Cutting Tool Alternatives for Machine Process IE - Cost and Productivity Benefits

Economic - Cost Analysis - Cutting Tool Alternatives for Machine Process IE

CoroDrill DS-20          

Source: https://www.sandvik.coromant.com/en-gb/mww/pages/im_skf.aspx

These case studies of cutting tool alternatives help industrial engineers in doing machine shop process industrial engineering and machine tool work study.

Machine Shop Process Industrial Engineering 

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2020/04/machine-shop-process-industrial.html

Economic - Cost Analysis - Cutting Tool Alternatives

8.10.2008
Economic analysis of PCD tool in cutting composite material

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic materials are about 70% lighter than steel and about 40% lighter than aluminum, while costing only about 20% more.

https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/could-the-highest-price-cutter-be-the-least-expensive



15 Feb 2003

Sandvik GC1525 cermet insert - cost benefit
https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/motor-maker-generates-savings-with-turning-and-milling-tool-changes

More Cutting Tool Changes for Benefit

5.3.2019
rollFEED® turning: 3-axis turning reduces machining time by up to 80 percent
Dramatically shorter cycle times, minimized tool costs, and improved surface quality, even at deeper cutting depths: The advantages of rollFEED® turning from Vandurit are huge. Even complex part geometries can be created in a single motion with just one tool.
https://www.emag.com/technologies/rollfeedr-turning.html
https://www.productionmachining.com/blog/post/a-rolling-cutting-tool-boosts-turning-efficiency


2019-09-26

Deeper, faster, more productive

INSIDE MANUFACTURING
Sandvik Coromant’s CoroDrill® DS20 7xD

Job: A wind turbine bearing with a diameter of three metres. Specialised machining centres are used in which two machines drill holes simultaneously with depths from 39 millimetres to 231 millimetres on a 42CrMo4 ring, up to a total of 92 holes. The parts were produced using special custom-made 6-7xD drills, the tool length made the process more unstable, and production was frequently interrupted by broken inserts. The uncertainty of tool life resulted in slow drilling feed rates of 102 millimetres per minute and continual halts to prevent damage to the tool, the machine or the workpiece.

In 2017 Sandvik Coromant’s drilling experts came up with the solution – the CoroDrill DS20 7xD  for the reliability, speed and consistency promised by the new tool.

For the tests carried out on production parts, the cutting conditions were intensified and the diameter was increased to 39 millimetres that gave clear improvements in terms of tool life and a resulting increase in productivity. In real data, they showed a 100 percent increase in the tool’s service life and a 98 percent increase in productivity, calculated as the ratio between the quantity of material removed and the time taken to produce each part. The tests started at feed rates of 114 millimetres per minute, but after making several adjustments, they were able to achieve up to 198 millimetres per minute.

The drills could drill all 92 holes of the ring without needing to change the inserts (although SKF still changes inserts as a precautionary measure because they operate at higher feed rate).

There is a cost advantage also as the CoroDrill DS20 7xD is a latest tool but the cost is equal to that of previous tools.

https://www.sandvik.coromant.com/en-gb/mww/pages/im_skf.aspx


8/4/2017
Cut Turning Cycle Time by Feeding in Both Directions
In conventional turning, you feed toward the chuck in the Z axis. With Sandvik’s new PrimeTurning process, however, you can feed in either direction in turning, facing and shoulder-cutting operations.
In the right applications, it can result in cycle time reductions of 50 percent or more.
https://www.mmsonline.com/blog/post/cut-turning-cycle-time-by-feeding-in-both-directions

10/2/2017

Changing Cutting Tools Reduces Cycle Time by 7 Minutes in Hard-Turning Application

L.A.Y. Precision Machine’s cycle time to bore a hole in a bushing was more than eight minutes. Horn USA’s Supermini type-105 tool system with an HS36-grade boring bar insert reduced this cycle time.

Part: Bushing for a hydraulic pump. Shop produces 2,000 of these bushings every year. They are made from 1-inch-diameter 8620 alloy steel barstock.  The inner and outer diameters are blanked and  sent out for case-hardening to 60 HRC. The hard-turning is done.  A 1.5-inch-deep hole is then bored into each piece, holding a tolerance of ±0.0005 inch.

