New possibilities thanks to new solutions

Transcription

1 Page 1 MAPAL Impulse rbeitung Lenkungs-Spurstangenanbindung, ABS Sensorbohrung und der Information, Ideas, Internals No. 45 May 2011 New possibilities thanks to new solutions Hard reaming of gear wheels Milling of fibrereinforced plastics External reaming of precision turned parts

2 Page 2 MAPAL Impulse New possibilities thanks to new solutions EDITORIAL Technology leadership as a constant challenge We ve survived the crisis, things are looking up. Although that is certainly true for most companies, it s only half the truth. The other half is the fact that such crises will happen again in the future, possibly more frequently and of shorter duration, hopefully not as severe as in 2009, but certainly noticeable. Being prepared for this is one of the most important duties of any company manager. Apart from a financially sound basis, the quality and up-todateness of the products are the most important safeguards for the future. Quality here is far more than just compliance with tolerances. It means more importantly products of the highest standard, technological leaders. The striving for technology leadership is at the same time a constant, neverending challenge. The cutting-edge product of today can tomorrow already have been overtaken by a newer development. The basis for many products changes at a breathtaking rate. Take photography, for example: Digital rather than analogue, smart-phone instead of camera. Among the tools we have new cutting materials and coatings, as well as new materials with a crucial impact. A question mark is constantly and repeatedly raised over everything. That would appear to be a problem for many companies. For us as a company with intensive research and development, that would appear to more of a chance. If things change, we have to be ready with new answers offering new possibilities thanks to new solutions. We would be delighted if we could show you the results of our developments or employ them directly in your production, well aware that something better might turn up tomorrow. Dr. Dieter Kress EMO 2011 Hall 4, Stand D September More than 170 visitors at the MAPAL Dialogue new lightweight materials customer days in Aalen The machining of composites is completely different from the machining of metals that was the motto for the second MAPAL Dialogue customer days. The focus of the event was quite clearly on the new lightweight materials. And the response to the invitation was overwhelming: MAPAL was able to welcome more than 170 customers and potential customers on the two days. Under the title Energy efficiency, lightweight construction, new materials future challenges for tool manufacturers, Dr. Dieter and Dr. Jochen Kress welcomed the numerous visitors to an event packed with background information and detailed presentations, with practical cutting demonstrations and a comprehensive inhouse exhibition. The event focused on the question as to how modern materials can be machined most productively. Tool manufacturers are called on to become actively involved and to develop process-capable and cost-effective machining solutions. First Remi Marc Stehle from Carbon Composite Technology spoke graphi-

3 Page 3 MAPAL Impulse News Great response to the second MAPAL Dialogue customer days cally about the structures, variety and fields of application for fibre composites. The automated production of composite parts was then illustrated by Dr. Christian Boge, Vice President of MAG Composites Europe. Dr. Peter Müller-Hummel, Senior Manager of the Aerospace & Composite Business Unit at MAPAL, explained how MAPAL has gained a comprehensive process understanding for the machining of composite materials over the last three years. That, coupled with the know-how, experience and ultra-modern manufacturing capacities in the MAPAL competence centres and the worldwide network of production facilities and sales teams, Müller-Hummel sees MAPAL in the position of being able to supply every customer with the optimum tool for the new applications. The visitors were then invited to visit the MAPAL in-house exhibition to find out about the complete range of tools available from MAPAL. Works tours took place at the same time. And of course all the machines in the trials and development department were set up with application examples from the world of the new lightweight materials. In the afternoon Frank Dreher, Technical Consultant in the Aerospace & Composite Business Unit, explained in detail the MAPAL tool solutions for the drilling and milling of CFRP and hybrid materials made from CFRP and metals. Here the MAPAL tools are in use not only in the field of aerospace. Successful inroads were also made into wind power generation, shipbuilding and the first applications in the automotive industry. Finally Heiko Heinisch, responsible for Sales and Marketing in the Solid Carbide Tools competence centre, spoke about the machining of titanium and titanium alloys and the Inconel materials. The response to the event was altogether positive. The MAPAL senior management also drew a very positive conclusion. We have emphatically demonstrated our competence in the machining of the latest materials and thus presented ourselves once again as competent partners for such applications, said Dr. Jochen Kress. CONTENTS MAPAL Group MAPAL Dialogue New lightweight materials Page 3 Supplier awards for MAPAL Page 4 Baden-Württemberg business delegation at MAPAL do Brasil Page 5 Product Highlights Minimum lubrication for maximum performance Page 6 The challenges of deep hole drilling Page 8 Reports from the Praxis Hard reaming of gear wheels with solid carbide reamers Page 9 Finishing of a fuel pump housing Page 10 External reaming of valves Page 12 Milling of fibre-reinforced plastics Page 14 Technology Complete machining of GFRP blade joints Page 16

