Welshpool-based Castalum, which is currently one of the largest die-casting companies in the UK, is relying on tooling solutions from Mapal to help it control cost per part for the products it supplies to the automotive sector.

Referring to the relationship with Mapal, Peter Radcliffe, chairman at Castalum, says: “We went into machining absolutely from scratch. However, we knew that Mapal were a good option in terms of quality and what they could supply in regard to both their advice and their tooling. So, we immediately chose them as a partner and it’s something we’ve never regretted. Right now, Mapal do not only supply us with tooling, they provide concurrent engineering advice for practically every quotation request that passes through the company.”
Mapal’s Ted Coyle adds: “When I first became aware of Castalum many years ago, they were only involved in castings. They then diversified into machining as many customers were asking for this service. Castalum got involved with Heller Machine Tools and their first job was a turnkey project. Heller works extensively on machining solutions for castings, like those undertaken at Castalum with Mapal on PCD tooling.
“We did the tooling on those initial projects and Castalum were then interested in approaching jobs on a ‘cost-per-piece’ basis,” he continues. “So, we came up with an offer to do components on this premise. The first work was the Trag 6 piece clutch housing. That worked very well and from there on in, we then started doing every project at Castalum.
“The next job was a BMW steering housing and then we did the MT82 gearbox rear case, the Georgio clutch/rear housing, and the B6 Plus, which is a larger derivative of the original B6.”
For further information www.mapal.com

The Evocut-Line parting system has been introduced to the UK market by Floyd Automatic Tooling. This parting and grooving product from Switzerland-based Applitec incorporates a compact design, simplified insert changeovers and compatibility with platen-type tooling configurations. According to Floyd Automatic, the system is suited to use in compact work envelopes, such as those found in sliding-head turning centres.

Evocut-Line is available with the H series monobloc tool holder, the H Jet series with integrated through-coolant supply, and the HK, HK-RS, HUK and HM designation of parting-off blades. Applitec’s Evocut HK series is a generic parting-off blade, whereas the HK-RS incorporates a recess for sub-spindle access. HUK blades have been designed for upside-down parting, while the HM is a short-length, modular-blade system.
The H-series and H Jet series tool holders are available with 10, 12, 16 and 20 mm square shanks to accommodate everything from compact tool platens in sliding-head turning centres, through to more robust fixed-head machine tooling platforms.
Applitec’s Evocut-Line is offered in four insert widths of 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 mm that are capable of machining up to a maximum 44 mm depth of cut. These ET15, ET20, ET30 and ET40 designations are available with Applitec’s U, J, T and A-style geometries that are said to improve speeds, feeds, material removal flow and surface finishes, while catering to the specific characteristics of various material types, including stainless steel, carbon and alloy steel, titanium, aluminium alloy, copper, bronze, and plastics.
The respective insert dimensions and geometries are available with no fewer than six grades, which include PVD and CVD-coated inserts, as well as uncoated grades for non-ferrous materials. An option is available for high-pressure coolant delivery.
For further information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Founded in the summer of 2014, Holtex Engineering Solutions provides prototype and small quantity production parts. Utilising the latest technology, the Holmfirth-based company aims to be a one-stop supplier.

“We’ve grown gradually since we formed the business and now have 10 employees,” says Ben Robinson from Holtex. “We have an ethos of investing in new technology and this includes some of the latest multi-axis turning machines, as well as three- and five-axis mills. This technology is supported by high-quality tooling that is complemented by the Haimer Power Clamp special edition heat-shrink system for the milling section, and the Haimer UNO20/40 Microset tool pre-setter for the turning department.
“The reason we invested in Haimer is because a lot of the jobs we do are relatively high precision and we’re using quite delicate tooling at times,” continues Robinson. “Additionally, the machinery we have is only as good as the tooling we use, and the more accurate our tooling, the better off we are from the start.”
As a further point, a lot of the smaller and more delicate tooling used at Holtex means the company is producing profiles that are not possible to measure with normal methods – CMM technology would be required. However, with the Haimer system, Holtex can accurately set diameters and check the run-out of tooling, which means that the company can check the part before it goes to the inspection department.
“Now we’re setting tools off the machine and for longer run jobs,” says Robinson. “We’re also setting the next tool while existing tools are running on the machine, which reduces downtime. In addition, the tooling is lasting considerably longer as it’s running at much-improved accuracy and run-out. The system is very easy to use; with 10 minutes of training anyone can use Haimer solutions.”
For further information www.haimer.biz

When a prominent West Midlands subcontractor won a long-term contract for machining con-rods for the yellow goods industry, it called upon the cutting-tool expertise of Mapal to reduce costs and improve productivity.

Machining over 15 con-rods on a daily basis with a contract term at a minimum of two years, efficiency, process reliability and cycle time reductions were deemed to be the key project parameters.
Commenting upon the application, Mapal’s national sales manager Eugene Nugent says: “Our customer involved us from the very start of the process based on our reputation for automotive tooling solutions and con-rod machining. The cast steel con-rods are hardened to 62 HRc, which makes them a challenging proposition. In addition, the drilling operation leaves between 0.15 to 0.17 mm stock allowance for reaming. We applied a 40 mm diameter guide-padded reamer and every bore now has a surface finish of less than 1.6 Ra.”
The success of the 40 mm diameter reamer opened the door to trial further tools on the con-rods. For instance, Nugent identified an opportunity whereby a competitor end mill was finish-profiling hardened con-rods in a cycle time of 8 minutes. The eight-flute 16 mm diameter end mill was expensive, had limited tool life and was not demonstrating sufficient productivity characteristics.
Recalling the situation, Nugent says: “I ran trials with a 16 mm diameter Optimill Uni end mill and instantly reduced the cost of tooling by 45%. However, this changeover was more than just a cost reduction exercise. The Mapal Optimill Uni is running at 2500 rpm with a feed rate of 1100 mm/min on a very difficult material, and the results have delivered a cycle time saving of 3 minutes per part.”
For further information www.mapal.com

When approached by a global automotive manufacturer, based in India, to assist with improving process and cycle times for its engine cylinder bore machining process, Rigibore’s expertise in the design and manufacture of specialist boring tools was put to full use. Using its in-house developed design software, coupled with its proprietary closed-loop tool compensation system, Rigibore was able to reduce machining time on the cast-iron cylinder blocks.

One of the principal challenges was the common occurrence of size drift on the finished bores, which was caused by material inconsistencies, temperature variation and, of course, insert wear.
Rigibore’s Zenith is said to be the world’s first fully integrated, completely automated boring system, adjusting the ActiveEdge boring bar cutting edges to achieve near instantaneous, precision tolerances without operator intervention. The process transfers the measured value obtained by gauging or probing cycles to the machine-tool control, triggering tool compensation to an accuracy of 1 µm, to return the next machined bore to nominal tolerance.
To streamline the machining process, Rigibore used its in-house RADS design software to create a custom boring tool for the project that would semi-finish to a diameter of 75.68 mm, then finish-bore to 75.934 mm. Additionally, a supplementary chamfering insert cartridge was added to break the edge at the mouth of the bore.
The resulting design featured three semi-finishing cartridges and two ActiveEdge cartridges for the finishing cut. These were positioned in such a way that when the cut was complete, the tool could be offset to provide clearance for a rapid retraction without leaving any withdrawal marks that may have compromised quality. This feature saved around 15 seconds per bore, or one minute per cylinder block.
For further information www.rigibore.com