Arburg presents future injection-moulding trends

Arburg is to present the electric Allrounder 570 and a production cell built around a hydraulic Allrounder 370 S with a Multilift V robotic system at the FIP 2009 trade fair on 16-19 June.

The company will also exhibit an electric Allrounder 570 A with a high-speed application at the event.

Products including the Arburg host computer system (ALS) as a production management system will also be presented at the fair.

The complex production cell will feature a hydraulic Allrounder 370 S with a clamping force of 600kN (60tonf) and a size 170 injection unit.

The system will demonstrate the encapsulation of inserts and the integration of downstream assembly steps.

The Allrounder operates with an Arburg Multilift V robotic system, which enters vertically into the mould and is fully integrated in the Selogica machine-control system.

A toy buggy made from PP will be produced.

In a single injection-moulding cycle, the plastic wheels are encapsulated onto two metal axles and the roof and chassis are produced.

In this application, the complex gripper of the robotic system inserts the metal axles, removes the sprue and the individual components and subsequently assembles them to produce the finished toy car.

On an electric Allrounder 570 A, a high-speed thin-walled application will be demonstrated.

The machine has a clamping force of 2,000kN (200tonf) and a size 800 injection unit, with a maximum shot weight of 434g of PS.

The moulded part is an egg box for four eggs, weighing 15.6g and is produced in a cycle time of 2.3s.

With this application, Arburg will demonstrate the high performance of its electric Allrounder A machines in terms of speed and precision.

The main axes, with servo-electric drive as standard, enable simultaneous movements and short cycle times.

Depending on requirements, the auxiliary axes can either be driven electrically like the main axes, or hydraulically by means of an integrated small-accumulator hydraulic system.

A further advantage of these electric Alldrive machines is their low energy consumption.

Ensuring consistently high product quality, optimising production capacity utilisation and minimising downtimes to enhance the energy efficiency of production processes will become increasingly important in ensuring cost-effective production in the future.

For this purpose, Arburg said its ALS provides an ideal control and monitoring instrument between production planning and the production process itself.

A further advantage is that injection-moulding machines from other manufacturers can be connected.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/abg/abg149.html

Injection moulders raise bathroom fittings output

Wittmann Battenfeld UK injection moulding machinery is being used by West Midlands manufacturer Thomas Dudley to make part of its latest suite of bathroom fittings and fixtures.

Mike Mohr, works director, plastics division, Thomas Dudley, says: 'Improvements have been made to our Vantage concealed cistern with a dual-flush pneumatic button and push-fit flushbend.

'Advances in sandwich moulding have enabled us to extend the product range.' Further product developments are in the pipeline, involving sensor technology, and the 160- tonne locking force Battenfeld machine is playing a key role in the company's moulding work.

All of Thomas Dudley's Battenfeld moulding machines benefit from magnetic platens and fast mould-change systems.

Wittmann granulators are also deployed to help the company's policy of in-house plastics reprocessing, and are part of many closed-loop manufacturing cells on the shop floor.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/wic/wic157.html

Arburg exhibits products at Plastpol 2009

Arburg exhibited two products at the Plastpol plastics processing show in Poland on 26-29 May 2009.

The electric Allrounder 420 A has a high-speed, thin-walled application with a cycle time of only 2.2 seconds.

The company also presented a cost-efficient automation solution by combining the Allrounder 470 C Golden Edition with the Multilift V Select robotic system.

In addition to the machine and robotic system, the complete production unit also features a guard with electrical connections and a conveyor belt as well as being CE certified.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/abg/abg150.html

The AX, Kraussmaffei's new all-electric injection moulding machine

Kraussmaffei to show electric AX moulding machine

The AX, Kraussmaffei's new all-electric injection moulding machine, will be in action in the UK on 30 June and 1 July as part of the company's European roadshow.

Kraussmaffei will be focusing on cost-efficient production with a compact production cell in operation on the company premises in Warrington (Europa Boulevard, Gemini Business Park) from 09.30 on both days.

The complete production cell featuring an AX 100-380 and an integrated robot will be producing mobile-phone covers.

This complete solution can reduce unit manufacturing costs in injection moulding through higher energy efficiency, greater repeatability, shorter cycle times and a smaller footprint.

All-electric AX machines reduce power consumption, usually by more than 50 per cent and often by as much as 60 per cent, according to the company.

They also consume up to 70 per cent less water than comparable hydraulic machines.

Highly dynamic drive technology and servomotors are said to cut cycle time.

They also boost repeatability, thanks to precision movement control.

The total cost of ownership is also improved by the 25 per cent-smaller footprint of the production cell (including the LRX part removal robot and safety housing).

The AX series will eventually cover the range from 500kN to 35mN (50tonf to 3,500tonf).

It is targeted at standard applications in the automotive, electronics and life-sciences industries, to name a few.

