mills for machining aluminum. Specifically designed for gun drilling inserts gun drilling inserts aerospace applications, these end mills include the anti-pullout shanks that come standard with RobbJack tools, in addition to the Mirror Edge preparation. This feature is designed to eliminate chatter in aluminum machining, an important benefit for aerospace work. These features together, along with the coating, have extended tool life 500% over similar tools and increased the material removal rate to 76 pounds of aluminum per minute. According to RobbJack, this can save a shop over $400,000 per year.

In order to keep up with the advanced machining strategies available today, shops must invest in tooling capable of supporting these strategies, MacArthur says. “Aerospace and automotive manufacturing are competitive industries, and keeping up with the competition means pursuing aggressive material removal rates. In order to capitalize on these techniques, you need an end mill that will stay in the toolholder and keep the chips flying.”

Check out RobbJack’s tool offerings.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: carbide Insert quotation

Integrated Cutting System Technology Highlights ESAB Offerings

CNC Software has integrated Sandvik Coromant’s Adveon Tool Library with its Mastercam software for programming milling and turning machining. The software uses Dynamic Motion technology and is said to reduce cycle times and increase tool life. According to CNC Software, Adveon will help Mastercam users to further improve machining productivity and security as well deep hole drilling inserts as save time during machine setup by reducing engineer input.

Adveon’s standardized methodology is designed to facilitate quick and safe CAM programming, enabling users to develop their own tool library/database, select tools for production, oversee and maintain the assortment, build tool assemblies quickly and safely, see immediate results in 2D and 3D models, and export to Mastercam Tool Manager.

The open catalog area can reduce time spent on finding and defining cutting tools as well as eliminate the need to search for information in catalogs or interpret data from one system to another. This in turn helps the manufacturer gain rapid access to the required cutting tool information in order to source the most suitable machining solution paired with the most efficient cutting tool selection. With Adveon, users can select the tools used in their daily operations, tube process inserts maintain and amend the assortment and create their own tool libraries by copying and pasting from the catalog area. Virtual tools can be assembled quickly and securely before exporting them into Mastercam.

The tool library software works with any tooling supplier that bases its catalog on ISO 13399, thus assuring the accuracy of geometrical information.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: cast iron Inserts

CNC Software has integrated Sandvik Coromant’s Adveon Tool Library with its Mastercam software for programming milling and turning machining. The software uses Dynamic Motion technology and is said to reduce cycle times and increase tool life. According to CNC Software, Adveon will help Mastercam users to further improve machining productivity and security as well deep hole drilling inserts as save time during machine setup by reducing engineer input.

Adveon’s standardized methodology is designed to facilitate quick and safe CAM programming, enabling users to develop their own tool library/database, select tools for production, oversee and maintain the assortment, build tool assemblies quickly and safely, see immediate results in 2D and 3D models, and export to Mastercam Tool Manager.

The open catalog area can reduce time spent on finding and defining cutting tools as well as eliminate the need to search for information in catalogs or interpret data from one system to another. This in turn helps the manufacturer gain rapid access to the required cutting tool information in order to source the most suitable machining solution paired with the most efficient cutting tool selection. With Adveon, users can select the tools used in their daily operations, tube process inserts maintain and amend the assortment and create their own tool libraries by copying and pasting from the catalog area. Virtual tools can be assembled quickly and securely before exporting them into Mastercam.

The tool library software works with any tooling supplier that bases its catalog on ISO 13399, thus assuring the accuracy of geometrical information.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: cast iron Inserts

Cutting AM Parts from Build Plate Turns Wire EDM Upside Down

Maybe you don’t think much about it when a machine is new. But over time, a machining center is going to require more than routine maintenance. Sooner or later mechanical components are going to wear, alter machine performance and may even lead to catastrophic failure. The questions to ask now are: When is that most likely to happen? How disruptive will unplanned maintenance be to your production schedule? And how much will it cost you in substantial repairs and lost production?

What if a machining center could monitor itself and predict impending problems before they occur? Now that could cut out preventable production interruptions and enable shops to perform maintenance at the most convenient times.

Much has been made of the potential of IIoT technology to address “predictive maintenance” and a host of other issues sometime in the future. But what can the industrial internet of things or Industry 4.0 do for manufacturers right now?

Makino has a very practical answer for that with its MHmax machine health monitoring system. By applying sensors and proprietary predictive analysis algorithms that constantly check the health of a machining center’s spindle, toolchanger, coolant and hydraulic systems, machine-resident software can detect when critical systems are trending toward the need for repair. This isn’t technology coming somewhere down the road. It’s available on selected Makino 1-series horizontal machining centers today.

Manufacturers have been using sensors to measure data points like sound, heat and vibration on machine tools for years, but making the best use of the data has not been easy. External monitoring systems had the ability to compare sensor data to a known set of baseline conditions but still required continued technical development to be effective. What’s different with MHmax, which stands for Makino Health Maximizer, is that a fully functional monitoring and analysis system resides entirely in the machine control.

Sophisticated machine learning software paired with a sensor array works from day one and adapts to shoulder milling cutters machine characteristics as it monitors performance over time. This is what enables the system to predict component failures before they happen. With a constant stream of sensor data to analyze, the system “learns” which machine characteristics are normal and which are not. And it can determine early on when machine characteristics are beginning to trend toward a non-conforming condition.

An interesting aspect of MHmax is how it originated. You can try to monitor virtually any component on a machine tool, but going overboard adds needless complexity and costs that may not really add value. Makino wanted to develop a cost-effective predictive solution that solves the most common real-world problems. So they began by analyzing their own service dispatch records to determine systems posed the highest probability of slot milling cutters causing unplanned downtime should they fail. According to Makino’s Dan Wissemeier, IoT customer support engineer, “It’s not necessary, for example, to measure ballscrews. They are so reliable that it wouldn’t be cost effective.” On the other hand, “A production machining center can have two million tool changes per year. Sooner or later, that’s going to need maintenance,” he says.

In all, the MHmax system includes multiple embedded sensors collecting data at the most critical points in a machine. Using this data the predictive software checks for spindle health, analyzes controller data and calculates the needs for alerts or warnings on critical machine functions. It checks spindle vibration, load and speed; automatic toolchanger alignment; coolant flow and temperature; and the hydraulic system pressure and temperature. A 24/7 alert system pushes notifications via email or text to designated recipients.

In addition to the predictive maintenance aspects of MHmax, it also provides a real-time portrait of a machine’s status, which can be enormously helpful in optimizing processes, improving equipment utilization and enabling more worry-free hours of unattended or lightly tended machining.

Monitoring data can be viewed on Makino’s Pro 6 HMI display, or remotely via a network connection, depending on the user’s preferred level of system connectivity. Daily, weekly and monthly uptime and predictive reports are available, and frequencies are selectable.

Most IIoT systems today rely on uploading sensor data to cloud-based application. Data is frequently pooled with other users allowing the vendor to mine data in ways that are not necessarily shared with the customer. MHmax is distinctly different from this approach because most of the data processing and analysis happen right at the machine tool and are shared in a way in which the user has total control. There are three levels of system connectivity:

In Level 1, the entire application runs in a standalone mode and is viewable only on the machine Pro6 control screen.

