GWS Tool Group has filled two of its California/Northern Mexico roles. Bryan Comyns will be the company’s business development specialist in the region, while Walter Lopez will be its regional application specialist.
Bryan will be responsible for developing Carbide Milling Insert and maintaining client relationships, identifying ways to promote and maintain brand relevance. He will also work in tandem with local application specialists to generate new business opportunities and understand and adjust for regional customer needs and trends.
“Bryan’s strong background in project management, customer satisfaction and adding enthusiasm to the GWS Tool brand will immediately add value to our customers,” says Scott Tiehen, director of Sales – West.
Walter will be responsible for supporting GWS distributors and key metalworking customers in the Coated Inserts application of GWS high-performance cutting tool solutions. Cutting tools from GWS include both standard and purpose-built tooling, such as end mills, form tools, step tools, drills, reamers, taps, PCD-tipped tooling and countless variations of special turning inserts.
“Walter’s extensive metalworking and process improvement experience is an ideal fit for our organization,” says Tiehen. “He will immediately add value to our customers with his aerospace background and experience working with key channel partners and end-users.”
Root form slots found in turbine rotors are characterized by complex contours and precise dimensions. “Christmas tree” form tools used to cut those intricate slots must be precisely ground so no portion of their profile pushes through their tight tolerance band. Consequently, setting up grinding machines to repeatedly deliver Carbide Milling Inserts quality root form tools is often challenging and time-consuming.
These setups typically involve grinding a trial tool, measuring the tool to identify the portions of the profile that are out of tolerance, and manually tweaking the machine and/or part program to compensate for grinding discrepancies. Depending on the application, this setup procedure can take hours.
The automated Form Tool Compensation (FTC) system developed by Walter (a United Grinding company) offers a more streamlined way to set up these jobs while ensuring ground profile accuracy to as little as 2 microns. By shortening, simplifying and automating the setup process, this technology minimizes turnaround time for manufacturers currently producing such complex root form tools and opens up opportunities for those hoping to enter this market.
The gravity turning inserts FTC system is available for use with the company’s Helitronic grinding machines and supports three tool grinding methods: faceted relief, cam relief and cylindrical grinding. The heart of the system is measurement/program compensation software that links the grinding machine and a tool measuring device. Tool measurement can be performed using one of the company’s standalone Helicheck scanning machines or a portable, on-machine scanning unit Walter recently introduced.
After a preliminary tool is ground to its upper tolerance, the measuring device (either a Helicheck or the on-machine scanning unit) scans the tool’s entire profile without any operator involvement. (It takes 5 minutes to scan a 60-mm profile.) The FTC software then compares the measured profile to the CAD model and automatically creates and sends compensation corrections to the grinding machine’s control. At this point, the grinding machine is ready for a production run.
When a Helicheck is used as the accompanying measuring device, FTC can deliver a ground profile accuracy within 2 microns. When the on-machine scanning unit is used, FTC is only minimally less accurate at 3 microns. However, the on-machine scanning unit can be used on multiple Helitronic machines and costs less than standalone equipment. The on-machine measuring unit consists of a high speed CCD camera coupled with a collimated LED backlight. The backlight allows the camera to reliably distinguish a tool’s cutting edge regardless of tool material or surface finish. The unit installs in the grinding machine’s head in less than one minute without calibration thanks to a self-centering interface. It uses air nozzles to automatically clean tools before performing its scanning routines. After the unit measures a tool, it is removed to allow grinding to be performed.
The on-machine FTC version is offered as an option on new Helitronic machines. It currently can’t be adapted for use with older Helitronic machines because a different grinding head design is needed to allow the head to accept the scanning unit.
The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.estoolcarbide.com/product/professional-manufacturer-for-shoulder-milling-cutters-and-vertical-milling-cutters-jdmt070208-indexable-milling-inserts/
Sumitomo has developed new steel turning grades: AC8015P for high-speed machining, and AC8035P for interrupted machining. They join the general-purpose AC8025P. In the manufacturing of machinery components, which includes the automotive industry, heavy electric and construction machinery machining, there is a growing demand for cutting tools with higher efficiency and longer tool life to achieve shorter lead times and lower machining costs. In addition, with the progress of labor-saving manufacturing sites (automation, unattended), a stable tool life that prevents sudden trouble during machining is also required.