Problem: The CCMT-type carbide cutting tool insert that the shop was using to bore the hole was causing three specific problems. Each corner only lasted for 10 or 15 parts. The cycle time for each piece was more than eight minutes. Surface finish obtained is  38-microinch-Ra.

Sales engineer at Horn recommended the Supermini 105 tool system with an HS36-grade boring bar insert. The inserts have a carbide substrate, a high-temperature-resistant coating and an adapted cutting-edge geometry specifically designed for hard turning materials ranging to 66 HRC.

Results achieved with the new cutting tool:  Cycle time was reduced from 8 minutes, 5 seconds to 1 minute, 23 seconds, and each boring bar now can be used for 75 parts. Surface finish Ra improved to 20 microinches.

https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/changing-cutting-tools-reduces-cycle-time-by-7-minutes-in-hard-turning-application

4/3/2017

Overcoming the Challenges of Threading Hardened Parts

Job: The material was chilled iron with a hardness of 70 HRC. The part was 5 inches in diameter with a 2.5-inch bore that required a 4-inch-long internal 2 ACME thread (this is a large, actuating-type thread form with a thread depth of approximately 0.265 inch). In addition, the part required several 1/4-20, 0.6-inch-deep threaded blind holes.

Suggested tool: Seco’s standard universal Secomax CBN200 insert grade.  For the shop’s internal threading operation, Seco enhanced the insert’s geometry and edge preparation to contend with the hard and highly abrasive chilled iron. The resulting Secomax CBN200 CBN-tipped trapezoidal insert was designed to offer the toughness, wear resistance and long tool life the shop needed. The enhanced insert reduced threading cycle time by 33 percent.  The operation required nearly 40 passes at shallower depths of cut, but still reduced the cycle time. The threading application required high rigidity and strength in the toolholder and machine tool performing the operation, too. Seco produced two versions of a toolholder made from a heavy, dense material with added tungsten: one using a C-lock hole-clamping style for confined machining operations and the other using a pin-lock-and-clamp style for general and heavy-duty applications.

On the part’s blind-hole threading operations, initially, a CBN-tipped drill and a standard carbide thread mill were used. The shop could produce two or sometimes three complete threaded holes. Then  the thread mill was put in a shrink-fit toolholder. But the drill still only lasted for maybe three holes. When circular interpolation was used instead of hard-milling the holes, the tool life increased three times as compared to the drill. The diameter of the circular-interpolated milled hole was approximately 0.2 inch. The tool used was a standard solid-carbide Jabro end mill in a shrink-fit toolholder.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/overcoming-the-challenges-of-threading-hardened-parts

12/1/2016

Retooling Improves Rough-Milling Operation, Saves Money $10,000 a year

McGill Machine Works' rough-milling operation was destroying its cutting inserts. Ingersoll's Di-Pos Hexa high-performance face mill improved tool life and throughput.

A 10-employee machine and fabrication shop that runs 22 hours a day, five days a week.
Job:  Rough-milling a high-chrome, D-2-wrought stock piece.  The roughly rectangular finished part measures 2.5 inches long by 1.25 inches wide and 0.350 inch thick, with a stepdown to 0.194 inch.  Roughing operation  includes facing and square-shoulder step milling. This operation accounts for 80 percent of total machining time.

Present use of  inserts that were designed for high-chrome steels, is giving tool life of  five pieces only and inserts are shattered. Even  easing back the material-removal rate, t made little difference. It took 51 minutes to complete the roughing when running the part on a Kia vx 500 CNC vertical machining center using a 2-inch-diameter, four-pitch face mill and settings of 625 sfm, 10 ipm and 0.050-inch depth of cut (DOC) using synthetic coolant.

The managers responded to a  a promotional email from Ingersoll introducing its new Di-Pos Hexa high-performance face mill.

For the trial, the recommended parameters were,   for a 2-inch-diameter, six-pitch Di-Pos Hexa,  500 sfm, 40 ipm and 0.075-inch DOC. They led to a 28-minute cycle time and six-times-longer insert life. Surface finish came out well within the 30- to 60-microinch spec.