Completing the demonstrations will be a programme of talks on the advantages of electric injection moulding machines, their potential applications and approaches to optimising energy efficiency.

The Kraussmaffei roadshow will give processors in the UK the opportunity to find out more about the prospect of immediate efficiency gains but without travelling far or losing a lot of time.

Arburg exhibits multi-component injection moulding

At the International Rubber Conference (IRC) trade fair, Arburg demonstrated multi-component injection moulding.

An elastomer/thermoplastics application was presented for this purpose.

The exhibit comprised an automation solution built around an energy-efficient electric Allrounder 470 A with two horizontal injection units in an L-configuration and a vertically operating Multilift V robotic system.

The Arburg team welcomed a broad range of visitors to its exhibition stan, which came from a variety of industries, from companies of different sizes.

The visitors were interested in machine technology for elastomer processing and in automation solutions.

The electric Allrounder 470 A, with a clamping force of 1,000kN, offered a demonstration of how two-component moulded parts made from thermoplastic and elastomer can be produced in a precise, energy-efficient manner.

High reproducibility and part quality are ensured by the positioning accuracy of the electric movement axes of the Allrounder A.

Thanks to the precision of the axis movements, synchronous entry into the mould can be performed quickly and precisely, optimising cycle times.

The electric Alldrive machines also have low energy consumption.

In addition to the two size 400 and 170 injection units in an L-configuration, the exhibit was also equipped for elastomer processing and included a robotic system.

The Multilift V enters the mould vertically, sets down the pre-moulded parts in the one-plus-one cavity mould, removes the finished parts and sets them down on a conveyor belt.

The complete integration of the robotic system in the Selogica machine control system means that the entire process is easy to program.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/abg/abg151.html

Cutting Tool Resharpening Decisions

Cutting tool resharpening is called for when your sharpened cutting tool grows dull. If the job the cutting tool is for is a high tolerance job, than resharpening may be more economical than reconditioning the cutting tool every time it grows dull. An example of high tolerance job where cutting tool resharpening would be more economical than reconditioning could be using a table saw to rip long pieces from stock for further manufacturing processes. In this case, the saw blade could be resharpened over and over again until sharpening is not a possibility because the teeth are all gone.

When a cutting tool grows dull, it may become dangerous to use. A dull cutting tool may bind up in the material that you are cutting. When a cutting tool binds in the material being cut, the possibility exists that the cutting tool may break. When a cutting tool breaks while spinning at the rate needed to perform it's cutting, it will become a dangerous flying piece of shrapnel with the potentiality of injuring one or more of your workers. If it does become a piece of shrapnel, it will cost you much more than resharpening it would. Between lost time from your worker having to receive medical attention and the production slowdown, Cutting tool resharpening is a much more cost effective process than using dull cutting tools with all the potentially dangerous things that can happen.

If your cutting tool is used for low tolerance applications, then cutting tool resharpening may not be feasible for that tool. In some cases, it may still be an option. For example, when the cutting tool is used for a simple part-off from stock already machined, then resharpening could be considered instead of sending the cutting tool out for reconditioning each time it grows dull. But if your use of the cutting tool is more complicated procedures that call for a specifically shaped cutter, then cutting tool resharpening should not be considered as a viable option at all. In this situation, the cutting tool should either be reconditioned at your work place or sent to a specialist each time the tool becomes dull, so that you retain the capabilities needed to manufacture the part within allowable tolerances.

Doing cutting tool resharpening at your facility might be more economical than sending your cutting tools to a specialist. If you are causing enough cutting tools to grow dull through use to keep one person busy sharpening them for a full day's work, than it might be less expensive for you to purchase a sharpening machine and train an employee to do the resharpening on your premises rather than sending out to a specialist. Machines that do cutting tool resharpening are not very large and relatively inexpensive. Training schools for cutting tool resharpening can be found in many places and once again, are relatively inexpensive. When taking all of this into consideration, and the amount of cutting tools that can be simply resharpened in your place of business, the decision to resharpen your cutting tools yourself might just be the most economical choice to make.

Logan is a published author of a popular online furniture making magazine. In his free time he enjoys refurnishing old furniture and remodeling his home. Needless to say, he is an expert on a large variety of power tools and he will share his list of essential tools needed for over 100 projects at http://www.mtakata.com. Visit the ridgid power tools website to learn more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_P._Shidel

Hobbiest Need Real Tools

Are you still buying your hobby tools from the Dollar Store because they’re cheap? Do you have an account at Big Lots? Is that set of Chinese drill bits from K-Mart really any good? The answer varies as does the quality of the tools themselves.

