Applications Advance for Solid Ceramic End Mills - what do you use carbide endmills for

 2024-06-24 05:05:51

Each tool setting technique has merit, and it depends on where you are as a shop and the type of work you do, as cost and efficiency all come into play.

The Xsytin 360’s SiAlON (a ceramic combining silicon, aluminum, oxygen and nitrogen) is a material about which James Greenleaf feels he can confidently say, “This is the strongest ceramic material on the market. We finally felt we had a ceramic good enough to offer a really effective round tool.”

That problem is solved with automated data transmission. Zoller has an option, data output, where if there’s a networked or USB port or if the machine is capable of accepting a file from a post-processor, the operator can do the presetting and generate the same machine code with the offsets. It inputs all the right information into the proper pockets. As a result, the operator doesn’t need to type anything.

The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will give shops of all sizes and production volumes key insights and practical guidance on how to implement automation.

JD Machine, 2024’s Top Shops Honoree in Human Resources, embodies its “Education for Life” core value with a robust apprenticeship program and significant continuous improvement efforts.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

ANCA CNC Machines is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a global producer of CNC tool and cutter grinders.

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Mastercam 2025 incorporates big advancements and small — all based on customer feedback and the company’s commitment to keeping its signature product best in class.

Misapplication of these important CNC features will result in wasted time, wasted or duplicated effort and/or wasted material.

Refined machines at EROWA are handling heavier loads, while its precision workholding enhances stability and rigidity.

In the late 1800s, a new technology — Swiss-type machines — emerged to serve Switzerland’s growing watchmaking industry. Today, Swiss-machined parts are ubiquitous, and there’s a good reason for that: No other machining technology can produce tiny, complex components more efficiently or at higher quality.

Looking to automate your shop floor? The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will connect shops with experts who can advise them through this transition.

When revising part designs, investigate the 3D CAD, the 2D drawing and the part’s functional requirements to determine which details should be tightened up.

Chiron Group combines the best of both worlds at IMTS 2024, featuring live demonstrations of their Micro5 and Mill 2000 machines, alongside a cutting-edge virtual showroom. This innovative approach allows visitors to explore Chiron’s full product lineup without the logistical challenges of transporting large equipment.

Fryer Machine Systems Inc. presents its TC Series of CNC machining centers for high-performance cutting, accuracy, reliability and ease of use.

FANUC’s IMTS 2024 booth includes real-time demonstrations that show the abilities of its equipment, including robots, controllers and machine tools.

Horn USA’s new booth concept is designed to enable attendees to (literally) get a better feel for its various tooling offerings.

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Another method for cooling uses a spray of water on the heated toolholder followed by air blown over it or cooled solely with forced air, which Seco shrink fit units do.

Along with advanced technology for heating and chilling, some operators favor using a shrink-fit unit that is designed for presetting. And presetters are favored by shops running specific types of machine tools. “The people who really gravitate to those machines (presetters) are those with multi-spindle machines,” Holden said, noting there are milling machines with two or four spindles as well as single-spindle machine tools. “All four spindles are running the same program at the same time. So, they need to make sure all four of the tool angles are the same on the Z axis.”

Yet even at a lower speed than is typical of a ceramic milling tool, the company says its testing in materials such as the aerospace alloy Inconel 718 still shows better metal removal rates and tool life than existing ceramic round tooling. This, too, is because of the freedom of toughness. The lower speed can be matched to a feed rate about 3.5 times that of what existing ceramic end mills accommodate. The result is an inch-per-tooth (chip load) feed rate equivalent to that at which the shop might be accustomed to programming carbide, yet at a much higher spindle speed than would be appropriate for a carbide tool.

In the latest episode of our View From My Shop series, MMS Editor-in-Chief Brent Donaldson visited the JN Shapiro Watches headquarters and production facility where Founder Joshua Shapiro—a history teacher turned watchmaker—realized his dream of "making a watch from scratch and everything in it."

Moving from cut tapping to form tapping for a notable application cut tooling costs at Siemens Energy and increased tool life a hundredfold.

