Product highlights for your successful production

Transcription

1 Page 1 MAPAL Impulse rbeitung Lenkungs-Spurstangenanbindung, ABS Sensorbohrung und der Information, Ideas, Internals No. 48 June 2012 Product highlights for your successful production Economical machining of CFRP components for the medical sector MEGA-Speed-Drill: drill productively - reliably and three times faster MAPAL VersaCut: hard grooving and hard turning

2 Page 2 MAPAL Impulse New possibilities with major investments in the USA, Asia and Germany. MANAGEMENT ISSUES Planning for the future A sound economic forecast for the coming years is difficult, for this reason the investment decisions that need to be taken now are marked by some degree of uncertainty. Understandably, this situation results in the wish to reduce the time for the realisation of projects even further, which inevitably results in bottlenecks in production at suppliers. In turn the rectification of these problems as quickly as possible, i.e. making appropriate investments in machinery and also staff, is again hindered by the current uncertainty. Tackling these issues requires a certain degree of optimism and self-confidence. Despite this situation we have made a major investment and decided to undertake large construction projects to expand our sites in Asia, the USA, and also in Germany. Our new production building, Hall 7, with a floor area of almost 6,000 m² will be completed shortly and will be fitted out during the summer holidays. This significant expansion of our production capacity for complex indexable insert tools will help to overcome supply shortages. It is particularly these high performance tools that safeguard our ability to compete in the fierce market. As a result, cost advantages are achieved that make production possible also in countries like Germany. In the context of our services, we see further opportunities for achieving savings with new tools, as well as by means of further process optimisation such as the introduction of interpolation turning. Dr Dieter Kress MAPAL was at METAV METAV 2012, which took place the end of February in Düsseldorf, attracted 40,000 visitors. A sustained good investment climate defined the many conversations held with customers and potential users on the MAPAL stand. Above all, here in foreground was the request for complete machining solutions, which links our areas of competence to the greatest possible benefit for The MAPAL stand at METAV in Düsseldorf was popular with visitors. our customers: process understanding and engineering, tool technology and services. On this issue a whole series of machining solutions were exhibited Which provide increased productivity and process reliability in production. Of course, the latest tool news and highlights from all areas of machining were also presented. These include above all the new CPMill replaceable milling cutter, PCD and PcBN-tipped miniature tools for drilling, reaming and milling, as well as VersaCut, the universal system for hard grooving and turning. Visitors to the fair were able to see an impressive presentation of all MAPAL tools for the hard machining of a complete part on a machine manufacturer s stand. You can read about the success of this machining on page 10 and 11 or use the link to watch a video. The right partner for energy efficiency Higher energy efficiency and lower costs are important influencing factures during the design of new machining processes. A major opportunity to meet

3 Page 3 MAPAL Impulse News Look back at METAV 2012 in Düsseldorf The topic of energy efficiency these requirements is the change from wet machining to minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). A major automotive manufacturer plans to manufacture cylinder heads using only MQL in future. MAPAL was selected from a large number of competitors to undertake the necessary studies for this change. All the machining methods used will now be correspondingly optimised and adapted to the specific conditions. All the necessary facilities in the development department, from the machining centres to MQL test stands, are available for this task. Such studies will also be undertaken tk for other cubic components made of various materials. Along with MQL technology, further capabilities and extensive know-how on the topic of energy efficiency are available at MAPAL. The related analyses often indicate a high potential for savings in machining time and as a result also in energy and costs. MAPAL is also involved in sustainable technologies as a partner of the VDMA initiative BLUE COMPETENCE. MAPAL and the racing team Uni Stuttgart support for the developers of tomorrow Year after year student teams look forward with excitement to their participation in Formula Student Germany. The racing team from the University of Stuttgart has taken part in the competition since the founding of this series of events in Here the teams from various universities compete against each other in an initiative organised by the VDI. The participating students develop, design and build a racing car in a year. Then the teams come together to compete against each other in their cars and to demonstrate their abilities. The objective of Formula Student is to supplement studies with practical experience in the areas of design, manufacture, project management and finance. Over the years the competition has grown into an international initiative. There are combustion engine and electric motor categories. For the 10th time the University of Stuttgart took the overall victory in its class in 2011 no other team has achieved that before. For 6 years MAPAL has supported the Stuttgart-based racing team in the manufacture of its cars. The MAPAL sales representative Volker Striegel prepares, together with the budding engineers, tool solutions for the required machining tasks, for example on the tripod cage. These items are then manufactured at MAPAL. In this way various custom parts are produced for the racing team Uni Stuttgart each year. CONTENTS MAPAL Group Look back at METAV 2012 Page 2 The topic of energy efficiency Page 3 racing team Uni Stuttgart Page 3 Dr. Dieter Kress 70th birthday Page 4 News from the MAPAL Group MAPAL USA Page 6 Product Highlights New series in the solid carbide sector MEGA-Speed-Drill Page 8 MAPAL VersaCut Page 9 Report from practice Hard machining for Hardinge Page 10 CFRP milling at Mayr Faserverbundtechnik Page 12 Interpolation turning at John Deere Mannheim Page 14