4 Page 4 MAPAL Impulse Two coveted awards honour long-standing, close and profitable partnerships Supplier awards for reliable and strong partners ZF Group commends its best suppliers: Award for MAPAL in the category Innovation ZF Friedrichshafen AG has been giving awards to its best performing suppliers since During the last award, the prizes went to four German and one Italian company. These companies impressed with the highest quality, excellent technology, efficient logistics processes and competitive cost structures. It is a long-term success factor for ZF to find the right partners and to work together with them strategically, creatively, innovatively and in a partnership, stated Hans-Georg Härter, Chairman of the Board of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Good is not good enough we want the best of the good, he made clear the significance of the award. During the presentation of the award to Dr. Dieter Kress and Dr. Jochen Kress, Hans-Georg Härter had some very personal words. He recalled that he had already met Dr. Dieter Kress 35 years ago at ZF Passau. The issue then was a difficult machining task that was solved astoundingly easily by Dr. Dieter Kress with the then still very new single-bladed reamer from MAPAL. Then Dr. Jochen Kress presented the family business, its products and the activities of the MAPAL Group. Innovations come about in our organisation primarily in the dialogue with our customers. Every day we set ourselves the challenge of time and again using new tools to make the machining of cubic parts in production at our customers faster, more economical and more reliable. We are all particularly pleased that this attitude, which has been part of our organisation since it was founded, has today been rewarded by ZF with this high award. The ZF Supplier Awards were presented during the Materials Management Meeting. During this meeting managers from materials management met in Friedrichshafen to discuss procurement and logistics topics. The prize winners were chosen in advance by ZF jurors from the procurement, logistics and quality areas using a standardised selection procedure. The five prize-winning companies can now use the accolade Top supplier of the ZF plants in Europe. MAPAL is Preferred Supplier to the Bosch Group In March 2011, MAPAL was awarded the status of Preferred Supplier by the Bosch Group in the field of Tools, the highest ranking in the Bosch supplier pyramid. With this award, Bosch commends MAPAL for an above-average, competent and efficient cooperation. f.l.t.r.: Reinhild Höfler, Matthias Dister and Felicia Sommerfeld (Bosch Feuerbach) handing over the certificate to Dr. Dieter Kress. Hans-Georg Härter, Chairman of the Board of ZF Friedrichshafen, during the presentation of the award to Dr. Dieter Kress and Dr. Jochen Kress.