“Presetters are another expense, though, so it’s a tradeoff,” he said. “Are you saving more money by saving that time or are you not able to offset that?”

Lee Wimmer invited us to tour his second-generation family-owned machine shop in Perkasie, PA. This video explores the production processes behind precision-machined parts for both Wimmer Custom Cycle and LS Wimmer Machine Co., and shows how ingenuity and determination are still at the heart of American manufacturing. Today, both companies are now managed by Wimmer’s three sons.

“It certainly is growing in popularity,” said Brendt Holden, president of Haimer USA, Villa Park, Illinois. “We’re seeing more and more companies adopt the shrink-fit technology. Initially it started with [some] die mold [and] some high-speed machining applications that aligned with aerospace or medical-type work. What we’re seeing now is shrink-fit in the general machining markets.” This includes automotive production facilities, sub-suppliers of parts and the general market. “Shrink-fit is fast and reliable but if it wasn’t providing better toolholding in the machine tool, where the machine tool can run more efficiently, we wouldn’t even be talking about it,” he said.

Automation is no longer a luxury in manufacturing today – it’s a necessity. The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will connect job shops with experts who offer advice and considerations for this process.

Are AMRs the next big trend in job shop automation? System 3R’s IMTS booth will emphasize both its specialty EDM tooling and its automation products, including an autonomous moving robot.

Pairing a shoulder mill with a five-axis machine has cut costs and cycle times for one of TTI Machine’s parts, enabling it to support a niche racing community.

For those who operate single-spindle machines, 90 percent of them just want to make sure when they put the cutting tool in that they have clearance between the nose of the toolholder and the tip of the cutting tool edge, Holden said.

Attend TASC, The Automated Shop Conference, in Novi, Mich on Oct. 11, 2023 for a comprehensive look into how to use automation to transform your machine shop.

Zoller’s open house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, provided attendees with a glimpse of the connectivity and efficiency the company’s products offer to users.

Branget’s colleague Jay Ball, product manager for solid milling at Seco, explained, “There’s this dynamic shift going on in manufacturing as far as how we process parts and as a result, we’re seeing a lot of high-velocity milling strategies. More and more customers are using larger-diameter carbide end mills, say ½", ¾" or 1" (12.7, 19 or 25.4 mm), to replace larger, helical cutters to be able to get high metal removal rates. The cost can be substantially lower.”

Thoughtful considerations will set you on a shortened path to the most optimized solution once cutter meets metal.

Across a range of technical presentations aimed at small and mid-sized job shops, the first-ever Automated Shop Conference (TASC) offered insights into several automated technologies, implementation strategies, shopfloor training tips, and even the untapped power of automated coolant delivery.

The latest episode “Made in the USA” podcast explores a company that uses collaborative robots, one of the key tools helping US machine shops and other manufacturers compete with lower cost countries by automating production.

Brothers described how room for error is introduced when using a separate shrink-fit unit and presetter. “In the touch-off method, the procedure is to zero out the encoders, bring it down, touch it off and look at the distance that it traveled,” he said. “Then, you’ll go to the table and type in the value. But there is the risk of typing in the wrong number.”

Heidenhain and Acu-Rite Solutions are offering several hands-on experiences at their booth this year, as well as internal components that reduce energy use.

Material advances have produced a ceramic end mill that performs well at lower cutting speeds and competes with carbide in a broad range of applications. Your shop might begin using ceramic tools.

New tech center is serving as a cutting-edge showroom and a technological hub for advanced machining applications.

“What most people do, they’ll take a scale, a ruler let’s say, and they’ll say ‘I’ve got this sticking out 4"’,” Holden said. “They’ll put a magic marker mark on the shank of the cutting tool (and use that to set the tool). And that’s good enough. They might bring it to a standalone presetter at that point and take their final Z dimension and that’s all they’re looking for. Now that’s not very sophisticated, admittedly.”

Sunnen Products Co. is celebrating its 100th anniversary, highlighting the history of its line of honing and precision solutions.