With Level 2, multiple machines can be connected to a company network. A common dashboard displays all connected machines and can be accessed by desktop computer or mobile devices.

Level 3 provides a direct link to Makino’s service management system. While the data remains secure inside the shop’s network, individual machine alerts are pushed out so Makino can keep a machine history for the customer. With this level of support, highly trained service technicians can contact customers in a proactive fashion.

Initially, Makino is offering MHmax as an option on selected horizontal machining centers and has future plans to apply it on all production-oriented equipment. Also, a retrofittable kit is in the works. The software is continually in development and moving toward “prescriptive maintenance” where the system identifies possible causes of non-conforming conditions.

What’s the value of having predictive maintenance on your next production machining center? For a moment, don’t look forward but instead, look back. What has your service history been, and what did unplanned equipment failures impact? What did they cost, not just the repairs, but the lost production? That may not be top of the mind for the machine you are buying today, but it will be. It’s just a matter of time.

Go here for more information on Makino’s MHmax.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Carbide Turning Inserts

Maybe you don’t think much about it when a machine is new. But over time, a machining center is going to require more than routine maintenance. Sooner or later mechanical components are going to wear, alter machine performance and may even lead to catastrophic failure. The questions to ask now are: When is that most likely to happen? How disruptive will unplanned maintenance be to your production schedule? And how much will it cost you in substantial repairs and lost production?

What if a machining center could monitor itself and predict impending problems before they occur? Now that could cut out preventable production interruptions and enable shops to perform maintenance at the most convenient times.

Much has been made of the potential of IIoT technology to address “predictive maintenance” and a host of other issues sometime in the future. But what can the industrial internet of things or Industry 4.0 do for manufacturers right now?

Makino has a very practical answer for that with its MHmax machine health monitoring system. By applying sensors and proprietary predictive analysis algorithms that constantly check the health of a machining center’s spindle, toolchanger, coolant and hydraulic systems, machine-resident software can detect when critical systems are trending toward the need for repair. This isn’t technology coming somewhere down the road. It’s available on selected Makino 1-series horizontal machining centers today.

Manufacturers have been using sensors to measure data points like sound, heat and vibration on machine tools for years, but making the best use of the data has not been easy. External monitoring systems had the ability to compare sensor data to a known set of baseline conditions but still required continued technical development to be effective. What’s different with MHmax, which stands for Makino Health Maximizer, is that a fully functional monitoring and analysis system resides entirely in the machine control.

Sophisticated machine learning software paired with a sensor array works from day one and adapts to shoulder milling cutters machine characteristics as it monitors performance over time. This is what enables the system to predict component failures before they happen. With a constant stream of sensor data to analyze, the system “learns” which machine characteristics are normal and which are not. And it can determine early on when machine characteristics are beginning to trend toward a non-conforming condition.

An interesting aspect of MHmax is how it originated. You can try to monitor virtually any component on a machine tool, but going overboard adds needless complexity and costs that may not really add value. Makino wanted to develop a cost-effective predictive solution that solves the most common real-world problems. So they began by analyzing their own service dispatch records to determine systems posed the highest probability of slot milling cutters causing unplanned downtime should they fail. According to Makino’s Dan Wissemeier, IoT customer support engineer, “It’s not necessary, for example, to measure ballscrews. They are so reliable that it wouldn’t be cost effective.” On the other hand, “A production machining center can have two million tool changes per year. Sooner or later, that’s going to need maintenance,” he says.

In all, the MHmax system includes multiple embedded sensors collecting data at the most critical points in a machine. Using this data the predictive software checks for spindle health, analyzes controller data and calculates the needs for alerts or warnings on critical machine functions. It checks spindle vibration, load and speed; automatic toolchanger alignment; coolant flow and temperature; and the hydraulic system pressure and temperature. A 24/7 alert system pushes notifications via email or text to designated recipients.

In addition to the predictive maintenance aspects of MHmax, it also provides a real-time portrait of a machine’s status, which can be enormously helpful in optimizing processes, improving equipment utilization and enabling more worry-free hours of unattended or lightly tended machining.

Monitoring data can be viewed on Makino’s Pro 6 HMI display, or remotely via a network connection, depending on the user’s preferred level of system connectivity. Daily, weekly and monthly uptime and predictive reports are available, and frequencies are selectable.

Most IIoT systems today rely on uploading sensor data to cloud-based application. Data is frequently pooled with other users allowing the vendor to mine data in ways that are not necessarily shared with the customer. MHmax is distinctly different from this approach because most of the data processing and analysis happen right at the machine tool and are shared in a way in which the user has total control. There are three levels of system connectivity:

In Level 1, the entire application runs in a standalone mode and is viewable only on the machine Pro6 control screen.

With Level 2, multiple machines can be connected to a company network. A common dashboard displays all connected machines and can be accessed by desktop computer or mobile devices.

Level 3 provides a direct link to Makino’s service management system. While the data remains secure inside the shop’s network, individual machine alerts are pushed out so Makino can keep a machine history for the customer. With this level of support, highly trained service technicians can contact customers in a proactive fashion.

Initially, Makino is offering MHmax as an option on selected horizontal machining centers and has future plans to apply it on all production-oriented equipment. Also, a retrofittable kit is in the works. The software is continually in development and moving toward “prescriptive maintenance” where the system identifies possible causes of non-conforming conditions.

What’s the value of having predictive maintenance on your next production machining center? For a moment, don’t look forward but instead, look back. What has your service history been, and what did unplanned equipment failures impact? What did they cost, not just the repairs, but the lost production? That may not be top of the mind for the machine you are buying today, but it will be. It’s just a matter of time.

Go here for more information on Makino’s MHmax.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Carbide Turning Inserts

Custom Macros Can Skip Holes After Replacing Broken Tools

Walter USA has announced several extensions to its Tiger-tec Gold inserts. The WKP35G milling grade is manufactured using the ultra low-pressure CVD method (ULP-CVD), available in both positive and negative inserts. Sintered inserts for the Walter Blaxx shoulder milling cutters provide four 90-degree cutting edges. M4000 extensions include a square shape, wavy design of the clearance face and small corner radii. Sintered inserts for the F4045 cutter provide 14 cutting edges and variant corner radius, while a wiper insert for the cutter is also available. Inserts for the M3024 provide 14 cutting edges, positive geometry, and a secondary cutting edge or corner radius. Two wiper inserts for the M2136 shoulder mill are also among fast feed milling inserts the extensions to the line.

Like previous Tiger-tec Gold inserts, the extensions to the line employ a carbide substrate covered by a resistant TiAIN layer with a high aluminum content, topped by a TiN top layer that helps protect the substrate against abrasion, hairline cracks, plastic deformation and oxidation. This gold-colored top layer enables wear detection and improves friction characteristics. Additionally, a thin TiN layer is located between the carbide substrate and the TiAIN layer, Carbide Drilling Inserts ensuring strong binding of the layers.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: http://arthuredwi.mee.nu/

Walter USA has announced several extensions to its Tiger-tec Gold inserts. The WKP35G milling grade is manufactured using the ultra low-pressure CVD method (ULP-CVD), available in both positive and negative inserts. Sintered inserts for the Walter Blaxx shoulder milling cutters provide four 90-degree cutting edges. M4000 extensions include a square shape, wavy design of the clearance face and small corner radii. Sintered inserts for the F4045 cutter provide 14 cutting edges and variant corner radius, while a wiper insert for the cutter is also available. Inserts for the M3024 provide 14 cutting edges, positive geometry, and a secondary cutting edge or corner radius. Two wiper inserts for the M2136 shoulder mill are also among fast feed milling inserts the extensions to the line.