4 Page 4 MAPAL Impulse Dr. Dieter Kress: MAPAL on best form for his 70th birthday Birthday party in new production building A milestone birthday invites a look back at what has been achieved. And a new building is indicative of success and good prospects for the future: on the 70th birthday of the managing partner Dr. Dieter Kress, MAPAL held a party in the large, recently erected Hall 7 at the headquarters in Aalen. On 18 May the birthday celebration for the head of the company brought together prominent figures from politics and commerce along with the MAPAL workforce to offer their congratulations and to celebrate together with the host. For the first time the guests were able to obtain an impression of the new Hall 7 on the factory site; as the building has not yet been fitted out, there was enough space for all in the still empty building. And as for the location for the birthday party there was no better place: I am always happy to be at work and for this reason I am also happy to celebrate my birthday here, explained Dr. Dieter Kress in his greeting to the guests. Mayor Wolf-Dietrich Fehrenbacher offered congratulations on behalf of the city of Aalen. He emphasised in particular the level of innovation of the company. For innovations it is necessary to create space for employees to think and act. Dr. Dieter Kress has achieved this. The city considers itself lucky to have such a company within its walls. For more than 40 years Dieter Kress has run the company founded by his father. In this time the small business enterprise has become a corporate group with an international presence. MAPAL has achieved a world leading position in its market segment due to consistent specialisation, a high level of innovation and uncompromising orientation on the customer. As such, the era of Dieter Kress is characterised by continuous growth, a characteristic that was only briefly interrupted by the global economic crisis in What we have achieved today was of course inconceivable back then at the end of the 1960s, explained Dr. Dieter Kress. The 40 employees have in the meantime become a workforce of around 3,800 worldwide in the MAPAL Group. The boss appreciates the high level of commitment behind this achievement We have the luck to have first-class employees; time and again I am impressed by the results the challenges of international competition motivate our team to produce. The senior citizen will also continue to manage the destiny of the business. In this task his son Jochen has been at his side since The graduate mechanical engineer and Master of Business Administration (MBA) works closely together with Dr. Dieter Kress and dedicates his management time in particular to new application areas and technologies. 70 years Dr. Dieter Kress CONGRATULATIONS!

5 Seite Page 5 MAPAL Impulse Many older and also younger well-wishers came to the reception for the 70th birthday of Dr. Dieter Kress.