(Memory lane: My first job in industry was in a machining laboratory where we evaluated cutting tool performance in aerospace alloys. I spent a lot of time looking at WG300 inserts’ cutting edges under a microscope.)

Working closely with customers and making careful investments has enabled this Wisconsin machine shop to tackle difficult jobs with tight deadlines as a core part of its business.

In test cutting, the performance and promise of the new round tools have been seen not principally in the high speeds these tools are able to achieve, but instead — stay with me on this — important improvement has been found at the low speeds at which these tools cut well. Ceramic tools are generally run at very high speeds (and run dry) because the ceramics’ thermal coefficient makes the tools so heat-resistant. The tools even have minimum cutting speed thresholds for optimal performance. However, the new, tougher ceramic tools do not need the intensity typical of ceramics. The optimal speed range for the new solid ceramic end mills begin at 1,300 sfm, low compared to other ceramic cutters. For a 1/2-inch end mill, that is about 10,000 rpm. In short, the needed speed is accessible to a broad range of machine tools used by a broad range of shops.

In this episode of Made in the USA, several executives and senior staff at Hardinge give their first-person account of how they formulated the plan to shift the manufacturing of its milling and turning product lines from its Taiwan plant to its plant in Elmira, New York, the major challenges they encountered and the rewards that made it worth the effort.

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“That’s a tried and true practice that works great,” said Janson. “The issue is if you get a tool that’s less than 1 mm in diameter, especially end mills and square end mills, you start to have concerns about the potential of chipping from that. That’s the concern we have when we’re dealing with stuff of that size. So, we typically use a presetter.”

That innovation multiplied the life of these ceramic tools by a factor of 10, and led to the company’s WG300 family of turning inserts.

AccuRounds has created synergy between culture and technology, driving a commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

One factor behind the rise in the popularity of shrink-fit toolholding is high-speed machining, also known as high-velocity milling, said Olivier Branget, application engineer for tooling systems, Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich.

Now, ceramic cutting tool maker Greenleaf says innovations in the toughness of ceramics within the last five years offer the potential to dramatically expand the applicability of ceramic tools in milling. The company recently launched its “Xsytin 360” line of solid-body four-flute ceramic end mills, after two years of development. According to James Greenleaf, the third-generation owner of the company, these tools are “the most extensively tested product we have ever introduced.” And that testing continues, because a ceramic tool with greater toughness is a tool that potentially has promise within machining sectors and applications not typically associated with ceramics, involving shops that have not turned to ceramic tooling before.

Forget about using the blow torch to get the holder hot enough to accept the tool, said the experts. The common method for applying the kind of heat needed is to use the electromagnetism of an induction coil.

Entrepreneur Scott Colosimo found early success in China producing parts for his Cleveland-based motorcycle company in the mid-2000s. This is the story of how IP theft issues overwhelmed the business, prompting Colosimo and his team to start over from scratch — and move production back to the United States.

If the same tool is going to be used over and over and there is concern about clearance, shops should shrink-fit and preset the holder, then insert a backup screw for a repeatable Z axis, Holden advised. Haimer, Seco and Zoller machines also have a rod the operator can insert through the center of the toolholder that functions just like the backup screw.

Thoughtful considerations will set you on a shortened path to the most optimized solution once cutter meets metal.

The Walter Turn toolholder features rake-face cooling to help break and control chips, and double flank-face cooling directly at the cutting edge to extend tool life.

Yet another reason for using shrink-fit toolholding is its compatibility with automated operations, said Ron West, senior product manager, marketing for Kennametal Inc., Pittsburgh. As a result, he sees customers using shrink-fit to facilitate lights-out operations.

Four-flute ceramic end mills are available in cutting diameters from 3/8 to 3/4 inch. Stability is a requirement for using the tools well. The flute design for minimizing vibration is thus an important part of the engineering.