5 Page 5 MAPAL Impulse Information from the MAPAL Group - The ZF and Bosch Groups commend MAPAL Business delegation from Baden-Württemberg visits MAPAL subsidiary in Brazil MAPAL is thus now classified as a preferred partner for future projects. Purchasing Director Matthias Dister, Reinhild Höfler and Felicia Sommerfeld from Bosch Feuerbach presented the certificate to Dr. Dieter Kress in Aalen on 25 March and conveyed their thanks for the performance and cooperativeness demonstrated in the past. Visit by State Secretary Richard Drautz with business delegation from Baden-Württemberg to MAPAL do Brasil in Ibirité Baden-Württemberg s State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Richard Drautz, headed a 32-strong business delegation which visited the growth market of Brazil from 14 to 23 February In an interview with the Schwäbische Post newspaper on , Drautz expressed his delight at the great interest shown by SMEs from Baden-Württemberg in this trip: The large number of registrations reflects the chances that the Brazilian market offers also and in particular to small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim of the trip was to establish new business contacts between small and medium-sized enterprises in Baden- Württemberg and Brazilian companies, and to intensify the economic cooperation to date. On 15 February Großteilebearbeitung the group of entrepreneurs, politicians and civil servants were the guests of MAPAL do Brasil in Ibirité, one hour s drive by car from Belo Horizonte. There they were welcomed by CEO Sidney Pimenta Paiva and taken on a guided tour of the production facilities. MAPAL set up the Brazilian sales subsidiary with adjoining production plant in An organisation that started with four employees is today one of the largest and most important MAPAL sales subsidiaries abroad with some 120 employees in sales, production, administration and warehouse. The visit was followed by a meeting at the industrial association of Minas Gerais where Paiva heads the successful cooperation between MAPAL and the Brazilian partner companies, before the participants had time to gather more information at a cooperation and contact fair. As gifts for his Brazilian discussion partners, Drautz had taken along footballs in the national colours: In this way we demonstrate to our discussion partners that we in Baden-Württemberg are always on the ball, said Drautz before his departure. Energieeffizienz State Secretary Richard Drautz (standing right) thanks Sidney Paiva (left) for the presentation on MAPAL do Brasil. Richard Drautz and Sidney Pimenta Paiva in front of the company headquarters of MAPAL do Brasil in Ibirité.

6 Page 6 MAPAL Impulse Minimum lubrication for maximum performance MAPAL MQL technology dries out machining processes Despite major advances and developments, conventional machining with cooling lubricants entails considerable efforts as well as health and environmental risks, not to speak of the high costs. Cost factors apart from the procurement and disposal costs are additional expenses for tanks, pumps (energy), pipework, filters and, for example, the personnel costs for supervision, maintenance and cleaning. Depending on the type of production, these expenses account for between 8 and 16% of the total production costs (see chart). A particularly expedient alternative here is minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). Only very small quantities of lubricant in the range Other costs 80 % Tool costs 4 % Coolant lubricant costs 8 16 % from approx. 5 to 50 ml per process hour are released here, depending on the tool and the machining application. The preconditions have to be right In order to be able to change over a reliable machining process to minimum quantity lubrication, however, clearly defined preconditions have to be taken into consideration. Key functions such as lubrication, heat dissipation and chip removal have to be reliably performed. The right interplay of workpiece, machine, tool and lubrication first has to be assured in order to be able to apply the right amount of the fine mixture of air and lubricant directly to the working area between workpiece and cutting edge. Not every machining process is automatically suitable for MQL. The chip discharge and heat dissipation must be assured, and the cooling function must not be at the forefront of the considerations. When machining titanium or high-alloy steels, for example, cooling lubricant often still has to be used in order to ensure sufficient cooling due to the high temperature development. New developments in the field of tools and cutting materials and the minimum quantity lubrication systems in recent years, however, have made the MQL technology far more efficient and suitable for a far wider range of applications. MAPAL was a forerunner from the outset in the development of precision tools for dry and MQL machining and today can offer appropriate MQL solutions for every tool concept in the product portfolio. Source: Federal Statistical Office Example cylinder head MQL project 2 1. PCD precision boring tool for the blind bores for valve seat and valve guide. Due to the exact matching of the channel cross-sections, the medium is reliably and evenly supplied to all cutting edges. A special supply guarantees a response time of <0.1 sec Twin-bladed PCD tools for the injector and spark plug bores. Despite the large difference in diameter from 7 to 16 mm, these tools reliably remove the chips from the bore without high pressure. Machining is performed reliably even at an air pressure of only 4 bar. 3. Fine boring tool with guide pads for finishing the camshaft bore. Guide pads made of PCD and MQL outlets designed to suit the bearings guarantee correct function during this machining operation. 3