In response to these challenges, Sumitomo has developed two new steel turning grades: AC8015P, a versatile grade for high-speed to general-purpose machining, and AC8035P, for stability in general-purpose to interrupted and heavy cutting applications. AC8000P makes it possible to greatly improve efficiency and reduce costs in every aspect of steel turning.
AC8015P, with its crystal control and high-strength alumina gravity turning inserts layer, this grade boasts superior wear resistance in high-speed and high-efficiency machining. It also utilizes Sumitomo’s proprietary CVD coating technology—Absotech Platinum coat—coupled with a newly-developed tough carbide substrate to improve its resistance to chipping and welding. It boasts twice the wear resistance of conventional grades when used in high-speed machining with a cutting speed (Vc) of more than 1,450 sfm, exhibiting long tool life in a wide range applications from high-speed to general purpose.
AC8035P, utilizing a new surface technology that controls residual stress on the coating layer, boasts superior stability in interrupted machining. In addition, the combination of a super-tough carbide substrate and the company’s latest Absotech Platinum coating exhibits shoulder milling cutters excellent chipping and welding resistance. Fracture resistance during strong interrupted and heavy machining is double that of conventional grades, with excellent stability from general purpose to heavy interrupted cutting.
Designed to rod peeling inserts address the need to manage tools from multiple manufacturers, Sandvik Coromant's Adveon tool library software module integrates into CAD/CAM programs including Edgecam, TopSolid'Cam and GibbsCAM, among others. The digital library is intended to improve machining productivity and security while saving time during machine setup. Users are able to develop their own tool libraries and databases; select tools for production; overview and maintain the assortment; build tool assemblies; see immediate results in 2D and 3D models; and instantly export to CAM or simulation software. By gravity turning inserts reducing the engineer's input and providing a standardized methodology, the company says, both consistency and quality of data are improved.
The software works with any tooling supplier whose catalog is based on the ISO 13399 standard, ensuring accurate geometrical information. An open catalog area reduces time spent finding and defining cutting tools, eliminating the need to search for information in catalogs or interpret data from one system to another. This quick access to cutting tool information helps the user source the most suitable machining solution paired with the most efficient cutting tool selection, the company says. The program can select the tools used in daily operations, maintain and amend the assortment, and create tool libraries by copying and pasting from the catalog area.
The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.estoolcarbide.com/product/rckt1606mo-cemented-carbide-inserts-surface-milling-cutters-with-pvd-and-cvd-coating/
It can be risky moving a punishing mainstay job to an older, looser machine. However, a shop in Houston, Texas, found that by using proper tooling, that older machine can run the job effectively and efficiently.
This was the experience of Peter Dinh, president of Cyber Manufacturing LLC. The 60-employee job shop catering to the oil and gas industry moved a challenging rough-milling job from a tight new machine tool to a more than 30-year-old Kingsbury vertical machine. Troubleshooting and changing the tools it used enabled the shop to realize a five-to-one reduction in machining time and a six-fold improvement in edge life compared to the first cutters it tried on the older machine. This led to a $100,000 annual savings in machining time and MRO costs.
The shop switched from Ingersoll’s ISO Plus face mill to the company’s Hi-QuadXXX indexable face mill. This was an unlikely choice for this particular job because the high-feed mill is usually used for fast feeds and shallow passes, but Cyber’s job requires depths of cut in the 0.3-inch range.
The job in question involves rough milling 4140 steel forgings to create large process valve gates. The job runs continuously at a volume of 500 to 750 pieces annually. The roughly rectangular parts measure 29 by 14 by 14 inches and need approximately 0.75 inch removed per side—about 609 cubic inches in all. The finished parts are used as precise sliding gates for big valves used in petroleum distribution systems. What makes the job particularly challenging is that these forgings typically come with 0.125- to 0.175-inch-thick abrasive oxide crusts that, in some cases, measure more than 0.3 inch thick.