“The thing I’ve always liked, especially coming from the inspection side of the cutting tool industry, and that a lot of customers like, is doing in-process gaging and in-process inspection with a presetter. There are things that I can qualify—diameters, lengths, runouts, radii, concentricity—and we can do DXF overlay profiles if necessary. If an operator wants to do some verification, it doesn’t take that much longer after presetting the tool. They can then be assured that the tool is qualified and will make a good part.” — Matt Brothers, Industry 4.0 Tech Center manager, Zoller

Legacy Precision Molds takes us on a tour of their moldbuilding facility. They've recently implemented two automated 5-axis cells for metal and graphite machining that run lights out during nights and weekends.

Another failsafe method uses RFID tags. “We check the tool, we write the information to the chip,” Brothers said. “Then we place the unit into the machine tool and it transfers the information when it’s ready to use the tool. Usually in high production [applications], companies use RFIDs just for the sake of repeatability and to decrease errors. So, they don’t have to come back after making a few parts and quality control comes and says ‘this part’s oversized.’”

Learn more about the variety of technology and machinery Hwacheon Machinery America, Inc. is featuring at its IMTS 2024 booth.

The company also applied ceramic inserts to milling, albeit on larger-diameter tools. But now, the latest major advance in ceramic toughness has led the company to introduce smaller-diameter solid tools as well as inserted ballnose tools. This latest toughness advance is not because of the addition of a different reinforcing mechanism, but rather because of a proprietary phase toughening process that leads to greater control over the formation of the ceramic material, including the formation of the whiskers. As the company explains, phase toughening of the material delivers a stronger material substrate as well as more predictive performance in applications where other cutting tool ceramics are prone to failure. The material made this way still favors hardness over toughness, but now within a combination that not only provides for the requirements of smaller-diameter tools, but also lands nearer to the needs of general machining and to the performance capabilities of more mainstream machining centers.

Weldon Solutions is demonstrating three grinders at IMTS 2024. Though they differ in size and use case, all feature the company’s hallmark customizations.

Thoughtful considerations will set you on a shortened path to the most optimized solution once cutter meets metal.

In this webinar, industry-leading experts will demonstrate how additive manufacturing can revolutionize your operations and answer the question: Can you afford not to? From rapid prototyping to robust fixturing and specialized custom tooling, it’ll showcase the diverse applications that can drive your business forward in a time where cost and time saving can be crucial. Discover how to reduce costs, accelerate production cycles and achieve unparalleled design freedom through the strategic integration of 3D printing technology. Phillip’s panel of seasoned professionals will share real-world examples and practical insights to help you understand the potential of additive manufacturing. Learn how to overcome production challenges, improve product quality and gain a competitive advantage. It will explore the cost-benefit analysis of 3D printing — including material and labor savings — as well as the potential for increased revenue. Join this webinar to discover why additive manufacturing is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for success. Agenda: Prototyping example: quick-change prototype Custom tooling real-world example: press brake, tube bending die CMM fixturing and workholding example: CMM fixture and soft jaw

“I know places do that, but I’d be concerned about changing the material structure of the holder,” said Alec Janson, product engineer II, OSG USA Inc., Irving, Texas, about quenching the holder. “Not that it would be too much but you’re dealing with something that’s supposed to be precision equipment.”

Weldon Solutions is demonstrating three grinders at IMTS 2024. Though they differ in size and use case, all feature the company’s hallmark customizations.

Q-Mark has built its metrology business by providing what customers need, when they want it. This goes for its IMTS booth, too, with free drinks alongside custom technology.

However, within the many shops able to achieve this level of stability and control, this tool is now a competitor to carbide in a way that ceramic round tools have not been before. The level of toughness resulting from the phase toughening has brought us to this point of change: In facing their challenges with hard metals, many shops will now consider ceramic milling tools that have never used tooling made of this material before.

From quadruped robot dogs, to an in-booth putting green where you can test out a new golf putter, to a 3D-printed car and more, attendees enjoyed cutting-edge technology and innovations all week long. Take a look to see what (or who!) you might have missed this week!

“Even touching off … some people will shrink the tool then bring it down and touch the tool off, but you could damage the part if you don’t have an experienced operator and it could come down and chip the tool,” Brothers continued. “Again, not using the tool to make chips.”

Janson said his criteria for whether to use a presetter depends on the application, the tool size, the level of precision required and the need for speed in production.