After some experimenting, the reduced  the feed to achieve a 25-microinch finish, settling at 20 ipm.  The change increased cycle time to 39 minutes, which was still 25 percent better than before. Tool life also increased—the shop is now getting the same life out of one tool that it previously got out of eight. The tool now experiences a failure mode of gradual flank wear, making the process more secure. The estimate is  that the retooling is saving McGill about $10,000 a year from all sources.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/retooling-improves-rough-milling-operation-saves-money

10/3/2016

Di-Pos Tetra mill from Ingersoll for Stainless Steel Contour Milling

Orchard Lake Machining's standard mill used to rupture 10 minutes into the cut in a  job that required heavy contour-milling of 302 stainless. Often, the first edge fractured, which rendered the second edge useless. The job is milling a thick, F-shaped machine component out of a 9-by-6-by-4-inch solid block of 304 stainless steel. The machine used is a Haas VF 5 50-taper CNC vertical machining center. The tool used used was a standard 5/8-inch, two-insert IC mill  and cutting parameters were  400 sfm, 30 ipm and 0.060-inch depth of cut (DOC) for the job.

Retooling with a Di-Pos Tetra mill from Ingersoll (Rockford, Illinois) extended edge life to more than two hours per edge and eliminated all rupturing. This ensured eight full hours in the cut per insert and indexing of  the insert is now done only due to gradual flank wear and loss of finish. There is no issue of catastrophic failure now. Based on results with the stainless job, Orchard Lake used the new mill for a variety of alloy steel and titanium jobs at higher cutting conditions increasing the metal removal rates. The Di-Pos Tetra mill is now the tool of choice for rough and finish contour milling on all metals except aluminum.

Inserts for the Di-Pos Tetra mill are available for  cast iron, steel, nickel steels and stainless steel. Teh company is developing  inserts for aluminum also.

https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/rethinking-standards-for-one-offs

7/1/2015
New Cutters Enable Old Mill to Handle “Crusty” Forgings.
$100,000 annual savings in machining time and MRO costs.

The job is rough milling of 4140 steel forgings to create large process valve gates. The job has a  volume of 500 to 750 pieces annually. The roughly rectangular parts measure 29 by 14 by 14 inches and need approximately 0.75 inch removed per side—about 609 cubic inches in all. The forgings typically come with 0.125- to 0.175-inch-thick abrasive oxide crusts that, in some cases, measure more than 0.3 inch thick. The company, Cyber initially used a new 50-hp machine for this job. To use the new machine on more precise work, the shop purchased a 30-year-old Kingsbury that had half the horsepower and tooled it with the same face mill the previous machine had used. The job is running on the old machine with the cutter’s 0.04-inch depth-of-cut limitation and multiple passes.  But cutting edges are not lasting even a single pass on the looser Kingsbury.

Ingersoll’s ISO Plus face mill was the old tool. Ingersoll consultants suggested a 3-inch-diameter Hi-QuadXXX high-feed mill with 13-mm inserts that can remove as much as 0.25 inch per pass. for the old Kingsbury machine. After a couple of trial passes, the shop staff optimized the cutting parameters to a spindle speed of 756 rpm, feed rate of 75 ipm and depth of cut of 0.2 inch.

At these settings, the material removal rate more than doubled. The cutting edges lasted through an entire part. At these settings, the Kingsbury’s 25-hp spindle loads stayed well under 60 percent. Despite the machine’s loose frame, the operation ran quietly with no hint of hammering or chatter.
For the next trial, a 4-inch Hi-QuadXXX mill with 19-mm inserts capable of 0.3- to 0.5-inch depths of cut were used. The fine-tuned the parameters  477 rpm, 50 inches per minute and a 0.3- to 0.5-inch depth of cut doubled the material removal rate doubled again with no loss of edge life.