If you spend a few minutes on the internet you can often purchase the same tools professionals use at very reasonable prices. The internet has made it possible to buy anything on-line. So why not industrial drill bits made from M7, high speed steel? On a good site you can pay the same for a high quality drill bit as you would at the dollar store. The big difference is the industrial bit will drill thousands of holes and may last a lifetime, and the dollar store bit may drill one hole, if you’re lucky.

Home hobbyist that make model locomotives, steam engines or any other accessories that require machining often think they need to purchase their cutting tools from the hobby shop. Instead of buying a quality carbide end mill, they end up with a Chinese made, high speed steel, end mill. Sure it works for a few cuts, then you have to “baby” it to finish the job. However, if you search “carbide end mills” on Google, you’ll find quite a few sites willing to sell to home hobbyist with a minimal shipping charge and no minimum order requirement.

Ladies, for whatever reason, you think you need to buy pink and colorful pliers. They may look cute, but usually they are not very precise. Many times the jaws don’t close correctly, and they fall apart in under a year. It doesn’t have to be this way! Wait until Sears has a sale on Craftsman pliers. You can get them for the same price as the “pink” ones, yet they’re guaranteed for life. They open and close the way they should.

Another product used by hobbyists, are taps. Taps are used to put threads inside of holes in steel and aluminum projects. Again, model makers, RC enthusiasts, steam engine builders and locomotive enthusiasts can buy taps on-line. Don’t buy “carbon steel” taps, they wear out prematurely. Go for the best product possible, high speed steel. At sites like Kodiak, you can buy these products one piece at a time, with no minimum. The prices are excellent, shipping is very reasonable and these are the exact same tools used in thousands of machine shops around the world.

No matter what your hobby, spend a little time and effort to research what the professionals use. The internet is a wonderful source of information and locations in which to make your purchases. Call the toll free number on the site and speak with a live person. Make sure the site lists a physical address, just in case you need to track them down. Once you’re sure the company is legitimate…..place your order. You’ll be happier with quality tools. They make the job at hand more enjoyable, and you can be proud of your tooling selection for a long time to come!

The author, Mike Wunsch, has been in the tooling and machining trades for over 20 years. Additionally he owns and operates http://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com , an on-line ecommerce site supplying cutting tools to machine shops and hobbyists around the country (USA). If you have questions or need help choosing cutting tools from Kodiak for your project, he can be reached at the 800 number shown at the Kodiak website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Wunsch

Carbide Cutting Tool

Carbide cutting tools are used when your regular high speed steel cutting tools are not removing enough material in the time allowed for the job. Carbide cutting tools are a bit more expensive then regular steel cutting tools, but make up that by lasting longer and removing more material per cut. Making a carbide cutting tool strictly from carbide is prohibitively expensive. The usual method is to braze carbide onto the steel cutting surface. Carbide is harder than steel and holds an edge longer under harder use than plain steel.

An example of a carbide cutting tool is the blade on your circular saw. Most saw blades for circular saws are carbide tipped for more cutting capacity and for longevity purposes. A carbide cutting tool just lasts longer than plain steel. Carbide cutting tools cut through the material you are cutting so much faster that ordinary high speed steel cutting tools do, that most cutting tools today come with carbide tips on them. if high speed steel will cut the material you are handling, then a carbide cutting tool will cut it faster and more economically. A carbide cutting tool does not need to be sharpened as often as high speed steel does.

In the metal machining industry carbide cutting tools have become the standard for most cutting situations. The hardness of a carbide cutting tool and the longevity that it brings to the cutting surface simply makes it more economical to use than the high speed steel cutting tools. Productivity is the key to successful business and the time saved in not changing cutters or in resharpening cutters more than makes up for the higher cost of carbide cutting tools. Also being able to carry a smaller inventory of cutting tools due to the longevity of carbide cutting tools means a lessor investment in the overhead of a metal machining business.

When cutting a very hard material with a carbide cutting tool, a cooling system is used to keep the temperature of the blade and material lower. This keeps the material being cut from warping or in the case of heat treatable material, it keeps it from hardening and possibly changing the temper of the material. It also prolongs the life of the carbide cutting tool by retaining the carbide tips. When a carbide cutting tool starts to remove less material or otherwise shows signs of dullness, it is very easy to sharpen. Sharpening is just a matter of removing a very slight amount the carbide to return the carbide cutting tool to it's former shape and cutting ability.

When you go to the store to get replacements for your cutting machine, be it a saw or a complex milling machine, your first choice should be a carbide cutting tool. The slightly higher expense over a high speed steel cutting tool will, in the long run, turn out to make the carbide cutting tool less expensive both because or the greater productivity and the longer lifespan of the carbide cutting tool over an ordinary high speed steel version.