7 Page 7 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits MQL for all machining processes and materials Complete range of clamping tools for single and two-channel MQL supplies Demonstration and specimen machining at MAPAL MAPAL competence MQL machining UNITEST-MQL MAPAL brings first tester for MQL tools to the market Particularly in large-scale production and especially in the automotive industry, the number of MQL projects at MAPAL is growing steadily. Component machining overview MQL proects Aluminium Cast iron Steel Cylinder head x x Crankcase x x Cylinder head cover x Crankshaft x x Con rod x Suspension arm x Hub carrier x Axle beam x Kingpin x Swivel flange x Suspension arm x Stearing housing x Valve and spool plate x Transmission housing x Clutch housing x Torque converter housing x Turbocharger x For years now, MAPAL has been making high demands on its tools, and in particular on tools with minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). In order than customers using such tools, particularly in large scale production, can also inspect their MQL tools using a fully automatic test cycle, MAPAL is now bringing the first UNITEST-MQL tester for tools with MQL to the market. Many customers inspect their MQL tools (before each use) directly on the machine tool. In order to be able to save this time during machining, the new MAPAL UNITEST-MQL allows the inspection to be carried out away from the machine. During the fully automatic test cycle, an oil and air mixture suitable for the intended machining process is sprayed onto a test surface over predetermined spraying times. The spray pattern of each cooling duct bore is then documented, assessed and compared with evaluation criteria defined by MAPAL. If the individual spray patterns differ, the tool can be cleaned in good time, adjusted or immediately taken out of the production process. During the project and tool design for an engine block with MQL for Ford-Werke GmbH at MAPAL, Mr Alexander Stoll, very quickly recognised the benefits of the MQL tester that has been in use at MAPAL for many years. The Ford specifications with respect to tool design, production quality and machining times can only be achieved with the UNITEST- MQL. The first UNITEST-MQL from MAPAL was delivered to the Ford-Werke GmbH in Cologne-Niehl where it will be used in future to verify the MQL tools parallel to the ongoing production process. UNITEST-MQL with MMS tool. MQL tool undergoing testing. Your contact person for further information: Christian Schmidt christian.schmidt@de.mapal.com

8 Page 8 MAPAL Impulse Beim Bea The challenges of deep hole drilling Customer benefits Small chips and reduced feed forces Optimum chip transport Reliable for bores up to 30xD In modern machining processes, particularly in mass production, improved quality and productivity are a constant objective in the development of innovative tool concepts. The drilling of deep bores represents a particular challenge here, and demands specially modified tool solutions which guarantee high performance even with unfavourable L/D ratios. Deep hole drilling with solid carbide tool for bores up to 30xD During deep hole drilling in solid material, the chip formation and in particular the chip discharge from the bore play a central role. The combination of the geometry of face and chip flute is thereby crucial for the performance of the drill. The cutting edge geometry must be designed such that the smallest possible chips are produced that can be easily transported in the chip flute. In order to be able to drill deep holes with high feed rates and correspondingly large chip volumes, the design of the drill must be optimised with respect to these criteria. The MEGA- Deep-Drill from MAPAL was developed specially for this application. The face geometry with 135 tip angle ensures short chips with at the same time reduced feed forces and good centering of the drill. This prevents wandering of the bore. For optimum guidance in the bore, two additional supporting chamfers are provided around the circumference of the guiding chamfers on the main cutting edges. The total of four chamfers only run axially, however, up to a length corresponding to two to three times the diameter. The diameter of the MEGA-Deep-Drill is then reduced slightly to prevent contact with the bore wall and thus reduce the heating caused by friction. For good chip transport out of the deep bores, the core diameter of the drill is reduced slightly axially behind the head area. Space is thus created and jamming of the tool due to chips between drill and bore wall is prevented. Furthermore, polished chip flutes ensure a smooth flow of the chips. 1,300 bores in GG26 cylinder crankcase with MQL During drilling of a cylinder crankcase made of material GG26 CR, the MEGA-Deep-Drill enables a remarkable tool life of up to 1,300 bores to be achieved. With a diameter of 10 mm and a drilling depth of 30xD, the bore is drilled with MQL at a cutting speed of v c = 40 m/min and a feed rate per revolution of f = 0.5 mm. 33 % longer tool life With the standard MEGA-Deep-Drill, 30xD, diameter 12 mm, the tool life was increased from 60 minutes for the competition to 80 minutes. The A specially developed geometry permits the highest feed rates and cuttings speeds. bore in a gearbox housing of GG25 was drilled with a cutting speed of v c = 100 m/min and a feed rate of f = 0.4 mm/rev. 4 times faster than competitor s tool In an extruder housing used for the production of plastic pellets, the MEGA-Deep-Drill with a diameter of 12 mm cuts the 31CrMoV9 nitriding steel at a cutting speed of v c = 80 m/ min and a feed rate of f = 0.18 mm per revolution. Compared with the single-lip drill previously used, the different bore depths from 195 to 230 mm in o housing can be drilled four times faster.

