New replaceable head system doubles tool life in machining processes
Short tool life with long set-up times, a two-part process and fluctuations in quality - grooving in the production of alloy steel worm shafts was not pure joy for the team at IMS Gear. With ISCAR's Neoswiss replaceable head system and a PENTA 17 special plate, the company got to grips with the task and was able to significantly increase tool life and productivity.
The roots of IMS Gear in the Black Forest run deep - the family business was founded in 1863 by Johann Morat in Eisenbach in the Upper Black Forest. The company originally supplied the watchmaking industry with gears, but developed steadily and is now an internationally positioned and sought-after manufacturer of gear technology. Headquartered in Donaueschingen, IMS Gear has subsidiaries in Germany, the USA, Mexico, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan and employs around 3100 people. It mainly supplies the automotive industry with components, assemblies and gearboxes, but also offers solutions for e-bikes and planetary gearboxes for household appliances, building technology, logistics and the agricultural sector.
«We mainly process different metals, from free-cutting steel to stainless steel, but also plastic, which we shape into gears and housings using injection molding tools that we produce ourselves,» says Berthold Weisser, Manufacturing Engineer at IMS Gear in Eisenbach. «The batch sizes range from prototypes to large series. In addition to high quality, our customers also expect innovative ideas and flexibility.»
To ensure this, Berthold Weisser has been working closely and on an equal footing with technology partner ISCAR for more than 25 years. Matthias Boss, Technical Consulting and Sales, knows the machines and processes at IMS Gear inside out and is therefore able to provide the machinist with the best possible support in terms of tools, advice and expertise.
PENTA 17 stings
«When I saw the new Neoswiss interchangeable head system in the catalog, I knew immediately that it would be something for IMS Gear and Berthold Weisser,» says Matthias Boss. He introduced him to the tool during one of his regular visits. The turning system with interchangeable heads offers numerous application possibilities, short set-up times and is user-friendly. Neoswiss consists of a shank and six tool heads for all typical applications such as turning, parting and grooving, threading and recessing. They are attached to the shank in a user-friendly way with just one screw. Thanks to the clamping mechanism and four-point system, they sit firmly and securely. «The modular system immediately sparked my interest,» says Berthold Weisser. «We had been dissatisfied with the grooving process on one of our endurance runners for some time.»
Specifically, it was about a worm shaft that is used in car parking barriers. Berthold Weisser's team produces around 2500 pieces per week. The component, which is 76 millimetres long and 13 millimetres across at its widest point, is made of 16MnCrS5 alloy steel. It is based on three-meter bars with a diameter of 14 millimetres, which are fed to the bar feeders by bar loaders. The complex component is turned longitudinally using a Neoswiss tool from ISCAR; it has a square section of around ten millimetres, which is produced using a six-edged Multimaster milling cutter, several lugs and two grooves. «And that's exactly what gave me a stomach ache,» says Berthold Weisser. The double-edged tool previously used by a market competitor did not deliver the desired results. «We always had to go in twice with the tool to achieve the width of 0.77 millimetres, we needed an additional tool for the chamfers on the edges of the recesses, the dimensional accuracy was not consistent and we had to change the cutting edge after just 2000 parts,» the machinist lists. «To make matters worse, changing the cutting edge was not pleasant for the operator and also took a long time.»
For this application, Matthias Boss suggested the Neoswiss with interchangeable head for the five-edged PENTA 17 indexable insert with a cutting width of 0.7 millimetres. Instead of the standard insert, IMS Gear wanted to use a special insert for profile grooving, with which Berthold Weisser can insert the opening and phases in just one pass. Changing the cutting edge is quick and user-friendly with the PENTA 17. The user simply removes the tool head, turns the PENTA 17 plate one cutting edge further outside the machine and reinserts the head. There is no need for subsequent calibration, as the repeat accuracy of the head is 0.05 millimetres and the position of the basic holders does not change. «I was immediately impressed and agreed to tests on our machines,» says Berthold Weisser.
More productive in the series
The test runs were convincing and IMS Gear adopted the solution for series production. The team can now groove faster than before and with a significantly longer tool life. Changing the cutting edge is user-friendly and requires practically no set-up time. The operator removes the tool head with the cutting edge to be replaced and inserts a new one, which is already waiting on the machine. «There is no need for subsequent calibration and the set-up time is reduced to practically zero,» says Matthias Boss. «What's more, IMS Gear can now also use high-pressure cooling for better chip breaking and easier chip evacuation.» IMS Gear also saves around two seconds per component. «That doesn't sound like much at first, but with 2,500 parts per week, it adds up to more than an hour,» Boss calculates. Berthold Weisser is fully satisfied with the collaboration with ISCAR and the new solution: «We now produce 4,000 shafts per cutting edge, which is twice as many as before,» says a delighted Berthold Weisser. «The five cutting edges of the PENTA 17 can easily handle 20,000 parts. This means we can produce reliably and without fluctuations in dimensional accuracy for two months per cutting operation.»
Source and further information: ISCAR Hartmetall AG, Frauenfeld