Logan is a published author of a popular online furniture making magazine. In his free time he enjoys refurnishing old furniture and remodeling his home. Needless to say, he is an expert on a large variety of power tools and he will share his list of essential tools needed for over 100 projects at http://www.mtakata.com. Visit the ridgid power tools website to learn more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_P._Shidel

Coatings on Cutting Tools

Metal Cutting Tools Get a New “Coat”

Men (and women) have been cutting metal in machine shops since the late 19th century. They started with crude ideas and methods which have progressed to the current “high tech” technologies of today. The constant during these progressive years has been the cutting tool itself. The actual product that contacts the raw metal, cuts and removes chips from the raw stock, creates the finished work piece. Cutting Tools have evolved over the years from high carbon steel, to high speed steel, to cobalt, to carbide, and for specific applications, diamond and ceramics.

In the late 1970’s a company named Balzers started applying a very thin film to cutting tools, thus improving their overall life, in some cases, by 400%. This process is called “surface treatment” or “tool coating” and is used widely in today’s machine shops and manufacturing facilities.

There are several processes used to apply surface treatments, but the (2) main types used for cutting tools are PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and these are readily available from special coating facilities located throughout the world. My goal with this article is to share with the reader some common PVD and CVD choices, and reasons to utilize each.

The right surface treatment on cutting tools can increase tool life, decrease cycle time and enhance surface finishes. However, choosing the right coating can seem overwhelming at best. Each one has some distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on your individual set of machining in the machining process.

Coatings have several characteristics to be aware of:

Microhardness HV

Abrasion Resistance

Friction Coefficient

Max Service Temperature

Hardness

A high surface hardness from your coating is one of the best ways to increase tool life. Coating hardness is measured in units called HV, (Hardness Vickers). TiN is the start point with a hardness of about 2300 HV, followed by TiCN at 3000 HV, TiALN at 3500 HV and AlTiN ringing in at about 4000HV. Tools coated with these coating would work best in ferrous and non ferrous materials, such as stainless steel, carbon steels and aerospace materials like Inconel and the like. With a surface hardness near 10,000 Vickers, CVD diamond coatings applied to tools show up to 20 times improved tool life over no coatings at all. This is the coating of choice for production work in non-ferrous materials, especially aluminum and graphite.

Friction Coefficient

The lower, the better. A low coefficient of friction causes helps the tool slice through the raw stock with increased efficiency. This helps reduce heat at the cutting edge thus increase tool life. This slicker surface lets chips slide off the face of the tool, thus eliminating “built up edge”, or the “welding” of chips to the cutting edge. Also, it helps to eliminate the re-cutting of chips because they can evacuate themselves from the work area. Re-cutting chips in itself will ruin a cutting edge very quickly.

Abrasion Resistance

This is the ability of the coating to protect the tool from breaking down due to abrasion. Materials, such as Aluminum, glass filled plastics and Graphite may not be hard, they are extremely abrasive. As such you need to choose a coating that will be able to stand up to the abrasion of a particular application. Diamond is very abrasion resistant, but if you run a diamond coated tool in steel it will chip the diamond coating off as soon as the tool touches the work piece. I write this to show the tradeoffs associated with choosing a coating.

Max Service Temperature

Is the maximum temperature that a coating can stand up to. Generally Tin = 1,000 Deg F, TiCN = 750 Deg F, TiALN = 1,470 Deg F, Diamond = 1,100 Deg F. However, there is another key component you need to be aware of. That is the oxidation temperature. Coatings such as AlTiN and TiAlN do not become effective until the hit a certain temperature. The properties of TiAlN coatings make them ideal for high temperature cutting operations in many materials. When exposed to high cutting temperatures, TiAlN forms a hard aluminum oxide layer with low thermal conductivity and high chemical stability. As cutting temperatures increase, TiAlN and AlTiN insulate the tool and place the heat into the chips. This allows for higher speeds and feeds and longer tool life.

Common Coatings

• Titanium Nitride (TiN)

Microhardness = 2,300HV

Coefficient of Friction = 0.4

Coating Thickness = 1-4 microns

Max Working Temp = 1,100 Deg F.

Color = Gold

General purpose PVD coating that increases hardness and wear resistance. Mainly used on HSS tools for cutting steels and aluminum.

• Titanium Carbo-Nitride (TiCN)

Microhardness = 3,000HV

Coefficient of Friction = 0.4

Coating Thickness = 1-4 microns

Max Working Temp = 750 Deg F.

Color = Blue/Gray

General purpose PVD coating that increases hardness and wear resistance. Mainly used on HSS, Cobalt and Carbide tools for cutting steels and aluminum.

• Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiAlN)

Microhardness = 3,000-3,500HV

Coefficient of Friction = 0.4

Coating Thickness = 1-3 microns

Max Working Temp = 1,470 Deg F.

Color = Purple/Gray

High Performance PVD coating that increases hardness and wear resistance. Mainly used on Cobalt and Carbide tools for cutting exotic materials, and dry machining steels. This coating is also used in the ever evolving world of HSM, or high speed machining.