Like previous Tiger-tec Gold inserts, the extensions to the line employ a carbide substrate covered by a resistant TiAIN layer with a high aluminum content, topped by a TiN top layer that helps protect the substrate against abrasion, hairline cracks, plastic deformation and oxidation. This gold-colored top layer enables wear detection and improves friction characteristics. Additionally, a thin TiN layer is located between the carbide substrate and the TiAIN layer, Carbide Drilling Inserts ensuring strong binding of the layers.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: http://arthuredwi.mee.nu/

Entry Level Tool Presetter Resists Temperature Fluctuation

A line of positive inserts have been incorporated into Tungaloy's AH905 grade for turning super alloys and other difficult-to-machine materials in the aerospace BTA deep hole drilling inserts and power-generation industries. Featuring PremiumTec surface technology, the inserts improve productivity by preventing chip adhesion and improving chip flow. AlTiN PVD coating improves wear resistance for consistent performance and increased tool life. The inserts are available with six types of chipbreakers for medium to finish-cutting applications. These chipbreakers include PSF, PSS, PS, RS, 61 and all-round chipbreaker types.

The PSF is designed for machining with low cutting forces and is well-suited for finish-turning operations, the company says. It can turn at low depths of cut to decrease the potential for chip-control issues.

The PSS chipbreaker is well-suited for light machining and internal turning operations, the company says. The PS geometry is an “M” class insert developed for highly productive tungsten carbide inserts boring operations.

To accommodate light to medium cutting of super alloys, the RS and 61 chipbreakers have been applied in round inserts. The RS adopts a large rake angle to optimize chip control, while the 61 offers high-feed turning at small depths of cut. The company’s all-round chipbreaker is suited for a range of continuous and interrupted machining processes, generating low cutting forces with improved chipping resistance. 

The Cemented Carbide Blog: threading Inserts

A line of positive inserts have been incorporated into Tungaloy's AH905 grade for turning super alloys and other difficult-to-machine materials in the aerospace BTA deep hole drilling inserts and power-generation industries. Featuring PremiumTec surface technology, the inserts improve productivity by preventing chip adhesion and improving chip flow. AlTiN PVD coating improves wear resistance for consistent performance and increased tool life. The inserts are available with six types of chipbreakers for medium to finish-cutting applications. These chipbreakers include PSF, PSS, PS, RS, 61 and all-round chipbreaker types.

The PSF is designed for machining with low cutting forces and is well-suited for finish-turning operations, the company says. It can turn at low depths of cut to decrease the potential for chip-control issues.

The PSS chipbreaker is well-suited for light machining and internal turning operations, the company says. The PS geometry is an “M” class insert developed for highly productive tungsten carbide inserts boring operations.

To accommodate light to medium cutting of super alloys, the RS and 61 chipbreakers have been applied in round inserts. The RS adopts a large rake angle to optimize chip control, while the 61 offers high-feed turning at small depths of cut. The company’s all-round chipbreaker is suited for a range of continuous and interrupted machining processes, generating low cutting forces with improved chipping resistance. 

The Cemented Carbide Blog: threading Inserts

Indexable Insert Broaching Tool Technology For Lathes

DP Technology’s Esprit CAM software enables manufacturers to streamline their workflows and reduce silo formation, according to the company. It contributes to increased tool life and machine usage and improves access to practical knowledge for process improvement.

The software enables the creation of a digital twin of a machine tool for slot milling cutters programming and simulation. The twin displays on-screen the processes that occur on the shop floor. Workpieces and cutting tools are set up virtually, resulting in precise simulations and improved productivity and tool paths. 

The software also connects workflow steps, from CAD design to finished part, with a digital thread to make sure that no manufacturing process becomes siloed. The thread reads part data from CAD software and creates G code and setup sheets. It then passes this data on to enterprise resource Carbide Turning Inserts planning software.  

Machine-aware CAM programming is said to increase tool life and reduce cycle times. The software’s ProfitMilling and ProfitTurning applications consider the machine tool’s axis positions and limits, acceleration capabilities and attainable cutting speeds to increase machine speed and improve surface finishes. The applications enable users to make better toolpath choices.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: VBMT Insert

DP Technology’s Esprit CAM software enables manufacturers to streamline their workflows and reduce silo formation, according to the company. It contributes to increased tool life and machine usage and improves access to practical knowledge for process improvement.

The software enables the creation of a digital twin of a machine tool for slot milling cutters programming and simulation. The twin displays on-screen the processes that occur on the shop floor. Workpieces and cutting tools are set up virtually, resulting in precise simulations and improved productivity and tool paths. 

The software also connects workflow steps, from CAD design to finished part, with a digital thread to make sure that no manufacturing process becomes siloed. The thread reads part data from CAD software and creates G code and setup sheets. It then passes this data on to enterprise resource Carbide Turning Inserts planning software.  

Machine-aware CAM programming is said to increase tool life and reduce cycle times. The software’s ProfitMilling and ProfitTurning applications consider the machine tool’s axis positions and limits, acceleration capabilities and attainable cutting speeds to increase machine speed and improve surface finishes. The applications enable users to make better toolpath choices.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: VBMT Insert

Titanium Calls for a Tight Hold on the Tool

Engines in world-class racecars and dragsters depend heavily on connecting rods, which connect the piston to the crankshaft. For any shop machining these components, it is imperative to ensure that every one is flawless—no voids or inclusions on the inside, no dimensional errors or surface irregularities on the outside. A faulty rod can blow an engine in a split second.

As evidenced by its enviable reorder rate, R&R Racing Products has built a well-earned reputation in top racing circles around the world for the quality of its connecting rods. However, considering the fact that these custom-built components are R&R’s bread-and-butter product, and that each requires milling away more than 75 percent of the feedstock, quality isn’t the only concern for this shop. Maintaining a competitive edge requires ensuring that machining operations proceed as efficiently as possible—a prime factor in the shop’s decision to move into high speed machining last June. Retooling with the help of cutting tool supplier Ingersoll enabled R&R to make the most of this new capability and reduce cycle times on its connecting rods by half.

Located in Grant Park, Illinois, about 50 miles south of Chicago, R&R Racing Products was founded as a general machine shop in 1982 by Mike and Lester Riechers (hence the name “R&R”). By 1995, connecting rods made up the majority of the shop’s business.

Today, the shop is owned by Mike and his wife, Julie. Although R&R also produces oil pumps and other performance parts for the racing industry, demand for its custom rods is sufficient to keep the Riechers’ eight employees busy 10 hours a day,?5 days a week.

“You and I reasonably expect the connecting rods in the family car to last forever, but a drag racing pit crew boss would regard them as replacement parts,” Mr. Riechers explains. “In fact, metal fatigue in a conn rod is a major cause of blown racecar engines. Almost every team inspects the rods thoroughly after every race or time trial. Some replace them every time, just to be sure.”