The tough IN4005-grade Ingersoll insert is also contributing significantly to the improved edge life. the insert uses post-coating technology for the aluminum oxide coating,  that reduces micro cracks and produces a smoother, slipperier cutting edge. This creates a more lubricious surface and more durable bond between coating and substrate.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/new-cutters-enable-old-mill-to-handle-crusty-forgings

6/17/2015 | 2 MINUTE READ
Finding the Right Insert Eliminates Need for Second Machining Center
Read about this shop that could have added a second machine and fixtures to perform an additional process, but instead, decided to work with the Mori Seiki NH 4000 horizontal machining center that it already had in-house. The company elected to use two 90-degree milling heads to machine the flats that are made of 4140 steel.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/finding-the-right-insert-eliminates-need-for-second-machining-center

4/15/2015 | 4 MINUTE READ
Shop Improves Turning with Indexable Coated Carbide Inserts
This shop retooled a heavy duty OD turning and facing job for gummy 4130 steel. It tripled the material removal rate and more than doubled tool life after making this change.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/shop-improves-turning-with-indexable-coated-carbide-inserts

11/24/2014 | 3 MINUTE READ
Groove Milling Cuts Down Cycle Time for Inconel Part
A chance encounter with Horn Application Engineer Brett Kischnick brought about a new tooling approach that cut cycle time from 59 seconds to 10 seconds for the feature, taking out 19 hours of the part’s 80 hours total machining time.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/groove-milling-cuts-down-cycle-time-for-inconel-part

10/1/2014 | 3 MINUTE READ
Through-Coolant Capability Reduces Cycle Time
Aided by Walter Titex tooling and a new higher-rpm machine tool from Fryer, Toolmasters Inc. was able to cut cycle time on a complex die set.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/through-coolant-capability-reduces-cycle-time

12/18/2013 | 4 MINUTE READ
Cutting Insert Triples Machining Rate, Doubles Edge Life
Ingersoll CNMX Gold Duty indexable coated carbide inserts helped reduced valve bonnet production time from 1 ¾ or 2 hours to about 45 minutes while increasing tool life and chip control.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/cutting-insert-triples-machining-rate-doubles-edge-life

12/1/2013 | 6 MINUTE READ
New Tooling Improves Machining Cell Output
By incorporating advanced tooling from Seco Tools, Thern Inc. was able to increase its machine tool capacity and reduce cutting costs.
During the tooling evaluation, the company estimated that it took several minutes to use a generic solid carbide end mill to helical bore holes in cover components ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter and up to 1.5 inches deep. Thern switched to Seco’s twin bore system, which uses two inserts to increase metal removal. By setting up two of these systems in different holders, the company says it was able to complete holes in seconds.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/new-tooling-improves-machining-cell-output

11/14/2013 | 4 MINUTE READ
Shaving Seconds with Faster Quick-Change Tool Systems
Modern tooling is reducing tool change time, taking tooling changes from minutes down to seconds.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/shaving-seconds-with-faster-quick-change-tool-systems

8/22/2013 | 9 MINUTE READ
Outsourced Job Moves In House to Save Money
A turned drive shaft forgings of 1050 steel, induction hardened to 62 Rockwell, was a difficult-to-machine component. Complicating things, the threaded component featured a milled keyway or slot that interrupted the thread. In fact, there were two keyway slots, one on each side. The slots that made the interrupted cut were 7.6 mm wide and 3 mm deep, so they were deeper than the actual thread. The thread length was 25 mm long, and those keyways went the whole length.
“Around the time the company bought a Samsung SL 35 lathe.
Sandvik Coromant had CBN for threading.
Inserts were bought, and were used at 500 surface feet and 0.003-inch depth of cut. This would place the RPMs at 1,212. But halfway through the first part, the first insert broke.
They thought that  the 0.003-inch depth of cut in the interrupted cut was just too much for the insert.
The expert from Sandvik  suggested  375 surface feet and 0.001-inch depth of cut, resulting in zero wear on the insert. They were then able to run the remaining 115 of 120 parts on their single remaining insert.   When the parts were sent out for grinding, they were spending about $17.50 each to get that part ground. Once the correct speeds and feeds were dialed in and the keyholes accounted for, that $17.50 per part outsourced went down to about a dollar per component, a significant savings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/outsourced-job-moves-in-house-to-save-money

9/17/2012 | 2 MINUTE READ
Point Geometry Drives Drilling Efficiency
The Hy-Pro Carb drill from OSG Tap and Die helped make the difference in this shop’s efforts to reduce cycle time enough to win a bid for high-production medical parts.
The job in question involved a production lot of connecting brackets.Securing the order for 1,250 of the brackets, which were constructed of 1008 annealed steel, would require significantly reducing cycle time.