• Chromium Nitride (CrN)

This coating works very well in copper and other “sticky” materials. Generally it has the slickest surface which won’t allow materials such as copper to stick to. This coating is used on taps also.

• Diamond

High performance coating used for cutting graphite, aluminum and glass filled resins. As mentioned above diamond coatings should not be used while machining steels. The shock will destroy the coating.

Choosing your coatings:

The best way to choose a coating is through trial and error. That sounds like a lousy way to do it, but how else will you know? You can start with your tool distributor’s recommendation, or go to companies like Kodiak Cutting Tools for recommendations. Also, tool coater websites will be helpful like Vergason, Balzers and Northeast Coating. That’s only a starting point though. 9 times out of 10 it will get you very close and you’ll be happy with the results. Experimentation will take you the rest of the way.

As you can see there are a number of coatings you can apply to industrial cutting tools to increase their performance and shorten your cycle time. By using the coatings properly you will have a faster cycle time, less machine down time, better surface finish, less wear and tear on your machine spindle, and overall a more productive environment.

The author, Mike Wunsch, has been involved in metal cutting and manufacturing for over 20 years. He was a machinist for 13 of those years, eventually moving on to manufacturing engineer, cnc programmer and out into the great world of sales. Mike currently owns and operates http://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com, an e-commerce store dedicated to supplying top quality, American made, carbide and HSS round tools to the machining industry. Kodiak Cutting Tools, LLC also has a large following of home shop machinists and hobbiest who look to Kodiak for their carbide end mills, taps, drills, center drills, threadmills and machine shop tools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Wunsch

Tools Machine Tools

The definition of a machine tool, if you look in the dictionary, is a powered machine used for cutting or shaping or finishing metals or other materials. This actually applies to a wide variety of tools such as a broach, drill, gear shaper, hobbing machine, lathe, milling machine, shaper, and grinder.

Of course this definition doesn't really describe the usefulness of these type of tools. So we'll try to do just that in this article.

Most machine tools, also by definition, are tools that are tools that use a power source. In other words, not operated manually. But there are some tools that are considered machine tools that are operated by hand.

The first, what were considered machine tools, were actually made for the purpose of making other tools. These tools removed the human element from the process of stamping these tools by hand. Instead they were now stamped by machines.

The first lathe machine tools were invented in 1751 by Jacques de Vaucanson. He was the very first to mount the cutting instrument of the tool on a mechanically adjustable head. This took the tool out of the hands of the operator.

Machine tools can actually be powered by a number of sources. Aside from human and animal power, the energy for these tools can be captured from waterwheels and steam engines, in the early days, and finally electricity today. The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on the progress made with machine tools.

Machine tools can be manually operated or automatically controlled. The very early machine tools used flywheels to stabilize their motion. They also had complex systems of gears and levers to control the machine and whatever piece it was that it was working on.

After World War II a new advanced machine was made called the numerical control machine. This machine used a series of numbers punched on paper tape or punch cards that controlled their motion.

In the 1960s, computers were then added to the function of making these machines work. These computers gave more flexibility to the process. These machines became known as computer numerical control machines and they could repeat the same set of instructions over and over similar to an assembly line. These machines could produce pieces that were much more complex than anything produced by even the most skilled tool operator.

It wasn't long before these machines could automatically change the cutting and shaping tools that were being used in the process. To give an example, a drill machine might contain a magazine or cartridge with a number of drill bits. These bits could be used for producing holes of different sizes. Before it was automated, operators would have to manually change the bit in order to drill a different size hole. Today, we have the technology to create a machine that can alternate the drill bits by computer program control.

The truth is, without machine tools, many of the things that we are able to make today would be either tool difficult, too costly or simply impossible to make.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Benefits Of Carbide Cutting Tools

In every machining system, one simply can’t ignore the important role that cutting tools play. Oftentimes, the quality of a finished product would rely on the quality of the cutting tools. The quality and the performance of cutting tools would also directly affect a machining system’s overall productivity. It is because of their importance that manufacturers would take into consideration several criteria before eventually buying a piece of cutting tool for their machining system. Included in these criteria are the tools ability to last long under rigorous operating conditions and their capability to perform at very high speeds. Also important is the tool’s resistance to wear and tear, including resistance to breakage, edge and flank wear, cratering or top wear, chipping, built-up edge (BUE), deformation, and thermal cracking.

1. Kinds Of Tools

As the demand for better cutting tools increase, cutting tool suppliers also continuously develop products that can pass manufacturers’ demands. Through the years, a lot of materials for the manufacture of cutting tools have been experimented upon; some have passed the standards while others were simply dropped. Today, there are only two types of cutting tools heavily favored in the machining industry: high speed steel (HSS) cutting tools and carbide cutting tools; and it seems that carbide cutting tools have slightly overtaken the other in popularity. So, what advantages do carbide cutting tools have over their HSS counterparts? Considering their lead in popularity, it is clear that the benefits of carbide cutting tools outnumber that of HSS cutting tools. And we’ll understand these benefits better if we know what carbide really is.