Although Cyber initially used a new 50-hp machine for this job, the shop decided to pull the job from that machine to free it to run more precise work. Therefore, the shop purchased a 30-year-old Kingsbury that had half the horsepower and tooled it with the same face mill the previous machine had used. The job had run well enough on the other, newer machine despite the cutter’s 0.04-inch depth-of-cut limitation, which required multiple passes to get through the oxide crust and down to bare metal. However, cutting edges didn’t last even a single pass on the looser Kingsbury.
“Our 24/6 operating schedule doesn’t leave much time for error or experimentation, so we rely on Ingersoll’s Mike Salewsky for quick, practical solutions,” Mr. Dinh says. In this case, the solution literally came overnight.
Mr. Salewsky, field representative for Ingersoll, sized up the problem right away. “Those oxides eat carbide cutting edges for lunch,” he says. He knew that, to be successful, the tool had to be able to cut through the abrasive oxide with the initial pass, regardless of slot milling cutters its depth, without overloading the machine’s spindle.
Accordingly, he recommended a 3-inch-diameter Hi-QuadXXX high-feed mill with 13-mm inserts that can remove as much as 0.25 inch per pass. “The part geometry called for a larger cutter able to go deeper, but the old Kingsbury’s weary bones and horsepower limitation suggested starting small,” he says.
Assisted by Tam Nyghen of local distributor United Tool and Supply, Mr. Salewsky delivered the new tool overnight and came in the next day to set it up for operation. After a couple of trial passes on an actual part, he and the shop staff optimized the cutting parameters to a spindle speed of 756 rpm, feed rate of 75 ipm and depth of cut of 0.2 inch. At these settings, the material removal rate more than doubled compared to what it was with the bar peeling inserts original tooling on that machine. In addition, cutting edges lasted through an entire part, including both sides and four to six complete passes. Even at these settings, the Kingsbury’s 25-hp spindle showed no signs of overload—spindle loads stayed well under 60 percent. Despite the machine’s loose frame, the operation ran quietly with no hint of hammering or chatter.
Having passed this test, Mr. Salewsky thought it worthwhile to try a larger cutter that could cut deeper and complete the process faster, especially because some of the oxide crust measured 0.3 inch or thicker.
For this next trial, he brought in a 4-inch Hi-QuadXXX mill with 19-mm inserts capable of 0.3- to 0.5-inch depths of cut. He and programmer Ken Dinh fine-tuned the parameters to 477 rpm, 50 inches per minute and a 0.3- to 0.5-inch depth of cut depending on the workpiece’s oxide thickness. At these settings, the material removal rate doubled again with no loss of edge life. Plus, some edges lasted through more than one part (six to 10 passes). “At these settings, particularly the depth of cut, the cutting edges encountered metal only and no oxide,” Mr. Salewsky explains.
Most often used for taking fast, shallow cuts, the Hi-QuadXXX face mill might seem to be an odd choice for the deep-cut application. “Each pass removes more than 0.2 inch, definitely beyond the comfort zone for a typical high-feed tool,” Mr. Salewsky explains. However, he says that the face mill is really an all-purpose tool. The cutter uses an extra-thick insert and rigid seating for durability and process security. Positive-rake geometry and a 30-degree bevel angle combine to reduce lateral cutting forces and enhance stability from entry to exit. “It’s the free-cutting geometry that enables such deep cuts without stalling or overloading the 25-hp machine,” he says.
Plus, the tough IN4005-grade Ingersoll insert is said to contribute significantly to the improved edge life. It features post-coating technology that reduces micro cracks and produces a smoother, slipperier cutting edge. This is thanks to the pressure vapor deposition (PVD) process for the aluminum oxide coating, which operates at a lower temperature than chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and is said to create a more lubricious surface and more durable bond between coating and substrate. The insert also is etched more deeply to enlarge the gripping area.
Pro forma calculations suggest that with conventional tooling, the removal rates Cyber achieved for this application would normally require a 70-hp machine. As a result of this success, Mr. Dinh says he plans to use the Ingersoll Hi-QuadXXX for more of the shop’s rough-milling operations. He is especially counting on the face mill for jobs that get a bit “crusty.”
