FEATURE ON TOOLING

Tooling helps maximise five-axis investment

An East Sussex manufacturer of precision components that help universities and government laboratories complete ground-breaking experiments, has enjoyed a major production boost. UHV Design, which employs 50 people at its facility in Laughton, has tapped into the expertise of Hyfore to equip its new five-axis Quaser MF500UH with a dedicated tooling system.

Working closely together, the two companies identified a £30,000 Acrow tool-holding package. The Hyfore solution focuses on interchangeable NR collets that can be used exclusively on the Quaser machine. NR collets tend to be smaller in diameter, offering greater contact with components, improved tool life and the ability to move freely around tight clearance spaces.
David Heward, machine shop manager at UHV Design, which is part of AIM-listed Judges Scientific, says: “The Quaser MF500UH was equipped with a 15,000 rpm ‘face and taper’ spindle and a 48-station carousel that allows us to store 80% of all our tools in one machine – ideal for reducing changeover times and reducing secondary operations. However, to make the most of it we needed to find the right tooling system, and that is where Hyfore came into its own. Their engineers spent a lot of time at our facility looking at the components we were planning to machine, before identifying the best package.”
Oli Riley, product specialist at Hyfore, adds: “This is the largest single order placed for an Acrow package to date. Importantly, it also shows how we can work with specialist manufacturers like UHV to understand its production challenges and come up with flexible solutions.”
For further information www.hyfore.com

Touch sensors deliver pinpoint precision

Now available from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) is the newly developed Big Kaiser Base Master Red and Base Master Mini touch sensors. The latest touch sensor family can determine workpiece offsets and tool lengths to improve precision, repeatability and reduce set-up times.

Base Master Red can be used with all types of machines and materials, including non-conductive cutting tools, workpieces and machine tools. The sensor allows the operator to quickly touch a tool with zero risk of damage or breakage, saving time and money. Additionally, the body set and measuring sensor are independent of each other, and this makes maintenance particularly easy as customers can simply replace the measuring sensor in the event of any issue ever occurring.
The Base Master Red offers repeatability of ±0.001 mm.
For maximum flexibility, the system has a solid magnetic base that mounts vertically, horizontally or at any angle the operator desires.
Base Master Red is complemented by Base Master Mini, which has a compact design that makes it fast, flexible and easy to use, says ITC. The main feature of Base Master Mini is its slim height of only 10 mm, making it suitable for small turning centres, sliding-head lathes and other machine tools where working space is limited.
For rapid reference point detection, both the Base Master Red and Base Master Mini are fitted with a bright green LED light. Battery life is 10 hours if used continuously.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Drills for inclined and curved surfaces

Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal has extended its range of Flat MultiDrill series (MDF) high-rigidity, coated carbide drills for spot-facing and counter-boring features on horizontal, curved or inclined surfaces.

MDF now includes overall length tools up to 10:1 length-to-diameter ratio, a long shank, external coolant supply (L2D Type) and through-coolant feed (H3D/H5D type) variants.
The MDF series of tools benefit prime applications such as when cross drilling, expanding hole sizes and deep spot facing. With its 180° point angle, true flat bottoming can be achieved; in order to create a seating, for example. Pre-tapped holes can also be produced in thinner plate or sheet material. Now with the up to 10:1 overall length ratio, tools can be used to access component features that are deeper within housings, for instance.
Significant in the series is Sumitomo’s ‘RS’ thinning development, which creates a greater wall thickness at the tip of the drill. Swarf evacuation is effective due to wider pockets that accommodate chips with high orders of flute finishing and a specific shape applied to the rake face. A special high-strength cutting edge helps resist impact damage when features involve interrupted cuts, while also maximising the overall stability of the tool. Due to the design of the tool, minimal burr formation is said to be a further benefit.
The extended line up of MDF drills can be used on general, stainless, alloy and hardened steels up to 50 HRc.
For further information www.sumitomotool.com

Difficult milling made easier

Dormer Pramet’s family of solid-carbide milling cutters for difficult to machine materials offers a variety of options from roughing through to finishing. The S2 assortment includes a range of neck options for deep milling and multi-flute designs to support numerous applications in tough steels, titanium and nickel.

Differential pitch cutters (S260, S262, S264), for example, reduce chatter and offer fewer tool offset adjustments, providing effective chip removal at high feed rates. The trio of cutters – available in diameters from 3 to 20 mm – feature an optimised cutting edge to reduce chipping and prolong tool life. All have an AlCrN coating for improved wear and oxidation resistance.
In addition, the S264 milling cutter has a robust corner chamfer on the end teeth to further reduce chipping, and a roughing profile for greater removal rates, says Dormer Pramet. The S262’s corner radius provides a more precise finish and optimises performance, especially in ramping operations.
Meanwhile, Dormer Pramet’s six to eight-flute cutters (S225, S226, S227) feature a high helix angle to keep the cutting edges constantly engaged with the workpiece and deliver a high-quality surface finish.
Several neck options are available to support pocket milling, up to 8.8xD, by preventing contact between the shank and workpiece, and eliminating the risk of vibration and scouring. To support general milling applications, the company’s range of four-flute cutters (S216, S217, S218, S219) offer a reach up to 9xD. This series also features an optimised cutting-edge design and an AlTiN coating for high hot hardness and oxidation resistance.
For further information www.dormerpramet.com

Kyocera premieres products at AMB

Japanese ceramics specialist Kyocera presented a number of new products at the AMB trade fair in Stuttgart last month.

The debutants included the MEAS series for high-speed and high-performance aluminium machining, and the JCT (Jet Coolant Through) series of tool holders with a high-pressure coolant supply.
Milling cutters in the Kyocera MEAS series impress thanks to their long service lives and low cutting forces, says the company. The stable clamping system ensures the form-locking fit of the cutting plate in the plate seat. What’s more, a stable tool-holder design guarantees the durability and reliability of the cutter.
The JCT series of tool holders are optimised for a high-pressure coolant supply. For turning, there is the double clamp JCT variant, which allows a coolant supply from three directions, while for parting-off and external grooving, Kyocera has designed the KGD-JCT variation, which directs the coolant on to the rake and frank surfaces of the indexable insert. The KTN-JCT variation was developed for threading. In this variation, two cooling holes reduce the tendency for plate breakages and therefore facilitate an extension of service life.
In addition, the JCT series includes smaller tools with internal coolant supplies that can operate at a pressure of up to 200 bar. And again there are variations for turning, with screw clamping; these variations have two cooling holes that deliver coolant supply to the cutting edge surfaces of the indexable insert. For external grooving, there is the KGBF-JCT design, which directs the coolant towards the cutting edge of the insert. And for parting-off operations there is the KTKF-JCT variation, which directs the coolant towards the cutting surface from three directions.
For further information www.kyocera.com