2. What is Carbide?

In chemistry, carbides refer to any group of compounds made up of carbon and one other element that can be a metal, boron, or silicon. There are actually many compounds belonging to this group, among the more popular of which includes:

- Calcium Carbide
- Aluminum Carbide
- Silicon Carbide
- Tungsten Carbide
- Iron Carbide

3. Industrial Uses of Carbide

In the 20th century, carbides have been used for a lot of industrial applications. Carbides used in industrial applications are often called cemented carbide products and are classified in three major grades:

- Wear grades
Used primarily in dies, machine and tool guides

- Impact grades
Higher shock resistance carbide products used for dies, particularly for stamping and forming

- Cutting tool grades
Carbide tools used for cutting

4. Carbide Cutting Tools

Cutting tool grades of carbides are further subdivided into two groups: cast-iron carbides and steel-grade carbides. As their name implies, cast-iron carbides are specifically made for cutting cast-iron materials. These carbides are more resistant to abrasive wear, protecting the carbide cutting tool from edge wear due to the high abrasiveness of cast-iron. Steel-grade carbides, on the other hand, are specially made to resist cratering and heat deformation that may be caused by the long chips of steel on higher cutting speeds. Whichever grade of carbide is used in a carbide cutting tool, the main carbide material used in its manufacture is tungsten carbide (WC) with a cobalt binder. Tungsten carbide is well known for its hardness and resistance to abrasive wear. Cobalt, on the other hand, is used to further toughen the tool’s surface.

5. Other Variants

Aside from tungsten carbide and cobalt, other alloying materials are added in the manufacture of carbide cutting tools. Among them is titanium carbide and tantalum carbide. Titanium carbide helps the carbide cutting tool to resist cratering while tantalum carbide can reduce heat deformations in the tool. Also commonly used in the cutting industry today are coated carbide cutting tools. Aside from the basic carbide materials, titanium carbide, titanium nitride, ceramic coating, diamond coating or titanium carbonitride are used as coating materials. The different coating materials aid the carbide cutting tool differently, although they are generally used to further toughen the cutting tool.

6. Benefits of Carbide Cutting Tools

- Toughness

- Exceptional resistance to abrasion

- Superior wear resistance

- Resistance to cratering

- Resistance to thermal deformations

- High modulus of elasticity

- Chemical inertness

- Torsional strength twice that of HSS

- Compressive strength

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Morris

CNC Cutting Machine

A good quality CNC cutting machine has a cutting table that covers the area bounded by a length of four feet and a width of eight feet. A quality table can handle satisfactorily a standard 4 x 8 plate of metal, wood, plastic, glass, or stone. A table that lacks a sufficient length or width will make it necessary for the operator to repeatedly reposition the plate. Operators of the CNC cutting machine refer to such repositioning as indexing.

A good basic CNC cutting machine does both plasma and oxyfuel cutting. Refinements on a basic cutting machine might provide it with the ability to perform other functions, functions such as:

-spotting holes for drilling

-drilling aluminum

-cutting a shape in the sides or end of tubing

-routing wooden shapes

Other modifications on a CNC cutting machine might be directed at installation of the equipment for laser or water jet cutting.

The selection of a CNC cutting machine will be primarily determined by the nature of cutting that will be performed by the machine operator. For some operations, it will be necessary to do only straight cutting. For other operations, the cutting machine must perform bevel cutting. Bevel cutting allows the operator to trim, reduce, shave, and pare the material in the plate.

Both types of cutting will subject the CNC cutting machine to a fair amount of wear and tear. The manufacturer therefore needs to purchase a machine with adequate customer support. Such support should include the availability of spare parts. An absence of spare parts could require that the electronics of the CNC cutting machine undergo a retrofitting.

A need for retrofitting would deprive the operator of important production time. The need for retrofitting would diminish the quantity of goods that could be sold to the consumer. The need for retrofitting leads to a decrease in the amount of time that the operator will be spending at the CNC cutting machine. That is why the availability of spare parts for a malfunctioning CNC cutting machine remains one of the two chief concerns of the manufacturer. A second prime concern is the size of the cutting table.