9 Page 9 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits MAPAL solid carbide reamers offer higher process reliability Significantly reduced scrap rate More process reliability during hard machining of small bores Reduced tool costs For over 80 years, the name of the family business of KRESS-elektrik GmbH & Co. KG has been synonymous with innovative electric tools meeting the highest professional demands. The owner-managed medium-sized business now in the third generation develops and produces exclusively in Germany and Switzerland in order to maintain the highest quality standards, although the electric tools are supplied to satisfied customers in 60 countries worldwide through a sales network of subsidiaries and representative offices. High manufacturing depth for high-quality components KRESS-elektrik has a high manufacturing depth and produces a large proportion of the parts within the company group. The quality of the various parts can thus be kept high and quick reactions to problems are possible. For the fine machining of bores, KRESSelektrik relies on the know-how from MAPAL. In this way it was possible through close cooperation, for example, to significantly enhance the process reliability of the hard reaming of the central bore in gear wheels. Hard reaming of a gear wheel for hammer drills Until now, the central bore dia. 8H7 of a bevel gear wheel of 16MnCr5 has been turned with PCBN inserts. The part, cased-hardened to HRc, is pressed onto the countershaft of a hammer drill which in turn drives the striking mechanism and drill spindle. Due to the small diameter, however, the turning process was not stable, the tool lives were poor and quality problems were encountered. The reworking and scrap rate of 8 10% was far too high, and the operator constantly had to readjust the machine in order to even be able to produce a reasonable number of good parts. An alternative method for the fine machining of hardened bores with relatively small diameters is always reaming with multi-bladed reamers. The advantages compared with turning derive from the fact that these tools guide themselves in the bore and can be operated with higher feed rates. MAPAL solid carbide reamers with a special coating for hard machining therefore started to be used for this application. The cutting data were v c = 25 m/min and f = 0.2 mm, whereby the bore was first piloted in order to maintain the position. The coated solid carbide reamer is firmly clamped without floating holder and achieves a tool life of 3,700 bores with a scrap rate well below 1%. KRESS-elektrik GmbH & Co. KG are very satisfied with these results, particularly with the process reliability. Some 80,000 gear wheels with different diameters are f.l.t.r.: Peter Werner (MAPAL technical consultant), Volker Kloz (Head of Mechanical Production, Kress), Timo Schäfer (Deputy Head of Mechanical Production Product Engineering, Kress) and Vinco Vodanovic (Supervisor Mechanical Production, Kress). produced every year, all of which are machined in the meantime with MA- PAL solid carbide reamers. Your contact person for further information: Michael Neumann michael.neumann@de.mapal.com