Walter USA has acquired PDQ Workholding, intending to strengthen its offering of workholding products and develop future cutting tool sales.

Enabling high-speed machining, in addition to holders with stronger clamping forces and reduced runout, are more complex algorithms in computer-aided machining software, Ball said.

Incremental mode can be more advantageous when programming sculptured surfaces or for certain hole-machining canned cycle applications.

Ceratizit USA announces it has appointed Carlos Garza as its business development leader for the oil and gas industry sector.

Pairing automation with air-driven motors that push cutting tool speeds up to 65,000 RPM with no duty cycle can dramatically improve throughput and improve finishing.

Though most frequently used for diameter measurements, an air plug and platen can be readily configured to measure perpendicularity.

Brothers said he’s even seen some people do presetting with calipers. “There’s even some ways of doing it on the machine tool where they have different gages, touch-off probes and lasers,” he said. “But then all you’re using the machine tool for is a presetter, not making chips. [That’s why] it’s always nice to have that done offline.

Though most frequently used for diameter measurements, an air plug and platen can be readily configured to measure perpendicularity.

That productivity improvement does need the right setup. The Xsytin 360 milling tools making use of the phase-toughened ceramic are not a replacement for carbide; we have been speaking of toughness, and carbide is still the tougher material. The ceramic end mills capable of lower speeds still need effective process controls against shocks to the tool — controls that include rigid fixturing; short overhang in the tool setup; a shrink-fit, press-fit or hydraulic toolholder for low runout; and a tool path ensuring continuous cutting by maintaining a consistent chip thickness. Indeed, the tool’s flute design is part of this formula and another important part of the engineering of the tool. This flute aids stability through a geometry that has been refined to minimize vibration. Also needed in the application of the tool: a way to clear chips from the path of the cut without coolant, because this ceramic, like earlier ceramic tools, does far better running dry.

The choice between buying a new machine or refurbishing the current one will become clear after a thorough assessment of the machine.

Heidenhain and Acu-Rite Solutions are offering several hands-on experiences at their booth this year, as well as internal components that reduce energy use.

Did you know that the show was postponed for WWII? Or that McCormick Place was expanded in the ’70s just to accommodate IMTS? A fascinating look at the show’s history from 1927 to today.

Ceramic cutting tools offer a model case for appreciating the distinction between hardness and toughness. These very hard tools have long been a solution for machining very hard metals such as aerospace alloys. However, turning has been their principal application, because of a relative lack of toughness. The tools stand up to consistent high forces such as the steady cut in uninterrupted turning — thank you, hardness — but they are vulnerable to the bang-bang-bang shocks of an interrupted process such as milling, because enduring shocks is what toughness is all about.

“The one caveat that we run into with shrink units is they don’t avoid tool pullout. They’re really good at keeping the tool in place if it’s drilling so you’ve got forces going up into the machine. But in milling, especially aggressive roughing, the way the helix angle on the end mill imparts forces onto the holder you will sometimes see the tool shift by up to 0.015-0.02" (0.381-0.508 mm), which can take you out of tolerance. The tool can get pulled slowly out of the holder. It’s something that all holders can have an issue with. You might be better off with something you don’t have to potentially worry about damaging.”— Alec Janson, product engineer II, OSG USA, Glendale Heights, Illinois

Standards for surface finishes and profiles are not static; they change as technology changes or new processes come along that need to be considered.

FABTECH 2024 will be held October 15-17, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center. FABTECH provides a convenient ‘one-stop shop’ venue where you can meet with world-class suppliers, discover innovative solutions, and find the tools to improve productivity and increase profits. There is no better opportunity to network, share knowledge and explore the latest technology, all here in one place. Future U.S. Show Dates and Locations 2025 – September 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL 2026 – October 21-23 at Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV 2027 – September 13-16 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL

SSP’s commitment to adopting the latest machining technology benefits not only the business, but its employees as well.

Part of Major Tool’s 52,000 square-foot building expansion includes the installation of this new Waldrich Coburg Taurus 30 vertical machining center.