To illustrate this point, Mr. Riechers cites the example of a typical family Chrysler, which might have a 426 hemi engine designed to run at 435 hp at 5,500 rpm. In a top-fuel dragster or surface milling cutters funny car, however, that same block would be souped up to deliver 8,000 hp at 9,000 rpm. The connecting rods bear the brunt of the punishment when that engine revs up.

While most connecting rod manufacturers start with forgings, R&R starts with solid aluminum billets. Mrs. Riechers explains that one advantage of using billets is that the shop doesn’t need to trade off end-use properties for improved forging characteristics, despite the fact that they require significantly more machining than forgings. Mr. Riechers adds that aluminum not only saves weight, but also serves as a shock absorber between engine internals because of its lower elastic modulus, easing impact loads and G forces throughout the engine block.

Additionally, the material itself—a proprietary aluminum alloy that the Riechers claim has better Carbide Drilling Inserts mechanical properties than standard alloys—plays a key role in the high quality of the company’s connecting rods. “We’ve dubbed in ‘unobtanium,’ so it’s unique,” Mrs. Riechers says. She won’t divulge the material’s composition, but she does note that it is somewhat like 7075 aircraft alloy and machines like a typical T-6.

From 1992 until last summer, the machining process consisted of milling the outline, the front side and the back side of a pair of rods before knocking down all sharp edges with a corner mill. Milling the outline with a five-flute corncob-style cutter was the heaviest hogging operation and took 28 minutes. Then, the front side was milled with a 1 1/2-inch, eight-flute face mill. This operation took about 12 minutes. The back side, done with an older Ingersoll HiPos cutter, added another 11 minutes, while roughing off the edges with a carbide wood router took 4 minutes. Altogether, total floor-to-floor time for each pair of rods added up to 55 minutes, and 75 percent of the original billet wound up as chips.

Seeking to improve efficiency by moving into high speed machining, the Riechers added a light-duty VMC with a 12,000-rpm spindle to their equipment inventory. The question then became: How best to tool it? The couple knew different cutting tools would be necessary not only to leverage the new capability, but also for safety. For answers, Mr. Riecher turned to Ingersoll product manager Konrad Forman, whom he had befriended years before when Mr. Forman was a field rep and Mr. Riecher’s business was in its infancy.

“We didn’t ask anyone else,” Mr. Riechers says. “I like Konrad because he knows tooling, and he works conservatively to optimize an operation. We’re wary of guys who come in with something new and push it to the limit right away.”

Mr. Forman recommended three separate Ingersoll tools designed for high speed machining, which is characterized by the use of higher feed rates and shallower cuts to remove metal faster without overloading a light-duty machine or tool. These include two different diameters of the Aluminator end mill for the first and third operations; the 1 ?-inch Hi Pos+ face mill for the?second operation; and the FastBreak rounding tool for edge-rounding, the final step.

Mr. Forman then worked with the R&R team to gradually ramp up feeds and speeds, taking time between steps to show how quietly the operations ran, how freely the tools cut and how chip clearance had improved. The tools reduced cycle times for each operation by about 50 percent. As a result, total cycle time for a complete set of rods decreased from 55 minutes to 28 minutes. However, time savings wasn’t the only benefit provided by the new tools—they improved tool life and surface finish as well. “The smoother finish removes still more potential stress raisers on components that are certain to see a lot of stress,” Mr. Riechers says.

According to Mr. Forman, the Aluminator’s better performance stems from a combination of ground and polished inserts and a high positive-rake geometry. “The ground and polished inserts deliver the better finish and edge life, and the free-cutting presentation geometry reduces cutting force and aligns the vectors more axially, which protects the spindle,” he explains. “Large gutters provide plenty of room for chip clearance, a key factor in high-feed milling of a long-chipping material such as aluminum.”

The Hi-Pos+ cutter employed to machine the?back side of the rods combines double-positive geometry with a helical cutting edge, which induces a cleaving-type cutting action. A curved cutting edge eases the insert into the workpiece, reducing cutting impact forces by 40 percent, Mr. Forman says. “On the micro level, it’s much like the way an angled blade on a sheet-metal shear cuts just a portion at a time rather than slamming into the sheet all at once,” he notes. “This permits very high feed rates while keeping cutting forces—especially impact forces—in check.”

With R&R now fully equipped to take advantage of its high speed machining capability, Mr. Riechers and Mr. Konrad are working on two new projects: a line of titanium connecting rods and air-cooled aluminum cylinders for Porsche race cars. The latter job is further along—the shop has been making the cylinders for about?5 years, but needs to improve efficiency to respond to increasing overseas demand, Mr. Riechers says. The titanium connecting rod project is in the early development stage in both design and manufacturing. “We’ll be hogging the titanium rods from billets, just as we are with aluminum, which will be a manufacturing challenge,” Mr. Riechers says. “It’s a metal we’re not familiar with, but I know Konrad has dealt with it elsewhere.”

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Cemented Carbide Inserts

Engines in world-class racecars and dragsters depend heavily on connecting rods, which connect the piston to the crankshaft. For any shop machining these components, it is imperative to ensure that every one is flawless—no voids or inclusions on the inside, no dimensional errors or surface irregularities on the outside. A faulty rod can blow an engine in a split second.

As evidenced by its enviable reorder rate, R&R Racing Products has built a well-earned reputation in top racing circles around the world for the quality of its connecting rods. However, considering the fact that these custom-built components are R&R’s bread-and-butter product, and that each requires milling away more than 75 percent of the feedstock, quality isn’t the only concern for this shop. Maintaining a competitive edge requires ensuring that machining operations proceed as efficiently as possible—a prime factor in the shop’s decision to move into high speed machining last June. Retooling with the help of cutting tool supplier Ingersoll enabled R&R to make the most of this new capability and reduce cycle times on its connecting rods by half.

Located in Grant Park, Illinois, about 50 miles south of Chicago, R&R Racing Products was founded as a general machine shop in 1982 by Mike and Lester Riechers (hence the name “R&R”). By 1995, connecting rods made up the majority of the shop’s business.

Today, the shop is owned by Mike and his wife, Julie. Although R&R also produces oil pumps and other performance parts for the racing industry, demand for its custom rods is sufficient to keep the Riechers’ eight employees busy 10 hours a day,?5 days a week.

“You and I reasonably expect the connecting rods in the family car to last forever, but a drag racing pit crew boss would regard them as replacement parts,” Mr. Riechers explains. “In fact, metal fatigue in a conn rod is a major cause of blown racecar engines. Almost every team inspects the rods thoroughly after every race or time trial. Some replace them every time, just to be sure.”

To illustrate this point, Mr. Riechers cites the example of a typical family Chrysler, which might have a 426 hemi engine designed to run at 435 hp at 5,500 rpm. In a top-fuel dragster or surface milling cutters funny car, however, that same block would be souped up to deliver 8,000 hp at 9,000 rpm. The connecting rods bear the brunt of the punishment when that engine revs up.

While most connecting rod manufacturers start with forgings, R&R starts with solid aluminum billets. Mrs. Riechers explains that one advantage of using billets is that the shop doesn’t need to trade off end-use properties for improved forging characteristics, despite the fact that they require significantly more machining than forgings. Mr. Riechers adds that aluminum not only saves weight, but also serves as a shock absorber between engine internals because of its lower elastic modulus, easing impact loads and G forces throughout the engine block.