6 Page 6 MAPAL Impulse MAPAL in the USA Despite the Asia boom- MAPAL intensivifies its activities in the USA. For a company like MAPAL, which is focused on tooling for the automotive industry, there is no way round presence in the USA. The United States were the dominating car producer on the world market for decades. Even today the manufacturers General Motors and Ford are among the major players. If you look solely at the area of machining tools, in the USA you will find a market volume of more than 2 billion euros. MAPAL is able to serve a major part of this market with its broad range of tools. MAPAL has been active in the USA with a dedicated subsidiary since At the start the task was to provide service for guided tools and to support the American business activities of European OEM customers that is manufacturers of machines who equip their products with MAPAL tools. Even three years ago MAPAL s market share was still relatively low. Since 2008 MAPAL has been a major supplier of tools for machining cubic components and hereby a large portion of the production on the American market. Particularly interesting are the machining solutions for the engine, power transmission, chassis and steering components. A dedicated service presence was established. In this geographically massive market this undertaking is in itself a challenge. For customer support and service it is not sufficient to be just represented locally with a team, instead it is necessary to have a larger team available if you wish to be able serve customers in the different regions promptly. Today MAPAL is represented in the USA with a capable workforce that manages the local business and that can provide comprehensive support to major customers. In the meantime a dedicated Tool Expert Team, which is closely linked with Aalen, is available to support projects for new tooling in the USA. In this way MAPAL can also offer customers from other regions comprehensive support for their business activities in the USA. Today in total around 120 employees work at MAPAL Inc., which has its headquarters in Port Huron in the state of Michigan. The United States also play an important role in the international production network of the MAPAL Group. Today MAPAL Inc. has the largest production of MAPAL diamond tools outside Germany. Here drills and fixed reamers are manufactured and of course complete tool service is also available locally. Market conditions are currently extremely favorable. Consumers are increasingly demanding smaller, lowconsumption vehicles, which today are also manufactured by the major American companies. As a result of this, the use of aluminum has increased and therefore also the call for tools incorporating diamond inserts. It is also important to provide the support service to the customer by the introduction of new production methods. Through this increase in demand, the order volume at MAPAL Inc. has considerable increased over the past three

7 Page 7 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Close cooperation between MAPAL Mexico and MAPAL USA for optimal customer support years. Along with the automobile industry, there are opportunities in new areas of application in the aerospaceand oil industry. A close relationship to MAPAL Mexico has been established, as many manufacturing plants from the USA have been relocated in Mexico. A further intensification in both sales and production in the USA is planned for the coming years. The employees at MAPAL Inc. in front of the company s premises in Port Huron.

8 Page 8 MAPAL Impulse MEGA-Speed-Drill Highend product family for drilling Customer benefits Significantly higher cutting speed possible Drill productively reliably and three-times faster f.l.t.r: MEGA-Speed-Drill-Cast, MEGA-Speed-Drill-Inox and MEGA-Speed-Drill-Steel MEGA-Speed-Drill Iron Inox Steel Guide chamfer 1 Figure 1. Guide chamfer 3 Guide chamfer 2 with free cutting edge In industrial machining processes, drilling continues to occupy the largest portion of the machining time. As a consequence, process times in businesses can be significantly influenced by the usage of optimised drilling tools. For this reason MAPAL has expanded the already successful, geometrically unusual MEGA-Speed-Drill for steel materials with the variant MEGA- Speed-Drill-Cast for cast materials and the MEGA-Speed-Drill-Inox for corrosion and acid-resistant steels. An observation of the cutting speeds in the various machining processes shows that higher cutting speeds can be achieved by turning and milling then with solid carbide drills. Although the basis relationship between the carbide grades and coatings are the same for drilling, the main reasons for the lower cutting speeds during drilling are due to the following factors. It is inevitable that during drilling friction occurs on the guide chamfers, the heat generated through this friction results in the expansion of the drill, which in turn increases the friction on the guide chamfers. In addition, drills tend to oscillate along their chisel edges and as a result produce bores that are not circular, which again in turn places high loads on the guiding chamfers. Due to the high radial forces acting on the guiding chamfers, cooling/lubrication inevitably also fails there. Finally, the performance of a drill is also limited by the chip transport. Increased cutting data also signify a greater volume of chips that must be reliably transported by the chip flutes. The MEGASpeed-Drill product family has been developed to address these factors. Powerful because asymmetrical All three variants for steel, castings and inox follow the same principle. The guiding chamfers are arranged asymmetrically and there are three guiding chamfers instead of two. The cutting edge spacing is therefore not 180 degrees, but a few degrees more and the second guide chamfer also acts as a free cutting edge (see sketch 1). Hereby jamming is avoided. This principle is similar to that the MAPAL single-bladed reamers. Polished chip flute guarantees optimal chip removal The faster the workpiece is drilled, the more difficult it becomes to remove the chips. Ulrich Krenzer: On the classic HSS drill, the chip is formed on the bore wall - we do not want that to happen. We want the chip to be formed in the chip flute and not initially hit the bore wall. As the cutting speed at the centre of the drill is zero, the chip is forced to flow from the cutting edge in an arc to the centre and break away inwards. As a result short chips are produced. The area of the chip flute close to the cutting edge has the task of forming the chip, the area behind has the task of transporting the chip. For this reason the chip flute becomes wider to the rear. The chip flute is polished, which serves both requirements. The crucial advantage of the MEGA- Speed-Drill family lies in the cutting values that can be achieved: it is possible to operate at twice the cutting speed of conventional drills, without reducing the tool life in the process. Drilling using the MEGA-Speed-Drill-Steel.