When it comes to utilizing the spindle’s power, there is a lot of headroom at the upper limits, provided it’s in short bursts. Be mindful of your time at these loads so you don’t stall out.

Unlike its name, the use of shrink-fit tooling is expanding. A shrink-fit toolholder starts with a slightly undersize bore that is heated to enlarge the inner diameter enough to accept a cutting tool and then grip the cutter as it cools and contracts.

Induction coils solved a problem at Seco in the early 2000s, Branget said. At the time, some tools—typically those with smaller diameters and also ones made of solid-carbide inserts in steel shafts—were getting stuck in shrink-fit holders because the method used to expand the internal bore was so slow that it heated the tool at the same time. The thermal coefficient of the holder and the shank was the same. Today, induction systems are so powerful you can heat up the holder enough to expand it before the tool gets hot, said Branget.

Haimer and Zoller have an intelligent coil that can sense the distance from the inside of the coil to the outside of the chuck so it doesn’t exert any more power than needed to heat the holder.

New U.S.-based event announced in 2021 finally debuts next year: focuses on complete additive manufacturing value chain. More at formnextchicago.com.

The MB45 series is designed to deliver the low cutting force benefits of positive inserts and the fracture resistance of negative inserts.

Manufacturers continue to feel the pressure to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and meet their sustainability strategies. As the industry evolves to keep pace with these priorities, there are opportunities within metalworking processes to use less resources with advanced lubricants and technical expertise. Agenda: An overview of metalworking lubrication Evolutions in metalworking lubrication Experience on the shop floor Key takeaways

Some manufacturers make machines that combine shrink-fitting with presetting. There are pros and at least one con to these. A combination machine requires only one cost justification to the bean counters vs. having to justify the price of two machines. A combination machine can also take up less floor space than a standalone shrink-fit unit and presetter would.

The two-in-one machines may also be a boon to speed, accuracy and safety. “You’re going to get more setting accuracy in the tools, you’re going to have a faster preset cycle time, and it’s also a safety thing as well because you’re not handling any sharp objects,” said Zoller’s Brothers. You’re not taking the chance of dropping these heavy tools if one was to have shrinking and presetting done separately.”

4150 steel machining in action. The workpiece here is hardened to 54 HRC. The solid-body ceramic milling tool is 0.75 inch diameter. Cutting speed is 1,500 sfm. Feed rate is 0.001 ipt for a full-diameter slotting pass at 0.125 inch axial depth of cut, and 0.0024 ipt for a profiling passes at 0.125 inch axial depth of cut and 0.060 inch radial depth of cut.

Ever wonder what sets Top Shops apart from the competition? Dive into their award-winning practices and explore behind-the-scenes strategies for operational excellence.

So far, Made in the USA has looked into system-wide effects of broken supply chains, automation, skilled workforce issues and our perception of manufacturing jobs — examining each topic through a prism of individual experiences. For this final episode for Season 1, let’s look at one more system-wide question and bring it back to personal perspectives: Is there today a new dawn, a new moment for American manufacturing?

“Presetting is especially important when using reconditioned tooling because the reconditioning process takes a little off the length. Having a good tool management system that uses reconditioning creates the possibility there could be duplicate cutting tools in different reconditioning cycles and therefore different tool heights. Presetting the tool heights eliminates the differences and promotes accuracy.”— Ron West, senior project manager, marketing, Kennametal Inc.

Part of Major Tool’s 52,000 square-foot building expansion includes the installation of this new Waldrich Coburg Taurus 30 vertical machining center.

Each tool setting technique has merit, and it depends on where you are as a shop and the type of work you do, as cost and efficiency all come into play.

In addition to using height indicators and risky touch-offs that can damage the tool in lieu of a presetter machine, Janson said he’s seen one operator place a piece of paper between the tool tip and workpiece. As he lowers the tool, he knows he’s reached the correct height when he can’t pull the paper away.