Additionally, the material itself—a proprietary aluminum alloy that the Riechers claim has better Carbide Drilling Inserts mechanical properties than standard alloys—plays a key role in the high quality of the company’s connecting rods. “We’ve dubbed in ‘unobtanium,’ so it’s unique,” Mrs. Riechers says. She won’t divulge the material’s composition, but she does note that it is somewhat like 7075 aircraft alloy and machines like a typical T-6.

From 1992 until last summer, the machining process consisted of milling the outline, the front side and the back side of a pair of rods before knocking down all sharp edges with a corner mill. Milling the outline with a five-flute corncob-style cutter was the heaviest hogging operation and took 28 minutes. Then, the front side was milled with a 1 1/2-inch, eight-flute face mill. This operation took about 12 minutes. The back side, done with an older Ingersoll HiPos cutter, added another 11 minutes, while roughing off the edges with a carbide wood router took 4 minutes. Altogether, total floor-to-floor time for each pair of rods added up to 55 minutes, and 75 percent of the original billet wound up as chips.

Seeking to improve efficiency by moving into high speed machining, the Riechers added a light-duty VMC with a 12,000-rpm spindle to their equipment inventory. The question then became: How best to tool it? The couple knew different cutting tools would be necessary not only to leverage the new capability, but also for safety. For answers, Mr. Riecher turned to Ingersoll product manager Konrad Forman, whom he had befriended years before when Mr. Forman was a field rep and Mr. Riecher’s business was in its infancy.

“We didn’t ask anyone else,” Mr. Riechers says. “I like Konrad because he knows tooling, and he works conservatively to optimize an operation. We’re wary of guys who come in with something new and push it to the limit right away.”

Mr. Forman recommended three separate Ingersoll tools designed for high speed machining, which is characterized by the use of higher feed rates and shallower cuts to remove metal faster without overloading a light-duty machine or tool. These include two different diameters of the Aluminator end mill for the first and third operations; the 1 ?-inch Hi Pos+ face mill for the?second operation; and the FastBreak rounding tool for edge-rounding, the final step.

Mr. Forman then worked with the R&R team to gradually ramp up feeds and speeds, taking time between steps to show how quietly the operations ran, how freely the tools cut and how chip clearance had improved. The tools reduced cycle times for each operation by about 50 percent. As a result, total cycle time for a complete set of rods decreased from 55 minutes to 28 minutes. However, time savings wasn’t the only benefit provided by the new tools—they improved tool life and surface finish as well. “The smoother finish removes still more potential stress raisers on components that are certain to see a lot of stress,” Mr. Riechers says.

According to Mr. Forman, the Aluminator’s better performance stems from a combination of ground and polished inserts and a high positive-rake geometry. “The ground and polished inserts deliver the better finish and edge life, and the free-cutting presentation geometry reduces cutting force and aligns the vectors more axially, which protects the spindle,” he explains. “Large gutters provide plenty of room for chip clearance, a key factor in high-feed milling of a long-chipping material such as aluminum.”

The Hi-Pos+ cutter employed to machine the?back side of the rods combines double-positive geometry with a helical cutting edge, which induces a cleaving-type cutting action. A curved cutting edge eases the insert into the workpiece, reducing cutting impact forces by 40 percent, Mr. Forman says. “On the micro level, it’s much like the way an angled blade on a sheet-metal shear cuts just a portion at a time rather than slamming into the sheet all at once,” he notes. “This permits very high feed rates while keeping cutting forces—especially impact forces—in check.”

With R&R now fully equipped to take advantage of its high speed machining capability, Mr. Riechers and Mr. Konrad are working on two new projects: a line of titanium connecting rods and air-cooled aluminum cylinders for Porsche race cars. The latter job is further along—the shop has been making the cylinders for about?5 years, but needs to improve efficiency to respond to increasing overseas demand, Mr. Riechers says. The titanium connecting rod project is in the early development stage in both design and manufacturing. “We’ll be hogging the titanium rods from billets, just as we are with aluminum, which will be a manufacturing challenge,” Mr. Riechers says. “It’s a metal we’re not familiar with, but I know Konrad has dealt with it elsewhere.”

The Cemented Carbide Blog: Cemented Carbide Inserts

Spinning Turning Tool Offers Alternative To Single Point Cutters

In most metalcutting operations, some form of coolant is necessary to reduce cutting temperature and tool wear. This has become especially important as spindle speeds have increased through the years. Today, virtually all CNC machines are (or can be) equipped with coolant delivery systems. The conventional approach is to spray the coolant, either at moderate or high pressure, directly onto the workpiece where the cutting takes place. However, this method fell short for Burr Oak Tool in Sturgis, Michigan.

The company was founded as a general machine shop in 1944, but it found a new direction in 1952, when a customer asked it to design and build a special machine to make condenser coils for air conditioning units. Today, with more than 300 employees and 420,000 square feet of floor space in three production facilities, Burr Oak Tool supplies special machines and tooling to users of air conditioner evaporator condenser coils in more than 70 countries.

Over the years, the company sought to continuously refine its processes to reduce cost and increase productivity. In the mid-1980s, it began experimenting with through-tool, high-pressure coolant delivery on its high speed steel drills.

“We knew that the primary benefits of applying machine coolant were to control the temperature of the workpiece to allow faster speeds and feeds, as well as getting longer life out of the cutting tools,” says CEO Newell Franks II. “Using the traditional method of flooding the cutting zone wasn’t getting the job done for us. I knew that gundrills used through-hole coolant, so I decided to see what it would take to adapt that method to what we were doing. To get started, I reached out to our hydraulic component supplier and used some of its products to test my theory,” Mr. Franks says.

His theory centered on the fact that twist drills pull material out of the hole as they work, which means that simply spraying coolant at the work area allows only small amounts of fluid to drizzle into the hole as it works against the pumping action of the drill. Instead, he wanted to try forcing the coolant through the center of the tool to the cutting tool point so it could more efficiently cool the workpiece and lubricate the drill. As a bonus, he would learn that this action also flushes chips out of the hole, thus avoiding re-cutting, which can lead to premature tool wear.

During initial experimentation, Burr Oak Tool ran pressures ranging from 200 to 700 psi. It also used multi-stage centrifugal pumps to raise pressures to about 250 psi. The initial results were very promising, Mr. Franks says. After seeing positive results on the drilling machines, the company decided to turn its attention to the milling machines. It modified its milling cutters to pump the coolant into the pocket, cooling more uniformly, eliminating thermal shock and more effectively evacuating chips.

“When our experiments proved successful, we began looking for available high-pressure delivery machines,” Mr. Franks says. “We tried a few brands that didn’t perform to our expectations, and then we purchased our first ChipBlasters in 1994. We found that these units performed significantly better, lasted longer and required less maintenance. The LNS ChipBlasters allow us to run 1,000-psi coolant on all of our machines with coolant filtration levels of 1 micron. This combination has allowed us to turn hours into minutes and minutes into seconds when machining steel and aluminum parts,” he says. Over the years Burr Oak Tool has purchased 60 deep hole drilling inserts ChipBlaster high-pressure systems, adding one to each new machine it installs.