The operator of a CNC cutting machine that needs to spend a large percent of time indexing will not have much time to spend on the actual cutting. Hence, the manufacturer will have much less product. Fewer products from the manufacturing facility translate into fewer products on the shelf. Consequently, the need for operators to spend time indexing can prove a detriment to the company’s bottom line. A good sales volume reflects the well-planned purchase of a CNC cutting machine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Vermeeren

Metal circular sawing machine

Metal circular sawing machine The sawing machine is new multipurpose machine tool cooperative produced with Maschinen Wagner GMBH (Germany). It is widely used to cut steel pipe, square steel, angle steel, channel steel, aluminum section bar and other type section bars in the trade of building decoration, transportation and mechanism. It has the features of steady function, convenient operation, safety and reliable, low noise, high rigidity, huge power and long using life.

Item		Unit	G6530A	G6537A	G6535A
Max. cutting length for slot steel, square steel	90°	mm	120×75	200×100	170×100
	45°	mm	80×75	140×100	120×100
	30°	mm	60×75	100×100	80×100
Max. cutting size for H-steel, angle steel	90°	mm	110×70	180×100	160×100
	45°	mm	80×70	140×100	120×100
	30°	mm	60×70	100×100	80×100
Max. cutting size for steel pipe	90°	mm	Ø90	Ø130	Ø120
	45°	mm	Ø90	Ø130	Ø120
	30°	mm	Ø90	Ø130	Ø120
Max. cutting size for round steel	90°	mm	Ø30	Ø60	Ø60
	45°	mm	Ø30	Ø60	Ø60
	30°	mm	Ø30	Ø60	Ø60
Size of saw blade		mm	Ø275×2×Ø40	Ø370×3×Ø40	Ø350×3×Ø40
Power of motor		kW	1.0×1.2	2.0×2.6	1.4×1.9
Spindle speed		r/min	40/80	17/34	34/68
Swiveling saw head		°	45,90,135,150	45,90,135,150	45,90,135,150
Overall dimensions		mm	900×800×1700	1150×1000×2050	1050×900×1800
Net weight		kg	230	520	360

http://www.echinatool.com/sawmachine.htm

Welcome To Cutting Tool Source

CTS provides Quality Carbide End Mills, Drills, Step Drills, Reamers, Corner Rounders, Custom End Mills, Key Cutters and other Cutting Tools all at Manufacturer Direct Prices!

Our end mills are also gaining fast recognition as the perfect tooling for ShopBot, CarveWrite or CompuCarve machines! Several consumers have discovered the exceptional durable quality of our end mills in their shopbot, carvewrite or compucarve machines.

Over 25 years cutting tools manufacturing experience including custom, standard and metric end mills, drills, step-drills, reamers, key cutters, burrs and more to some of today's top CNC parts manufacturers! We are a proud supplier to some of today's top NASCAR racing engine building shops and component manufacturers.


We also provide end mill and drill sharpening & coating services. Our top-quality cutting tools, fast turn-around and factory direct pricing sets us apart from all other end mill, drills & cutting tool suppliers.

http://www.cuttingtoolsource.com/

Decotec LC415X, available from LMT of Coventry

The inserts have been developed for the fine finishing of a range of materials on CNC sliding-head lathes.

Decotec LC415X, available from LMT of Coventry, is a range of polished and ground inserts with an ultra-precise tip radius of either 0.08mm or 0.015mm.

Trevor Tolley, LMT's managing director, said: 'The right combination of the radius, coating and edge sharpness was important in the development of this insert because so plenty of of these sliding-head lathe operations are subjected to long periods of limited or totally unmanned walking.

The range of inserts also incorporates a shearing edge of up to three microns that enables the sharpness of the insert to be maintained over extended periods of walking.

'This means a predictable 'in-cut' performance is vital,' they added.

one recent trials on shafts made from Inconel and titanium on sliding-head lathes jogging with soluble oil coolant gave 20 per-cent and 30 per-cent increases respectively in the 'in-cut' life and the number of parts produced between changes.

A further trial turning a titanium shaft at 30m/min with a 0.5mm depth of cut as well as a 0.015mm/rev feed rate led to the insert being changed at 3,000 parts; this achieved an increase of 500 parts.

The Inconel 600-shaft component was run at 50m/min with a 0.3mm depth of cut as well as a 0.02mm/rev feed rate, from which LMT's application engineer was able to improve the number of components produced from 600 to 800 per insert.

The combination of the five-micron Nano-X PVD coating on the insert, followed by grinding and polishing, than being subjected to the normal honed finish, ensures a very sharp edge and maintains the 0.1mm radius.

This makes the insert suitable for profiling and finishing free cutting steel at up to 200m/min with up to a 0.15mm/rev feed, aluminium between 200m/mm and 800m/min and up to a 0.3mm/rev feed, titanium up to 90m/min and up to a 0.15mm/rev feed and brass machined up to 500m/min with a feed rate up to 0.3mm/rev.

Floyd Automatic Tooling, is claimed to be suitable for users of sliding-head turning machines

The Swiss-manufactured range of tools has been proven to achieve good results in the marketplace, with enhanced device life, rigidity and surface finish, according to the company.