9 Page 9 MAPAL Impulse Hard grooving and hard turning Universal and stable MAPAL VersaCut Customer benefits High flexibility, one tool holder for all insert variants Maximum stability during hard grooving using PcBN Application areas Standardised inserts for grooving, groove turning and thread cutting The new flexible grooving system VersaCut from MAPAL provides optimal prerequisites for the special requirements of hard machining. The PcBN-tipped inserts are extremely stably clamped. For this purpose a solid clamping jaw presses the insert into a prismatic connection. The clamping jaw itself is embedded in the tool holder to ensure unimpeded chip flow and to protect the jaw against wear. The inserts are very stable due to the short projection length and can be changed very quickly. Due to the special insert design, damage to the tool holder caused by insert fracture is practically excluded. The system includes four inserts of varying width and shape for recessing and groove turning, as well as for thread machining. Optionally PCD-tipped inserts or special designs are also possible. All inserts have the same connection shape and size, so that only one tool holder size is required for grooving depths up to 5 mm and grooving widths from 1.2 to 6 mm. The tool holder is available with different shanks of square design, HSK-T or other modular systems, as well as in numerous special designs. As a result the new MAPAL Versa- Cut hard grooving range combines stability and great versatility of application in one system. The system - advantages Groove turning Groove turning (radius insert) Recessing Retaining washers/rings Thread Optimal chip discharge No damage to grooving holder in the case of insert fracture Maximum stability during hard grooving using PcBN High level of flexibility, one tool holder for all insert variants For detailed information please request our MAPAL VersaCut catalogue - we will be pleased to send you a copy. Parting off Your contact person for further information: Michael Gebhard michael.gebhard@de.mapal.com