10 Page 10 MAPAL Impulse The machining specialist Berger relies on the solution from the MAPAL Group for the finishing of a fuel pump housing. MAPAL specialists for one-stop complete solutions Precision in perfection is the philosophy of A. Berger. The parts have to satisfy the highest demands with the most efficient series production possible. The A. Berger GmbH & Co Präzisions- Maschinenbauteile KG was founded in 1955 by Alois Berger and has grown steadily as a future-oriented company thanks to its continuous innovation. From its modest beginning, the Berger Holding has developed into the world s largest family-owned manufacturer of precision turned and milled parts. Berger supplies leading companies worldwide with high-precision, complex turned, milled and ground parts ready for installation. The Berger Holding company headquarters is in Memmingen in Southern Germany and has more than 1,800 employees in 13 works in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Canada and the USA. The part presented here, a fuel pump housing of C45 steel, is finish machined on two machining centres at A. Berger in Ilsfeld using tools from the MAPAL Group. 6,000 of these pumps are produced every week. Increased process reliability in series production The changeover to the machining technology from MAPAL led not only to an increase in the tool life, but also to higher process reliability as the susceptibility to faults was greatly reduced. The whole finishing process for the part was optimised and the tool life increased in cooperation with MAPAL service technician Lars Nitsche and the technical consultant Volker Striegel. During the first clamping, the central bore is finished on a lathe centre. The MAPAL solid carbide drill with 180 cutting lead specially optimised for flat surfaces is used here. Compared with the drill used to date, the 180 top angle has the advantage that the bottom of the bore already has the final contour. The replaceable head reamers from MAPAL used next finish the cylindrical bore. Thanks to the optimisation, the tool life was increased from 600 to 1,800 parts and the process reliability was also enhanced. In the second clamping, the opposite stepped bore is machined on a machining centre. Until now, premachining was carried out using standard drills followed by a step drill to correct the offset. A solid carbide monoblock step reamer then finished the bore. The process was optimised by the use of the MAPAL HPR replaceable head reamer. The changing of the cutting material to Cermet and the resulting higher cutting speeds have allowed the two MAPAL HPR reamers employed to achieve a greatly improved surface finish, tool life and process reliability in the same machining time compared with the solid carbide step reamer used to date. The time-consuming adjustment of the step reamer to date is eliminated with the MAPAL replaceable head system with radial clamping system. The changing time has thus been reduced from 30 minutes to two minutes. Furthermore, the changing process for the HPR reamer requires no specially trained personnel as it no longer has to be adjusted. Axial recess and diameter are finally machined using a MAPAL fine boring tool with guide pads. In the last step, a solid carbide countersink from MAPAL is used which, thanks to its specially optimised geometry, satisfies the high demands on the surface of the machined conical seal. MAPAL as competent contact partner for the whole process In order to ensure optimum support for the customers, MAPAL attaches great importance to after-sales service through competent staff both in the office and in the field. Individual customers demands for complete solutions with standard and special tools can be met through experience and process know-how. The solution to the machining task using tools from the MAPAL Group allowed the number of suppliers and contact partners at

11 Page 11 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Increased tool life from 600 to 1,800 parts Increased process reliability through process optimisation One contact partner for the whole process A. Berger to be reduced, and the logistics and service improved. The optimisation of the complete finishing process by MAPAL enables A. Berger to guarantee maximum quality with increased productivity, process reliability and profitability. In photo from left: Volker Striegel (MAPAL Technical Consultant), Heiko Schmälzle (A. Berger Ilsfeld Team Leader) and Armin Wirth (Plant Manager Ilsfeld). Figure bottom right: Revolver with MAPAL HPR replaceable head reamers. Selection of MAPAL tools for finishing. Finishing of the central bore on a lathe centre. Machining of the opposite stepped bore on a machining centre.

