During machining, the cooling of tool’s indexable insert is an important factor for workpiece precision, chip breakage and tool life. The closer to the cutting edge, the better. One company that has mastered the art of cooling milling and turning tools is family business Aleit, based in Steffenberg. Machines from Chiron and Studer are the first choice for the production of the company’s tools and holders.

Aleit recently relocated an entire product family to a Chiron FZ 16 S machining centre with automation, which was actually acquired for a completely different task.

Roland Ranisch, managing director of FS Filter and regional representative for the Chiron Group, remembers: “Aleit decided on the FZ 16 S a good four years ago to produce a range of different variants of PSC tool shaft interfaces in five axes. As an automated solution, we provided the machine with a VarioCell system featuring a drawer system.”

He continues: “The programs were implemented; the results were correct; everything went as planned. Then came the unexpectedly high demand for Aleit’s ‘stabbing swords’ and there was an immediate need for more production capacity. The idea: distribute the PSC tools to the company’s mill-turn centres and convert the 16 S, including automation, for grooving blade production.”

The task was possible without much effort: the drawer inserts were given new templates for the blanks and finished grooving blades, a new device was added for the storage point between the robot and the machine to ensure dimensionally accurate orientation during loading, and the robot was trained.

“Since this change, the system has been running in two shifts,” says Ranisch. “Importantly, the process is reliable and highly productive.”

More information www.chiron-group.com