10 Page 10 MAPAL Impulse The complete machining of a part with 58 HRC. Hard machining completely stress-free Roland Kreuzer did not hesitate for a minute when he had to design the tool for the hard machining of a sample part for the lathe manufacturer Hardinge. At the end of February, this machining task had its premier at METAV in Düsseldorf. Enthusiastic visitors and satisfied faces at Hardinge and MAPAL were the reward for the preparatory work. The range of hard machining tasks that are possible with geometrically defined cutting edges is ever increasing. One of the reasons for this situation is the continuous technological progress in machinery, clamping tools along with cutting materials and coatings. The result is broader options in relation to process reliability, quality and tool life. While ten to fifteen years ago, for example, the accuracy limits during hard turning were still at IT 8, today tolerances of up to IT 4 can be achieved. As a result grinding operations are increasingly superfluous and many hardened parts can now be fully machined on lathes or turning-milling centres. It is particularly advantageous to design the complete package comprising of process, machine, fixture and tooling so they are matched. The specialists from Hardinge and MAPAL have therefore worked together closely since the start. Initially Andreas Leichsenring at Hardinge came up with a workpiece on which, with as many difficult tasks as possible, the capability of the machine, clamping and tool can be demonstrated. A demanding workpiece In principle, it is the case during hard machining that a smooth cut is easier than an interrupted cut, and turning is easier than drilling or milling. The through-hardened sample 100Cr6 workpiece with a hardness of 58 HRC was given corresponding geometries. An interrupted cut during external and internal turning as well as drilling and milling operations with diameters as small as possible were included, along with the turning of ball tracks and thread cutting. Suitable components A T-51SP-MSY was selected as a suitable machine. This Hardinge machine was specially designed for two-axis high precision machining as well as complex machining tasks. The T-51-MSY is vibration-damped and has a Hardinge collet spindle, counter spindle, Y axis, driven tools and C axis for main and counter spindle. The Hardinge BMT revolver plate can pick up driven tools at all revolver stations; these tools can be used in the main spindle and in the counter spindle. The connection between the location bore in the revolver and the tool adapter has special significance. To lose as little as possible of the high machine stiffness at this point, MAPAL adapters with HSK-T 63 were used. High clamping forces, exact positioning and a stable face connection combined with a short projection length on the HSK-T provide the rigidity at the tool cutting edge necessary for hard machining. Due to its very high rigidity the HSK-T has particularly low vibration and also has a high changeover accuracy, Andreas Leichsenring also confirms. After the machine and tool clamping had been defined, the machining process and the tools used during this process were designed. Roland Kreuzer selected optimal tools from the comprehensive MAPAL range of hard machining tools. Using a total of eleven tools, a slightly scaled blank becomes a precise, shining finished component in 18 minutes. Tool highlights First the diameter of outer contour is turned in the main spindle and then two opposing bores with a diameter of 4.8 mm drilled on the periphery using a MEGA-Drill-Hardened. These bores are then reamed using the new Micro- Ream Plus. The special feature

11 Page 11 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Vibration-free thread, groove, longitudinal turning Burr-free machining with interrupted cut Smooth, chatter-free surface during milling Best surface finishes and short machining times of these reamers is the solid PcBN head brazed on the face side. Due to a new technology from MAPAL, it is now also possible to tip blades with the super cutting material PcBN even for small diameters. As the next operation, two longitudinal grooves were milled at the entrance to the bores. For this purpose a 6 mm OptiMill- Hardened plunges at 3 into the solid and then machines the 20 mm long and 5 mm deep groove. In the central 40 mm bore a HPR replaceable head PcBN-tipped reamer was used. With a feed of f = 0.4 mm at n = 700 min 1 a bore with a quality of H7 is reamed with a surface finish of R a 0.25 μm. After the transfer of the workpiece to the counter spindle, there follow various turning operations with the new VersaCut tool holders. Roland Kreuzer terms the thread turning as completely stress-free and Andreas Leichsenring confirms: Andreas Leichsenring (right, Hardinge) and Roland Kreuzer (MAPAL) in front of the Hardinge machines at METAV. We are impressed with the excellent high-level project management and continuous presence of the MAPAL specialists. As well as the top quality of all the tools used. It could not be better! Andreas Leichsenring Applications Manager at Hardinge We are very satisfied with VersaCut. In conjunction with the HSK-T we achieve excellent performance. This statement also applies to the radial ball track. The surface to be machine was interrupted by the two grooves. A VersaCut tool also worked very well here, including a fully burrfree transition from the groove to the outer surface. Pictures: Top: blank and fully machined part. Bottom: the workpiece is fully machined on the counter spindle and the main spindle. Live machining on the machine in the Internet at or simply scan the QR code on the right. contact persons for further information: Roland Kreuzer I roland.kreuzer@de.mapal.com Michael Gebhard I michael.gebhard@de.mapal.com On the topic of HSK-T: Jochen Schmidt jochen.schmidt@de.mapal.com