When the company first began working with ChipBlaster machines, it experimented with pressure and flow on various applications. By consulting ChipBlaster charts that listed the number of gallons of coolant that flows through various-size orifices at 1,000 psi, Burr Oak Tool realized that some of the larger drills and milling cutters it used would require greater volumes of coolant. The company then built special flow gages that mounted on the spindle or mill toolholder to measure precisely how many gallons per minute they needed to deliver and shared this data with ChipBlaster.

Burr Oak Tool determined that its CAT 40 machines required 13 gpm and the CAT 50 machines needed 21 gpm to achieve more consistent pressure and cooling, so ChipBlaster gun drilling inserts gun drilling inserts changed the pumps accordingly. By delivering the precise amount of flow and pressure, Burr Oak Tool saw improved tool life and faster throughput.

One example of the benefits of through-tool high pressure coolant at Burr Oak Tool is with a stripper plate for a die that requires 3,200 holes drilled into 34-HRC 4140 steel. The holes are 1 mm in diameter and 6 mm deep. These are starter holes through which EDM wire is threaded. Originally, this process involved a solid drill and typically produced a number of broken drills and a lot of pecking. Using the ChipBlaster to deliver high-pressure coolant through a single drill enables the machine to create all 3,200 holes with no pecking. This coolant method, combined with using a speed head, cuts production time from between six to eight hours down to just 40 minutes.

Because applications like this one require drilling very small holes, the ChipBlaster units are equipped with 1-micron filters that eliminate tiny particles that could clog the small tools.

“When people ask me about how through-tool high-pressure coolant delivery helps our production, I tell them it’s as simple as this: With the right equipment, like the LNS ChipBlaster systems, we can cut steel like it’s aluminum and aluminum like it’s wood,” Mr. Franks says.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: RCGT Insert

In most metalcutting operations, some form of coolant is necessary to reduce cutting temperature and tool wear. This has become especially important as spindle speeds have increased through the years. Today, virtually all CNC machines are (or can be) equipped with coolant delivery systems. The conventional approach is to spray the coolant, either at moderate or high pressure, directly onto the workpiece where the cutting takes place. However, this method fell short for Burr Oak Tool in Sturgis, Michigan.

The company was founded as a general machine shop in 1944, but it found a new direction in 1952, when a customer asked it to design and build a special machine to make condenser coils for air conditioning units. Today, with more than 300 employees and 420,000 square feet of floor space in three production facilities, Burr Oak Tool supplies special machines and tooling to users of air conditioner evaporator condenser coils in more than 70 countries.

Over the years, the company sought to continuously refine its processes to reduce cost and increase productivity. In the mid-1980s, it began experimenting with through-tool, high-pressure coolant delivery on its high speed steel drills.

“We knew that the primary benefits of applying machine coolant were to control the temperature of the workpiece to allow faster speeds and feeds, as well as getting longer life out of the cutting tools,” says CEO Newell Franks II. “Using the traditional method of flooding the cutting zone wasn’t getting the job done for us. I knew that gundrills used through-hole coolant, so I decided to see what it would take to adapt that method to what we were doing. To get started, I reached out to our hydraulic component supplier and used some of its products to test my theory,” Mr. Franks says.

His theory centered on the fact that twist drills pull material out of the hole as they work, which means that simply spraying coolant at the work area allows only small amounts of fluid to drizzle into the hole as it works against the pumping action of the drill. Instead, he wanted to try forcing the coolant through the center of the tool to the cutting tool point so it could more efficiently cool the workpiece and lubricate the drill. As a bonus, he would learn that this action also flushes chips out of the hole, thus avoiding re-cutting, which can lead to premature tool wear.

During initial experimentation, Burr Oak Tool ran pressures ranging from 200 to 700 psi. It also used multi-stage centrifugal pumps to raise pressures to about 250 psi. The initial results were very promising, Mr. Franks says. After seeing positive results on the drilling machines, the company decided to turn its attention to the milling machines. It modified its milling cutters to pump the coolant into the pocket, cooling more uniformly, eliminating thermal shock and more effectively evacuating chips.

“When our experiments proved successful, we began looking for available high-pressure delivery machines,” Mr. Franks says. “We tried a few brands that didn’t perform to our expectations, and then we purchased our first ChipBlasters in 1994. We found that these units performed significantly better, lasted longer and required less maintenance. The LNS ChipBlasters allow us to run 1,000-psi coolant on all of our machines with coolant filtration levels of 1 micron. This combination has allowed us to turn hours into minutes and minutes into seconds when machining steel and aluminum parts,” he says. Over the years Burr Oak Tool has purchased 60 deep hole drilling inserts ChipBlaster high-pressure systems, adding one to each new machine it installs.

When the company first began working with ChipBlaster machines, it experimented with pressure and flow on various applications. By consulting ChipBlaster charts that listed the number of gallons of coolant that flows through various-size orifices at 1,000 psi, Burr Oak Tool realized that some of the larger drills and milling cutters it used would require greater volumes of coolant. The company then built special flow gages that mounted on the spindle or mill toolholder to measure precisely how many gallons per minute they needed to deliver and shared this data with ChipBlaster.

Burr Oak Tool determined that its CAT 40 machines required 13 gpm and the CAT 50 machines needed 21 gpm to achieve more consistent pressure and cooling, so ChipBlaster gun drilling inserts gun drilling inserts changed the pumps accordingly. By delivering the precise amount of flow and pressure, Burr Oak Tool saw improved tool life and faster throughput.

One example of the benefits of through-tool high pressure coolant at Burr Oak Tool is with a stripper plate for a die that requires 3,200 holes drilled into 34-HRC 4140 steel. The holes are 1 mm in diameter and 6 mm deep. These are starter holes through which EDM wire is threaded. Originally, this process involved a solid drill and typically produced a number of broken drills and a lot of pecking. Using the ChipBlaster to deliver high-pressure coolant through a single drill enables the machine to create all 3,200 holes with no pecking. This coolant method, combined with using a speed head, cuts production time from between six to eight hours down to just 40 minutes.

Because applications like this one require drilling very small holes, the ChipBlaster units are equipped with 1-micron filters that eliminate tiny particles that could clog the small tools.

“When people ask me about how through-tool high-pressure coolant delivery helps our production, I tell them it’s as simple as this: With the right equipment, like the LNS ChipBlaster systems, we can cut steel like it’s aluminum and aluminum like it’s wood,” Mr. Franks says.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: RCGT Insert

Insert Coating Eases Detection of Used Edges

It seems that in today’s manufacturing environment, consultants to metalworking shops (and trade magazine editors) would be virtually speechless if the word “niche” were to suddenly disappear from our vocabulary. It’s touted everywhere. Metalworking businesses are advised, cajoled, directed and told from every direction to find a niche in order to survive.

Of course, niche manufacturing is only one of many operating strategies for shops trying to find ways to successfully deal with the changing landscape of domestic manufacturing. But regardless of the strategy chosen, surface milling cutters success is in the tactical execution. Any strategy can only be as good as the shop is at making it happen.

Long before the current ballyhoo of finding niche markets descended on metalworking shops, RPM Carbide Die, Inc. (Arcadia, Ohio) found its specialty. In 1967, this shop started up grinding carbide.