When Puneet and Neelam Neotia moved from India to the United States several years ago, they brought with them a family background in manufacturing and CNC machining. Now the couple is working to get their startup machine shop off the ground, sourcing new customers and getting the word out about their shop in Clarksville, Indiana. The couple — proud to publicize their "Made in the USA" parts — is leveraging family connections and manufacturing capabilities back in India, but not in the way that some people assume.

New tech center is serving as a cutting-edge showroom and a technological hub for advanced machining applications.

It was a solution realizing greater toughness that drove Greenleaf’s first big breakthrough with ceramic tools, decades ago. The company introduced ceramic tooling in 1973, manufactured thanks to hot pressing technology that was proprietary at the time. But in 1985, the company proved and went to market with its method for adding reinforcing crystals grown in long, thin strands — known as whisker reinforcement — within the microstructure of the hard turning tools made this way.

AccuRounds has created synergy between culture and technology, driving a commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

The following are tips and tricks of the trade, shared with Manufacturing Engineering by the experts.

Tool-holder-spindle-machine combinations each have a unique dynamic response in the same way that each person has a unique fingerprint, which can be revealed using modal testing.

A set of donated boring bars that can be used in a 1954 boring head will enable volunteer machinists to recreate a pair of binoculars for the USS Pampanito.

Take a look inside James Engineering, a high-end CNC Deburring OEM that became a job shop when they decided to produce their own parts in-house.

Rob Guiao, Chris Hall and Bassanio Peters will demonstrate relatable situations to equip you with data to improve predictability, future-proof operations and maximize ROI. Agenda: Explore the importance of data in decision-making, especially for facility upgrades or new projects Learn how comprehensive solutions for manufacturing and construction projects can improve predictability and ROI See real demonstrations of machine integrations, facility layouts and automations to ensure proper throughput and integration

FANUC’s IMTS 2024 booth includes real-time demonstrations that show the abilities of its equipment, including robots, controllers and machine tools.

Like other ceramics, this tool cuts dry and likes high cutting speeds. The crucial difference: The new phase-toughened solid-body tool performs well at cutting speeds that are low for ceramics, coupled with feed rate that is relatively high. The result is a solid ceramic round tool well suited to the capabilities of standard machining centers. All photos courtesy of Greenleaf.

Where Janson works, operators use a touch-off gage (a gage of a known height equipped with a dial to measure distance) set on the workpiece or on the table in the machine. The operator takes the tool, drops it down and touches it on the top surface of the probe until the dial registers the height.

The L.S. Starrett Co. has been manufacturing precision measurement tools in Athol, Massachusetts, since 1880. Attention to U.S. manufacturing often focuses on reshoring manufacturing from other countries, but Starrett never left. The facility in Athol employs hundreds and produces thousands of tools that remain vital for measurement in machining and other fields.

Why do it? It provides the cutting tool with lower runout, stronger gripping torque, greater balance, slimmer profile, and extended reach options. It also decreases the inventory a shop needs to keep track of and store, improves repeatability, and shortens tool change time.

FANUC’s IMTS 2024 booth includes real-time demonstrations that show the abilities of its equipment, including robots, controllers and machine tools.

“Modern shrink fit machines use preprogrammed heating cycles that are based on the nose diameter of the holder. This ensures uniform heating and consistent holder life by not overheating the holder, which can change the molecular properties, causing the holder to lose its gripping force.”— Jay Ball, product manager for solid milling, Seco Tools

“This is a really important aspect of shrink-fit,” said Kennametal’s West. “The rapid, controlled heating of the toolholder has to stay within the limits of the material from which the adapter is made. Exceeding the maximum temperature will jeopardize the integrity of the adapter, which in turn reduces grip and runout. It takes its toll on tool life.”

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Mitsui Seiki USA Inc. appoints Joseph Farkas as its director of sales West and Terry Ritterbush as its director of sales East.

Structured light scanning is used to create a digital twin of a manufactured part, but we must understand the measurement reproducibility to best use the data.

While the basic concepts behind shrink-fit toolholding—heating expands and cooling contracts—have remained the same since its inception in the 1990s, companies responsible for the technology behind it have improved their machinery and processes. Apocryphal stories remain about using a blow torch to expand the inner bore, and some shops still quench a heated tool holder in a bucket of water and coolant to prompt contraction, but now there are much safer and more controlled ways to do both.