12 Page 12 MAPAL Impulse MAPAL external reamers replace pregrinding of shift and control valves for automatic transmissions. External reaming of precision turned parts on automated bar lathes The competence centre for development and production of the Mercedes- Benz automatic transmission has been located in Stuttgart-Hedelfingen for many years. Since its founding in 1959, five generations of automatic transmissions have left the assembly line here, a total of around 18 million units. Starting from the four-speed planetary gearbox, which at that time represented a trendsetting innovation on the German automotive market, through to the world s first sevenspeed automatic transmission, the 7-G-TRONIC, that was introduced in The continuous improvement of the comfort and efficiency of the automatic transmission is the primary goal of the Hedelfingen transmission works that is pursued with a great deal of innovativeness, excellent know-how and uncompromising quality consciousness. Quality and efficiency are consequently reflected of course also in the production, and for this reason the automatic transmission production in Hedelfingen received the Lean Production Award in 2008 that is awarded to company divisions that excel in efficiency. Long-standing partnership with MAPAL The managers of the machining processes in Hedelfingen have been working together in partnership and very successfully with the machining specialists from MAPAL for many years. A large number of projects for complete machining of transmission housings or shift valve housings have been handled together. MAPAL s process understanding and knowhow for productive and process stable solutions is particularly appreciated. But MAPAL s know-how is not limited just to the machining of cubic parts; it extends also to the machining of control and shift valves, parts produced on automated lathes. MAPAL external reamers with guide pad technology are used here which have a crucial impact on the process. External reaming of control and shift valves Not only the shift valve housings, but also the corresponding control and shift valves are manufactured in the control element production shop. There are a total of approx. 70 valve variants in the diameter range from mm for the different automatic transmissions, of which 20 to 30 valves are installed in one shift valve housing, depending on the version. The parts made from a special extruded aluminium run on a total of 17 automated bar lathes. Some 130,000 are produced a day! MAPAL external reamers with guide pad technology allow high-precision reaming of even long, thin parts such as shift valves. As with the boring tools, the advantages of the guide pad technology and the precisely adjustable indexable blade come to bear also in the external reamers. Radial forces are absorbed by the tool and hence optimum diameter tolerances, circularities and cylinder forms achieved. The diameter tolerances for the valves lie in the order of 10 µm, and the admissible deviation in the cylinder form and circularity is max. 15 µm. With the given process ratios, the tolerance window is around half these figures. Single-step to 3-step external reamers are used for the different valves. The tools are adapted to the geometry of the respective valves and even complex and very long parts can be reliably machined. A MAPAL setting fixture was specially modified for the adjustment of the tools so that the precision adjustment of the inserts is as simple, reliable and efficient as possible. The valves are machined with oil to ensure an optimum surface finish and chip removal. The cutting data are f = 0.2 mm and vc = 180 m/min, and production volumes of 50,000 parts and more are achieved with the PCDtipped reaming blades.

13 Page 13 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Complete pregrinding process substituted Shorter process times and reduced machine investment costs Low unit costs and high productivity Enormous cost savings thanks to external reaming Thanks to external reaming, production of the valves is particularly efficient and cost-effective. The pregrinding of the outside diameter before anodising is substituted so that the whole process encompasses only three machining steps: Turning, including external reaming galvanising final grinding. Without the external reaming, the grinding machine park would have to be twice as large and Ulrich Frassen and Wolfgang Pau, both shift supervisors at Daimler Hedelfingen, together with Udo Pfisterer (centre), MAPAL technical consultant. furthermore the tooling, machining and idle times for an additional grinding operation are completely eliminated. The result low costs per part and high productivity. More than 70 different valve variants are machined with high productivity using MAPAL external reamers. Your contact person for further information: Alfred Haas

14 Page 14 MAPAL Impulse Milling of fibre-reinforced plastics The OptiMill-Composite-Speed sets new standards When milling carbon fibre-reinforced plastics, the part quality is determined first and foremost by a flawless surface and first-class edges. KO criteria are, in particular, torn-out fibres (delamination), protruding fibres, i.e. fibres not cleanly cut off, and scorched resin. The latter is frequently not recognised or is incorrectly interpreted during the assessment of an extraordinarily glossy surface. Roughing and subsequent finishing generally do not result in the desired success if the tool employed does not provide the necessary performance. MAPAL has developed a milling tool for these applications which permits machining in just one step and hence significantly reduces the machining time while meeting the highest quality demands. The new OptiMill-Composite-Speed high performance milling cutter demonstrated its capabilities in practice at GKN Aerospace GmbH in Munich. The GKN site in Munich has some 350 employees and forms part of the global operations of the GKN Aerospace division. Specialised in the development and production of high performance plastic structures for civilian and military aircraft and for special industrial applications, the ultra-modern production plant offers the full range of products for plastics production based on competitive automated processes. CFRP structural parts for the fin of the Airbus A380 make high demands on the machining tools GKN constantly strives to improve the machining process, particularly for the CFRP structural parts for the fin of the Airbus A380. The responsible production manager at GKN Munich, Andreas Pilz, saw huge optimisation potential particularly for the trimming of the CFRP structural parts. The CFRP parts with a glass layer laminated to one side and a thickness of 6 mm have been trimmed to date using two competitor s tools on a Zimmermann portal milling machine, Type FZ32. Two identical multi-tooth milling cutters or routers with a diameter of 8 mm were employed in turn for roughing and finishing the parts in order to meet the quality demands. Nevertheless, laborious reworking was necessary in some cases as the laminated glass layers were not cut cleanly. Delaminations at the edges and protruding fibres at the cut edge were the undesirable results of the existing production process. Reduction in the pure milling time by 60 % The close dialogue between the managers at GKN and the responsible MAPAL field staff, Thomas Weihrich and Frank Dreher, led to a remarkable process optimisation with respect to both minimisation of the lead times and the improvement in the machining results. With the solid carbide OptiMill-Composite-Speed milling cutter, MAPAL has a particularly high performance tool in its portfolio. Developed specially for the machining demands Milled contour on structural part of CFRP. Comparison of multi-tooth milling cutter and OptiMill-Composite-Speed OLD n 2 identical multi-tooth milling cutters n Operating method 1x roughing / 1x finishing n Spindle speed rpm n Feed rate 700 mm/min n Tool life 1 part n Machining time: 31,5 hours u Reduction in the machining time by 42% NEW n 1 OptiMill-Composite-Speed n Operating method 1 pass (roughing and finishing) n Speed 14,000 rpm n Feed rate 2,000 mm/min n Tool life 1 part n Machining time: 18.4 hours

