FEATURE ON TOOLING

All-inclusive package for end machining

Regional roots; international success. This applies to the three companies GABO Stahl, Mössner and Mapal equally. It is only logical that a co-operation benefits everyone: for the end machining of round steel, GABO Stahl now relies on an automated solution from Mössner, which in turn works with Mapal tools.

Sawn round steel bars with lengths of 9 mm are just as much a part of GABO Stahl’s portfolio as round steel bars with a length of 6000 mm. The company has a large customer base and its products find use in a wide range of applications – from electrical and hydraulic parts production to large bolts for wind turbines.

GABO Stahl is not only a steel trader, but also a steel processor, with products manufactured typically in small series. As a result, the company’s manufacturing equipment must be flexible, which is why it relies on machine builder Mössner.

“Tooling specialist Mapal is our go-to partner,” says Markus Fuchs, purchasing manager at Mössner. “We work closely together and receive quick, straightforward support.”

Mapal and Mössner partnered together for around eight weeks on the system that is now in-situ at GABO Stahl. Marc Wagner, technical consultant at Mapal, recalls: “The tool for facing, chamfering and centre drilling different types of steel and diameters was a major challenge.”

Adds Fuchs: “We got everyone round the table. Once the right tool had been defined and designed, we built the machine around it.”

The team found the optimum solution with a milling tool accompanied by cartridges and a centre drill. It is possible to machine the many different materials and workpieces with the same coated indexable insert. The cartridges quickly and easily set different diameters for the workpiece chamfer.

For further information www.mapal.com

Unusual application for Horn carbide inserts

André Gall, founder of German firm WireStyle, uses in-house developed machines to create works of art based on a photo or graphic using an average of 8000 nails and a long thread. The machines hammer 12 nails into a polystyrene sheet every second to create a canvas for the thread picture. Each nail is cut from a reel of aluminium wire by a pair of indexable carbide inserts from Horn’s S274 tool system.

WireStyle’s machines create a picture by a single thread measuring around 1200 m. To determine the exact path as winding around the nails takes place, the company’s team developed complex algorithms to identify and enhance the contrasting edges in the original image and calculate the individual nail pattern. More thread is used in the darker parts of the picture than in the lighter areas and the reproduction is better and less expensive than would ever be possible by hand.

Gall studied physics at the University of Karlsruhe and has always held an interest in mechanical and production engineering. He built the first prototypes of the nail and thread machines and WireStyle was born.

To make thread paintings affordable for customers, the machines have to operate at high speed. Due to rapid acceleration at up to 5 g, Gall favoured lightweight construction and employed lots of carbon fibre. The machine stretches about 50 cm of thread per second around the nails. During the process, the eye is barely able to follow the thread puller.

Two opposing S274 inserts from Horn clamp into the nailing head of a WireStyle machine. Precise cutting of the wire arrives courtesy of the sharpness of the inserts, which feature a small wedge angle.

For further information www.phorn.co.uk

ITC provides solution for composite expert

Melton Mowbray based KS Composites has continually evolved over the past 40 years to become a global expert in composite and GRP development and manufacturing for sectors that include motorsport, marine, energy, rail, aviation and defence. Here, the company relies on cutting tool experts at Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) to deliver results.

Operating out of a 48,000 sq ft manufacturing facility that accommodates more than 100 employees, KS Composites has a long-standing relationship with ITC, as business development manager Dan Johnston explains: “We use ITC cutting tools due to the great working relationship we have with the team and the excellent service we receive. Whether discussing new advancements in tooling technology or looking at building a package of tools to support a project, ITC always give great advice. Even better is the on-site support in running trials to confirm that tooling works as stated.”

KS Composites uses ITC face mills, end mills, ball-nose cutters, drills and taps among other niche tooling, which help the company to machine patterns, moulds, jigs, components, inserts, props and models. In addition, the business has an on-site vending solution from ITC with a comprehensive stock level that ITC keeps fully serviced.

Looking at the cost savings derived from the ITC range of cutting tools, Johnston says: “When we conducted a full cost analysis of our tooling and the total material removed, it’s clear that the ITC tooling is great value for money. We’ve managed to control costs over the years and ITC has helped to improve efficiencies while enabling our business to embrace the very latest tooling technology for composite machining.”

For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Floyd expands specialist turning tool lines

When it comes to specialist tools for small-part machining, Floyd Automatic Tooling says it is the outright expert for delivering solutions. Now, a raft of new product lines from Hommel+Keller is available in the UK via the company.

The production of high-quality durable products often requires customised tooling solutions and Hommel+Keller has a series of new knurling, diamond burnishing, marking, broaching and gear-cutting products. For surface finishes below Rz 1 μm, the latest diamond burnishing tools are applicable to virtually any turning centre without separate work steps or equipment. This capability improves precision, repeatability and surface finishes for manufacturers that demand high-quality components.

Known as an industry expert in part marking, Hommel+Keller is also expanding the scope of its marking portfolio. Like the burnishing range, the part marking tools are suitable for use on all types of turning centre to create customised part marking in seconds. This technology enables manufacturers to eliminate secondary operations and deliver consistent high-quality marking that is flexible to the needs of the end user.

As an industry specialist in solutions for sliding-head and small part turning, Hommel+Keller also has a new series of broaching and gear cutting solutions. These lines deliver efficient technologies for complex internal and external profiles, providing precise and economical production in a single operation, reports Floyd Automation. All new ranges are specific to the customer and application.

In other news, the the Hirt Line range of stainless steel hoses available from Floyd Automatic now comes in a welded version. This Hirt Line 2.0 enhancement is characterised by its thermal stability that can work up to temperatures of 400°C while offering higher mechanical load capacity.

For further information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Guhring builds relationship based on results

LMS Precision Engineering has trusted its tooling supplier for over 35 years. Scott Street, a partner at Droitwich-based LMS, says: “We’re a family-run business with main sectors of interest that include aerospace and general subcontract machining. We’ve always had a great relationship with Guhring.”

Chris Bush from Guhring takes up the narrative: “LMS uses the whole spectrum of our cutting tools, whether that’s milling cutters, drills, taps or thread mills – in fact, everything through to the TM [Tool Management] vending machine. LMS was one of the first customers to see the advantages of a TM vending machine, which allows them to put their resources in providing components rather than manually ordering tools, looking for tools and managing tool stocks.”

Guhring can build TM vending solutions to a customer’s specific requirements. The system will control and monitor tool consumption and spending, with reporting for complete visibility. The main benefits of the Guhring TM vending solutions include 24/7 controlled tool availability and the prevention of production stoppages due to tool availability. It will also eliminate loss and theft, create employee awareness of tooling costs and the system can communicate with customer IT systems.

Recalling specific product lines, Street says: “We had a lot of joy with the Guhring VA series drill and now there’s the new InoxPro drill, which is bringing us faster run times than ever before. We use Guhring for everything, including end mills such as high-speed rippers, through-coolant drills, high-speed steel drills, stub drills – absolutely everything.”

Alluding to the application of the latest-generation tools, he adds: “The latest tools have given us the confidence to run lights-out, reducing the number of tools we need to stock and providing us with full visibility of all tool usage and tool performance.”

For further information www.guhring.co.uk