12 Page 12 MAPAL Impulse Ideal collaboration on the machining of CFRP parts Economical machining of CFRP components for the medical sector Nobody is happy to lie on it, but when needs must, then everything should work perfectly. The item under consideration is an operating table. The usage of high-performance composite materials is now indispensable in many areas. An example from the medical sector is self-supporting patient positioning systems for operating tables. Due to its high rigidity and strength along with the good X-ray transparency, these systems are manufactured from carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). Mayr Faserverbundtechnik GmbH based in Rosenheim is a specialist in the development and manufacture of such innovative and high quality assemblies from fibre composite materials. With more than 25-years of knowhow in the manufacture of components made of CFRP, the experts at Mayr Faserverbundtechnik provide sound advice and assistance with decisions on the usage of high-per-formance composite plastics in a very wide range of industrial sectors. This advice is always provided under the premise that customers only invest in this technology if it is commercially and technically appropriate to do so. If this situation applies, the complete range of services is offered from analysis and calculation, design and prototype manufacture, to production and series manufacture, including tool making. By means of the careful selection of the fibres and resin systems in conjunction with the matching manufacturing methods, the optimal fibre composite component to suit the requirement is designed. Machining process analysed and re-designed For the manufacture of a tongueshaped component made of CFRP, which provides a modular connection between the head piece and lying surface of an operating table, a special CFRP composite was also selected. As a result the connecting element, which is subjected to high loads, is very stable but has low weight at the same time. To generate the final contour on the periphery as well as two guide slots, it is necessary to undertake milling operations on the part. These machining tasks are undertaken on a machining centre with an SK40 spindle in two clamping positions. In the first the part is trimmed around the periphery, in the second the two guide slots are milled. Prior to the optimisation of the machining process, two milling tools from the competition, a solid carbide router for roughing and a PCD end milling cutter for finishing, were used. The performance of these tools was, however, not impressive. The tool life was only 45 parts, the surface quality obtained required additional reworking by manual finishing and the machining time of more than seven minutes per part was also not satisfactory. The innovative tool solutions from MAPAL, which are specially tailored to the specific requirements of CFRP parts, aroused great interest in the responsible department at Mayr Faserverbundtechnik. In collaboration with the MAPAL tool specialists the existing machining process was analysed and re-designed, with an impressive result. Roughing and finishing in one machining step - the OptiMill -Composite- Speed The eight-cutting edge, diamond-coated solid carbide end milling cutter OptiMill -Composite- Speed makes its possible to undertake all the milling on the CFRP tongue- shaped component nt in one machining step. Its high performance The OptiMill -Composite-Speed is available in straight and left/righthand helix designs.

13 Page 13 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits Roughing and finishing in one machining step Machining time reduced by 32 % Tool life increased 4-fold Rework no longer required geometry with serration ensures optimal chip removal and therefore permits an extremely high machining volume. For the machining the milling cutter with a diameter of 8 mm is used over its entire cutting edge length of 32 mm. On trimming the approx. 10 mm thick part in the first clamping position, the roughing and the finishing are performed in one machining step. During trimming the milling cutter is lowered a little so that only the rear cutting portion of the tool is used and the front face geometry is fully available for machining the guide slots in the second clamping position. These approx. 5 mm deep grooves are cut without problems Figure: f.l.t.r.: Thomas Weihrich (technical consultant MAPAL) as well as Florian Zaggl, Peter Meitner (both from Mayr), Thorsten Müller (MAPAL) and Marcel Rivoir (Mayr). using the cutting face geometry on the OptiMill -Composite-Speed while maintaining the tolerances required on the part. To fully prevent delamination on the part, a change was also made to synchronous milling. As a result of the new tool concept it was possible to achieve an impressive process optimisation. The tool life was increased four-fold to approx. 200 parts. At the same time the machining time was reduced by 32 %. Due to the high machining quality of the OptiMill -Composite-Speed, time-consuming rework is no longer required. Machining the guide slots on the face. Your contact person for further information: Jens Ilg jens.ilg@de.mapal.com