And after almost 40 years, it’s a niche the company continues to get better at by continuously improving its capability through the implementation of better machine tool technology and ever more precision-driven processing knowledge. The carbide manufacturing specialty has also become a platform for other niches that the company has successfully ventured into including hard turning and milling of steel, cutting exotic metals and ceramics for aerospace, and even cryogenic treatment of cutting tools.

A willingness to try new things is a hallmark of most job shops. Without an innate curiosity about how to do things, most job shops would fail because of the nature of the business. Every job that crosses the shop’s threshold is new and requires a facile mind to approach its profitable processing.

At RPM, curiosity is part of the shop culture. It stems from the company’s founder, Walter Metcalfe, and is embodied in his son, Eric, who is president of the company.

The company’s hard-earned expertise in working with carbide triggered a natural migration into working with other difficult materials. Tool steels, exotic aerospace materials and ceramics are now part of the RPM process proficiency portfolio.

“Most of our machinists would rather grind carbide than steel,” says Eric Metcalfe. “They find it easier to process; the surface finishes are nicer; size is easier to hold; dwells are better; it’s more predictable than steel. Getting steel off the grinders is what led us to hard turning.”

An implementation pattern developed as the company moved into new areas of manufacturing. “When we looked to expand our capabilities beyond grinding carbide,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “we first acquired the best tools we could. An example was our move into hard turning. We purchased CNC turning equipment and, after a short learning curve, the turning department was cranking out parts at very high efficiency levels. The key for hard turning and other process additions was to give the employees the right tools and let them do what they know how to do.” RPM turns only tool steel with hardness from 60 to 70 Rc. The shop uses CBN inserts for all of its hard turning operations.

This pattern, using current technology as a base for process expansion, was repeated in the EDM department, hard milling department and multi-processing (turn/mill) departments. The result for the business was an increased base of capability for the shop to go after a wider market and a solid base of expertise in a wider range of processes.

“We took our core competency of grinding carbide and parlayed it to other materials and processes. This greatly expanded our capability as a job shop to offer more to our existing customers, and it helps us acquire new ones,” recalls Mr. Metcalfe.

Any business that is growing its capacity, as RPM did while implementing and optimizing its expanded capability, must juggle resource allocation. “As we worked to get our new departments up, running and contributing,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “the flagship carbide grinding department continued doing its excellent work with little technological attention from the company. We felt if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Most of the company’s highest-skilled employees were working in the grinding department, and although they were using the company’s least advanced equipment—mostly manual grinders—the work got out the door. However, after evaluating the efficiency of the new departments, based in large part on the newer technology that was installed, grinding was now the company’s least efficient department.

In 2000, RPM invested in new grinding technology. The company purchased a Studer CNC grinder to address the technology gap that had arisen in the grinding department. The machine’s ability to profile grind under programmed control was a large technology leap from the manual machines used at RPM.

Like the pattern in the other departments, it soon became clear to the “old hands” that this new CNC grinding machine had advantages. They could not only increase the efficiency and throughput over the older manual machines, but there were some operations the machine could do that previously required secondary operation such as EDM to pull off.

During 2001, the shop experienced its first business downturn in 11 years. “We reduced our employment and took the opportunity to re-evaluate how we were manufacturing,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “Like many shops, when business is good, the goal is to get the work out the door. There simply isn’t time to look at efficiency.”

The recession gave RPM time to look closely at its flagship process of grinding. “We thought we knew everything about grinding hard materials,” recalls Mr. Metcalfe. “But the capability of the new CNC technology we saw from these grinders made us look hard at what we thought we knew.”

In 2002, RPM purchased around $1 million in equipment for the shop. That equipment was focused not only on capacity but also on efficiency. In 2002, sales were down from the record year of 2000, but the shop was more profitable. “Last year we put out very close to the same amount of work, dollar-wise, as 2000, but with 20 percent fewer people.

“Initially, we looked at areas of the business where new technology could be quickly and successfully installed,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “For example, we bought a new CNC EDM sinker. We had one already, and adding the second doubled our capacity but allowed one operator run both machines, so our labor increase was zero.”

Once CNC grinding hit the shop floor, it was like going back to grinding school—not because the collective knowledge in the shop was made obsolete but because the advances in machine and wheel technology from the shop’s old manuals to the new Studers allowed for a dramatic increase in what was possible. “We thought we knew all about grinding,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “We’re still learning.”

Profile or single-point grinding is perhaps the biggest advantage that RPM enjoys with its new grinding machine technology. The ability to follow a programmed contour on the OD or ID has dramatically improved the throughput of complicated dies that RPM makes for numerous industries. Depending on the amount of stock removal required, RPM will sometimes use a combination of form wheel and single point. “If we’re removing a lot of material,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “we’ll rough with a form wheel and finish with the single point. Profiling a heavy cut makes the cycle time too long.”

Wheel technology has also positively impacted RPM’s productivity and efficiency in grinding carbide. “We have recently started switching from resin bond diamond and CBN wheels to vitrified wheels,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “That change alone has given a 10 times improvement in metal removal rates. With resin bond, we ran a 100- to 120-grit wheel for roughing. With vitrified, we rough with a 150- to 180-grit wheel, which gives us better surface finish, even with the more aggressive metal removal. The vitrified bond holds the diamond better than resin wheel and has larger gaps between the grit and bond. That’s equivalent to chip clearance on a single-point cutting tool. We have also learned that the vitrified wheel performs best during aggressive cutting. If you baby the vitrified wheel, it will load up quicker than if you run it hard. We used to leave finish pass stock of 0.001 inch and then let the resin wheel dwell out. It seemed like it never did completely dwell out. With the vitrified, you dial in 0.001 inch, go in and cut it. Because of the harder bond, there is little dwell with these wheels.”

The downside of vitrified wheels is the expense. RPM recently ordered a set of vitrified wheels for its new Studer grinder, a CBN and diamond rougher, and a diamond micro-finish wheel for about $14,000. However, the shop has yet to wear out its first diamond wheel.

“We use both resin and vitrified wheels in the shop,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “The resin wheel gives the workpiece a more mirror-like finish than does the vitrified wheel. The resin actually burnishes the carbide, and some of our customers specify the highly polished finish.”

The key to RPM’s success in its niche of grinding carbide is its quest to do a better, more efficient job. Even after 40 years of processing carbide and other hard materials, the shop still looks upon itself as learning about how to grind.

There are no single-source gurus for manufacturers, especially in a specialty process such as grinding and a niche within the niche of grinding carbide. Seeking out technology partners such as its machine tool supplier and wheel supplier, RPM avails itself of their respective expertise and then parlays those technologies into useful shopfloor practice.

“It’s all about making better parts for the customer more efficiently so we can gravity turning inserts remain competitive,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “We know we don’t know everything about the technology available for grinding carbide. We must seek good technology providers who can teach us what we don’t know.”

That’s good advice for any manufacturer.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: special Inserts

It seems that in today’s manufacturing environment, consultants to metalworking shops (and trade magazine editors) would be virtually speechless if the word “niche” were to suddenly disappear from our vocabulary. It’s touted everywhere. Metalworking businesses are advised, cajoled, directed and told from every direction to find a niche in order to survive.

Of course, niche manufacturing is only one of many operating strategies for shops trying to find ways to successfully deal with the changing landscape of domestic manufacturing. But regardless of the strategy chosen, surface milling cutters success is in the tactical execution. Any strategy can only be as good as the shop is at making it happen.