The Applitec programme of inserts tooling, accessible from Floyd Automatic Tooling, is claimed to be suitable for users of sliding-head turning machines.

The ISO-Line has been included with a range of traditional ISO inserts specifically for sliding-head turning centres.

The Top-Line is a two-screw insert device programme developed by Applitec, while the Eco-Line is a single-screw version offering low-cost options for general turning applications.

According to the company, the Cut-Line has already been proven to reduce tooling costs by up to 60 per-cent in sliding-head workshops.

The last of the one lines is the Cut-Line programme; this parting-off device has a double 'V' clamping system that is claimed to guarantee maximum rigidity for enhanced device life and improved surface finishes.

Floyd Automatic Tooling is also now offering a compact tooling system for knurling straight-cut profiles.

Provided by Hommel and Keller, the RF-LD series of knurling tools is said to be suitable for small automatic screw machines and sliding-head turning centres.

The system has been developed with a rigid construction to suit the requirements of small-type CNC-lathe machining operations.

The rigid construction is enhanced by a special bearing and bushing combination in the device head that keeps vibration reduced to a maximum while machining.

Another claimed benefit of this construction is the ability to increase feed and speed rates without losing out on routine safety.

The Hommel and Keller system is said to be capable of reducing setting times by up to 70 percent.

Two setting pins are claimed to guarantee the correct setting of the clearance angle.

The pins are accessible even when the device is clamped in the device fixture.

The RF-LD series has been developed from customer research and feedback, which led the Hommel and Keller development team to design a device that can be used both on left- and right-handed turning machines, while providing flexibility in terms of machine usage.

The RF-LD series can be used on all CNC-type automatic screw machines and is accessible with 8mm x 8mm, 10mm x 10mm, 12mm x 12mm and 16mm x16 mm shank sizes.

The basic device holder (8mm x 8mm) can be transformed by mounting different adapters for bigger shank versions for maximum flexibility.

The modular shank construction is intended to provide the end user with enhanced flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

For work pieces from 1mm to 15mm, a cut knurling head with a knurl diameter of 10mm is applied.

The knurling head can also be exchanged to adjust the device to the necessary work-piece diameter.

For a working area of 3mm to 50mm, the manufacturer recommends the use of a knurling wheel with a 15mm diameter.

Both device heads can be used on any shank size.

The WEP thread whirling system offers the advantage of using indexable custom ground inserts that produce implants efficiently and precisely.

Floyd Automatic Tooling is also offering the thread whirling system from Schwanog, a specialist supplier to the orthopaedic and dental industry.

As well as the improvement in cycle time, the Schwanog WEP is interchangeable with any whirling attachment.

The WEP system offers prolonged device life and cycle time reductions by up to 50 percent.

CNC turning and milling company MacVere has reduced its costs by using Taegutec inserts in its machines

The 16-employee business trialled Taegutec parting-off tools on its turning centres, resulting in improved tool life, surface finish and straightness.

With plenty of parts coming off the turning centres as complete parts, the improved surface finish and straightness are important for MacVere.

In comparison with the previous Scandinavian tooling supplier, the Taegutec part-off inserts are double- as opposed to single-ended.

The Taegutec inserts deliver longer tool life per edge, and when combined with the double- edge advantage, tool life has been improved by over 75 per cent.

On the company's Emco turning centres, Taegutec introduced its WNMG inserts to stainless steel turning operations.

The company has just implemented the part-off technique throughout its plant - with 23 turning centres, the benefit to MacVere will be considerable in terms of cost reduction, tool life and productivity.

The inserts improved tool life by 50 per cent, while demonstrating a marked increase in speeds and feeds that reduced cycle times.

This turning discovery led to the Taegutec representative introducing the company's T-Cap concept.

The T-Cap is a tooling development that allows drilling, boring, face turning and OD turning with just four tool.

Used on MacVere's 303 and 316 stainless steel parts, the T-Cap reduced cycle times by an additional 50 to 60 per cent by virtually eliminating tool changeovers whilst improving productivity.

An additional benefit to MacVere was the reduced number of cutting tools required in the tooling carousel.

With extensive aerospace and marine manufacturing, aluminium components are a large percentage of the MacVere portfolio, so the Taegutec representative brought milling research and development product manager Dr Kang from Korea to review the situation.

The result was the introduction of Taegutec's 12mm rectangular insert with a fully polished face.

The polished face prevents material sticking to the insert, a common problem with aluminium machining, and allows the cutter to machine at increased depths of cut while eradicating sticky swarf.

Taegutec polished inserts have a tool life comparable with that of solid carbide cutters, with the added advantage of significantly reduced cost.

This combination improved cycle times by over 25 per cent, with improved tool life and reduced require for tooling changeovers.