14 Page 14 MAPAL Impulse In its tractor factory in Mannheim, John Deere relies on interpolation turning tools from MAPAL during the machining of differential housings Time saving of 70 % during the machining of sealing grooves The company John Deere, founded in 1837, stands for integrity, quality, commitment and innovation worldwide. These principles of the company s founder John Deere have been maintained through the organisation s long history and are reflected in the products, the way customers and partners are treated, as well as in the way in which the employees work together in the company. The product range is very varied and ranges from agricultural and construction machinery, to machines for forestry management as well as lawn and property maintenance. Tractors are produced by around 3,300 employees on the John Deere site in Mannheim. Approx. 40,000 units of widely varying size and design are manufactured there each year; the machines are delivered all over the world by road, rail or ship. Along with final assembly, gearbox components are produced in Mannheim, while the cabs and engines are supplied from other production sites. Enormous time saving due to interpolation turning In gearbox production, along with add-on parts such as shafts and gearwheels, a large number of housings are also manufactured. A very wide range of bores and functional surfaces need to be machined in the housings and the managers in process planning look for tool solutions that allow time-saving, productive machining. As a result primarily high-performance tools and combination tools are used. In a machining example on a differential housing made of GG25 a particularly time-consuming operation was the machining of five sealing grooves. The original process design involved applying the grooves by circular milling, which even with high cutting data took more than 11 minutes - with a total machining time of approx. 140 minutes for the entire housing, a time element that was in urgent need of optimisation. Together with the responsible sales representative from MAPAL a new solution was sought. Now the grooves are produced using interpolation tools in only 3.6 minutes, which represents to a time saving of around 70 %! Interpolation turning - an efficient method The so-called interpolation turning is a particularly efficient alternative to circular milling tools. During this process the tools are moved in a helix by means of interpolation of the axes on a machining centre where the helical pitch corresponds to the radial feed. At the same time the cutting edge is guided by the position control for the drive axis so that the radial contact position and with it the cutting angle of the cutting edge to the surface of the workpiece always remain the same during a revolution. In this way in practice a turning operation is produced on a machining centre e and as a result better surface finishes can be obtained than with circular milling, along with the time saving. Two at once with clever tool design In the case of the machining example at John Deere, a total of five sealing grooves must be produced on a Heller machining centre MCH300 with an HSK-100 spindle. Due to the special tool design from MAPAL, however, only two tools are used for this operation. The first tool is fitted with only one indexable insert and machines a sealing groove with a depth of 3.5 mm and an inside diameter of ø 185 mm, during this process two chamfer transitions are produced. 35 helical revolutions with a pitch of 0.1 mm are required. During this process the axes move at 50 m/min, which signifies a cutting speed

15 Page 15 MAPAL Impulse Customer benefits 70 % quicker than circular milling Two sealing grooves in only one machining step Reliable and cost-effective solution of approx. v c = 140 m/min. The second tool used is particularly interesting and was also a new development for MAPAL. It has two indexable inserts and machines two sealing grooves in one machining step! The sealing grooves are opposite each other on an outside diameter ø mm and an inside diameter of ø 324 mm. Both grooves are cut at the same time over 33 helical revolutions. The responsible process planners at John Deere were somewhat sceptical about interpolation turning at the start. In the meantime they have been won over by the process. Similar problem cases in future will definitely be reliably and efficient- ly solved using this MAPAL technology. On the left in the photograph Alexander Lehmann (machine operator at John Deere), Helmut Heckmann (production engineering at John Deere) as well as Bernd Domning (technical consultant MAPAL). Interpolation turning as an efficient alternative to circular milling. Your contact person for further information: Andreas Diemer andreas.diemer@de.mapal.com

16 IMP48-E WD Printed in Germany. Right of technical modification reserved. IMPRINT Responsible for the content: Hermann Steidle Editorial team: H. Steidle, O. Munz, M. Schwenninger, M. Winter, T. Zimmermann Design: I. Rettenmaier Publisher: MAPAL Präzisionswerkzeuge Dr. Kress KG P.O Box 1520 D Aalen Phone Fax