Long before the current ballyhoo of finding niche markets descended on metalworking shops, RPM Carbide Die, Inc. (Arcadia, Ohio) found its specialty. In 1967, this shop started up grinding carbide.

And after almost 40 years, it’s a niche the company continues to get better at by continuously improving its capability through the implementation of better machine tool technology and ever more precision-driven processing knowledge. The carbide manufacturing specialty has also become a platform for other niches that the company has successfully ventured into including hard turning and milling of steel, cutting exotic metals and ceramics for aerospace, and even cryogenic treatment of cutting tools.

A willingness to try new things is a hallmark of most job shops. Without an innate curiosity about how to do things, most job shops would fail because of the nature of the business. Every job that crosses the shop’s threshold is new and requires a facile mind to approach its profitable processing.

At RPM, curiosity is part of the shop culture. It stems from the company’s founder, Walter Metcalfe, and is embodied in his son, Eric, who is president of the company.

The company’s hard-earned expertise in working with carbide triggered a natural migration into working with other difficult materials. Tool steels, exotic aerospace materials and ceramics are now part of the RPM process proficiency portfolio.

“Most of our machinists would rather grind carbide than steel,” says Eric Metcalfe. “They find it easier to process; the surface finishes are nicer; size is easier to hold; dwells are better; it’s more predictable than steel. Getting steel off the grinders is what led us to hard turning.”

An implementation pattern developed as the company moved into new areas of manufacturing. “When we looked to expand our capabilities beyond grinding carbide,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “we first acquired the best tools we could. An example was our move into hard turning. We purchased CNC turning equipment and, after a short learning curve, the turning department was cranking out parts at very high efficiency levels. The key for hard turning and other process additions was to give the employees the right tools and let them do what they know how to do.” RPM turns only tool steel with hardness from 60 to 70 Rc. The shop uses CBN inserts for all of its hard turning operations.

This pattern, using current technology as a base for process expansion, was repeated in the EDM department, hard milling department and multi-processing (turn/mill) departments. The result for the business was an increased base of capability for the shop to go after a wider market and a solid base of expertise in a wider range of processes.

“We took our core competency of grinding carbide and parlayed it to other materials and processes. This greatly expanded our capability as a job shop to offer more to our existing customers, and it helps us acquire new ones,” recalls Mr. Metcalfe.

Any business that is growing its capacity, as RPM did while implementing and optimizing its expanded capability, must juggle resource allocation. “As we worked to get our new departments up, running and contributing,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “the flagship carbide grinding department continued doing its excellent work with little technological attention from the company. We felt if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Most of the company’s highest-skilled employees were working in the grinding department, and although they were using the company’s least advanced equipment—mostly manual grinders—the work got out the door. However, after evaluating the efficiency of the new departments, based in large part on the newer technology that was installed, grinding was now the company’s least efficient department.

In 2000, RPM invested in new grinding technology. The company purchased a Studer CNC grinder to address the technology gap that had arisen in the grinding department. The machine’s ability to profile grind under programmed control was a large technology leap from the manual machines used at RPM.

Like the pattern in the other departments, it soon became clear to the “old hands” that this new CNC grinding machine had advantages. They could not only increase the efficiency and throughput over the older manual machines, but there were some operations the machine could do that previously required secondary operation such as EDM to pull off.

During 2001, the shop experienced its first business downturn in 11 years. “We reduced our employment and took the opportunity to re-evaluate how we were manufacturing,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “Like many shops, when business is good, the goal is to get the work out the door. There simply isn’t time to look at efficiency.”

The recession gave RPM time to look closely at its flagship process of grinding. “We thought we knew everything about grinding hard materials,” recalls Mr. Metcalfe. “But the capability of the new CNC technology we saw from these grinders made us look hard at what we thought we knew.”

In 2002, RPM purchased around $1 million in equipment for the shop. That equipment was focused not only on capacity but also on efficiency. In 2002, sales were down from the record year of 2000, but the shop was more profitable. “Last year we put out very close to the same amount of work, dollar-wise, as 2000, but with 20 percent fewer people.

“Initially, we looked at areas of the business where new technology could be quickly and successfully installed,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “For example, we bought a new CNC EDM sinker. We had one already, and adding the second doubled our capacity but allowed one operator run both machines, so our labor increase was zero.”

Once CNC grinding hit the shop floor, it was like going back to grinding school—not because the collective knowledge in the shop was made obsolete but because the advances in machine and wheel technology from the shop’s old manuals to the new Studers allowed for a dramatic increase in what was possible. “We thought we knew all about grinding,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “We’re still learning.”

Profile or single-point grinding is perhaps the biggest advantage that RPM enjoys with its new grinding machine technology. The ability to follow a programmed contour on the OD or ID has dramatically improved the throughput of complicated dies that RPM makes for numerous industries. Depending on the amount of stock removal required, RPM will sometimes use a combination of form wheel and single point. “If we’re removing a lot of material,” says Mr. Metcalfe, “we’ll rough with a form wheel and finish with the single point. Profiling a heavy cut makes the cycle time too long.”

Wheel technology has also positively impacted RPM’s productivity and efficiency in grinding carbide. “We have recently started switching from resin bond diamond and CBN wheels to vitrified wheels,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “That change alone has given a 10 times improvement in metal removal rates. With resin bond, we ran a 100- to 120-grit wheel for roughing. With vitrified, we rough with a 150- to 180-grit wheel, which gives us better surface finish, even with the more aggressive metal removal. The vitrified bond holds the diamond better than resin wheel and has larger gaps between the grit and bond. That’s equivalent to chip clearance on a single-point cutting tool. We have also learned that the vitrified wheel performs best during aggressive cutting. If you baby the vitrified wheel, it will load up quicker than if you run it hard. We used to leave finish pass stock of 0.001 inch and then let the resin wheel dwell out. It seemed like it never did completely dwell out. With the vitrified, you dial in 0.001 inch, go in and cut it. Because of the harder bond, there is little dwell with these wheels.”

The downside of vitrified wheels is the expense. RPM recently ordered a set of vitrified wheels for its new Studer grinder, a CBN and diamond rougher, and a diamond micro-finish wheel for about $14,000. However, the shop has yet to wear out its first diamond wheel.

“We use both resin and vitrified wheels in the shop,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “The resin wheel gives the workpiece a more mirror-like finish than does the vitrified wheel. The resin actually burnishes the carbide, and some of our customers specify the highly polished finish.”

The key to RPM’s success in its niche of grinding carbide is its quest to do a better, more efficient job. Even after 40 years of processing carbide and other hard materials, the shop still looks upon itself as learning about how to grind.

There are no single-source gurus for manufacturers, especially in a specialty process such as grinding and a niche within the niche of grinding carbide. Seeking out technology partners such as its machine tool supplier and wheel supplier, RPM avails itself of their respective expertise and then parlays those technologies into useful shopfloor practice.

“It’s all about making better parts for the customer more efficiently so we can gravity turning inserts remain competitive,” says Mr. Metcalfe. “We know we don’t know everything about the technology available for grinding carbide. We must seek good technology providers who can teach us what we don’t know.”

That’s good advice for any manufacturer.

The Cemented Carbide Blog: special Inserts