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“If your toolholder loses its shine and becomes black and dull instead after repeated shrinking, it was probably made of inferior material.” — Brendt Holden, president, Haimer USA

OSG also has a laser mounted in one of its machines that will do automatic tool touch-offs. “It’s kind of like the presetter we have, it’s just within the machine,” Janson said. “It’s used in the same way but a little bit quicker and less manual.”

The consistency Holden described helps not only with day-to-day operations, but also when quoting a job, so the shop doesn’t overestimate or underestimate machining time depending on the operator, according to Brothers.

Tool-holder-spindle-machine combinations each have a unique dynamic response in the same way that each person has a unique fingerprint, which can be revealed using modal testing.

Brothers’ company also has another product option called »zidCode«, which prints out a QR code that the operator can scan for the offsets that will input the information in the table as well. “That’s growing in popularity,” he said. “It’s quick data input and you’re eliminating data transfer errors.”

“With a lot of the harder materials, Inconels and titanium, a higher grip force is needed so the tool doesn’t spin inside the holder,” said Matt Brothers, Industry 4.0 Tech Center manager for Zoller Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich.Consistency in setup among operators is the No. 1 draw for shrink-fit toolholding, according to Holden. “To put a cutting tool in a toolholder in a shrink-fit chuck [is the same] if you are working in a shop for two weeks or 20 years,” Holden said. “Whereas if you’re using a collet chuck or other systems, the guy who’s been working there forever, he’s an expert. He knows how to clean out the collets, he knows exactly what to do to get the runout and the better performance while the new guy needs time to get up to speed. In the meantime, you have inconsistent production.”

One big problem that all-in-one machines can create, however, is a line of idle workers. “Sometimes having two machines in one might not be advantageous if someone is clogging up the machine and all you need is a quick in and out of a shrink-fit drill,” Holden said. “It’s holding you up.”

Understanding all the things that contribute to a machine’s full potential accuracy will inform what to prioritize when fine-tuning the machine.

Against carbide, the company reports productivity improvement on the order of a factor of 10 in milling hard steel, aerospace heat-resistant superalloys, compacted graphite iron and various hard alloys that are now finding use in production parts made through additive manufacturing processes such as laser powder bed fusion.

Compared to carbide end mills, the ceramic tool can realize both a much higher cutting speed and a much higher feed rate for a higher metal removal rate overall. Shown here are parameters for machining Inconel 718. Note the ceramic tool’s speed, which, while high, translates to only about 12,000 rpm.

Hardness and toughness together mean slow progress of tool wear. The edges of the 1/2-inch diameter ceramic end mill here show the wear after 72 minutes of milling for 64 cubic inches of material removal in 4150 steel with hardness of 52-55 HRC.

Working closely with customers and making careful investments has enabled this Wisconsin machine shop to tackle difficult jobs with tight deadlines as a core part of its business.

When it comes to utilizing the spindle’s power, there is a lot of headroom at the upper limits, provided it’s in short bursts. Be mindful of your time at these loads so you don’t stall out.

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Not only could runout be induced with uneven cooling, the tool also could be sentenced to an early death. “You’re changing some of the makeup of the holder and you could decrease the life of the tool,” Brothers said.

Job shops are implementing automation and digitalization into workflows to eliminate set up time and increase repeatability in production.

Commonly seen in commercially available cooling equipment are sleeves with internal coolant that fit over the heated toolholder and reduce its temperature in a matter of seconds. Instead of sleeves, Seco calls its technology cooling bells.

Changing the material properties of the toolholder isn’t the only concern. “What we found is [that with] unevenly cooling the tool, shocking the tool, there could be some negative effects,” Holden said, adding that he’s also seen operators pick up a heated toolholder and place it in sand to cool. “[It] could actually induce runout. You want to have even cooling. It’s important.”

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Take a look inside James Engineering, a high-end CNC Deburring OEM that became a job shop when they decided to produce their own parts in-house.

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