15 Page 15 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Minimisation of lead times Reduction in reworking No delamination in the edge area Laminated glass layers are cleanly cut of fibre-reinforced plastics, it is far superior to conventional multi-tooth milling cutters. As with the competitor s milling cutter, the OptiMill with 8 mm diameter trims with full-contact cutting, but at three times the feed speed (see comparison table of cutting data). The special tooth geometry of the OptiMill-Composite-Speed with its eight cutting edges completes the roughing and finishing in one pass. This allows GKN to make considerable savings in time of up to 60%. In detail it was possible to reduce the machining time from 31.5 h to 18.4 h (per aircraft). Figure right: Andreas Pilz (centre, Production Manager GKN Aerospace) together with Frank Dreher (left, MAPAL technical consultant) and Thomas Weihrich (MAPAL technical consultant). Furthermore reworking was minimised, and there are few if any protruding fibres at the cut edges. The laminated glass layers are now cut cleanly. In the meantime GKN is using the OptiMill-Composite-Speed for other CFRP structural parts and achieving comparable results of the highest level. The OptiMill-Composite-Speed replaces two identical multi-tooth milling cutters. Your contact person for further information: Frank Dreher frank.dreher@de.mapal.com

16 Page 16 MAPAL Impulse Wind turbine rotor blades: Complete machining of GFRP blade joint Cost-effective machining with innovative tool systems The design of the joint between rotor blade and rotor hub is one of the most demanding tasks during rotor blade development on wind energy converters. The transverse bolted joint that connects the rotor blade via the blade bearing to the rotor hub is subjected to extremely dynamic loads. To costeffectively undertake the necessary drilling, milling and cutting operations on the GFRP blade joint, MAPAL has developed innovative tool systems that have also been optimised in relation to the reduced production of dust and chips. 1. PCD core drill Machining of the longitudinal bores and cross bores for the retaining pins 2. Replaceable head drill TTD (special design) Machining of the locking bores for blade alignment 3. PCD disc-type milling cutter (cutting) Cutting off the protruding resin on the edge of the rotor blade root 4. PCD face milling cutter (EcoSpeed) Finishing of the cut edge 3 Advantages: Innovative core drill reduces dust and the production of chips Short machining times during milling due to maximum number of cutting edges in the tool body No delamination, fibre projection or burr formation on the part Long tool lives thanks to PCD-tipped inserts or special diamond coatings Your contact person for further information: IMP45-E WD Printed in Germany. Right of technical modification reserved. jens.ilg@de.mapal.com IMPRESSUM Contents editor: Hermann Steidle Editing team: H. Steidle, M. Berger, O. Munz, K. Rehor, S. Schmick, M. Winter, T. Zimmermann Design: I. Rettenmaier Published by: MAPAL Präzisionswerkzeuge Dr. Kress KG P.O. Box 1520 D Aalen Phone Fax info@de.mapal.com