OSG’s Hy-Pro Carb drill for the job. Designed to work in a range of materials, the drill features a point and flute geometry designed to reduce thrust forces and chip size. More specifically, a large negative radial rake angle provides a strong cutting edge, while the large lip thickness and wide chip pockets provide stable cutting and improve chip evacuation. The drill is also available with coolant-through capabilities to enable higher feed and metal removal rates.
Wartburg Tool and Die ran initial tests at 300 sfm and 0.008 ipr. The drill made it through one part but was not breaking the chips due to the annealed nature of the material. Boosting the feed rate to 0.012 ipr proved successful and enabled the company to drill the hole without pecking. The center drilling operation that they previously employed was also eliminated.

With an increased feed rate and simplified drilling process, the time needed for the drilling operation alone was reduced by 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Combined with other changes to the process, total time savings amounted to 18 minutes and 12 seconds per cycle. According to Wartburg, this per-pert time reduction has generated significant cost savings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/point-geometry-drives-drilling-efficiency


8/13/2012 | 4 MINUTE READ
Inserts Withstand Heavy, High-Feed Cuts
Swapping standard button inserts for a new grade from Ingersoll helped this manufacturer of downhole oil-drilling equipment double throughput on a troublesome arbor milling job in hardened steel.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/inserts-withstand-heavy-high-feed-cuts


2/10/2012 | 4 MINUTE READ
High-Feed Cutters Keep Mold Shops Competitive
Ingersoll cutting tools designed specifically for high-feed machining helped these three mold-makers improve productivity on deep cavities and hostile combinations of layered material.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/high-feed-cutters-keep-mold-shops-competitive

11/10/2011 | 5 MINUTE READ
Insert Geometry Doubles Hard Milling Throughput
Insert geometry can make a huge difference in throughput, as demonstrated by the gains this manufacturer realized by swapping tools in a long-reach slot-finishing application in hardened tool steel.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/insert-geometry-doubles-hard-milling-throughput

9/14/2011 | 6 MINUTE READ
Long-Lasting Inserts Break Drilling Bottleneck
Allied Machine & Engineering’s Gen3sys XT high-penetration drilling system helped this small job shop alleviate a drilling operation bottleneck and realize significant time and cost savings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/long-lasting-inserts-break-drilling-bottleneck

7/19/2011 | 5 MINUTE READ
Shop Taps into Versatility, Time and Cost Savings
Standardizing on one, general-purpose tap for its diverse mix of jobs has helped this shop reduce inventory, costs and downtime.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/shop-taps-into-versatility-time-and-cost-savings

3/21/2011 | 7 MINUTE READ
custom variation of the WIDIA-Hanita VariMILL II solid end mill improves productivity
For W Machine Works in San Fernando, a custom variation of the WIDIA-Hanita VariMILL II solid end mill proved especially effective in roughing and semi-finishing applications in titanium.
The company had experience with WIDIA-Hanita five-flute VariMILL II end mills for cutting stainless steel and Inconels and started using them to mill the titanium parts. “We were achieving between four and five pieces per tool,
Jonathan Saada of Jonathan Saada & Associates, the West Coast representatives for WIDIA-Hanita cutting tools, was able to come up with a custom variation of the WIDIA-Hanita VariMILL II solid end mill. Referred to as the next generation of high-performance vari-style end mills, VariMILL II end mills are especially effective in roughing and semi-finishing applications in stainless steels, high-temp alloys, nickel- and carbon-based alloys, and titanium.
Features include a unique design with five unequally spaced flutes, a proprietary flute form and end geometry, and AlTiN coating that enable extremely heavy cuts and exceptional tool life while virtually eliminating tool chatter. VariMILL II end mill geometries eliminate chatter and harmonics so well they can slot up to 1XD, and perform side milling operations up to 0.5D radial and 1.5xD axial.
 the results for W Machine Works were extraordinary – up to 12 pieces per tool for the company’s titanium part. “We’re going a half-inch deep on the passes and 45 percent on the radial cut, hogging out a lot of material,” Gomez says. “It’s been working great
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/a-new-milling-101-what-customers-demand

8/13/2012 | 4 MINUTE READ
Inserts Withstand Heavy, High-Feed Cuts
Swapping standard button inserts for a new grade from Ingersoll helped this manufacturer of downhole oil-drilling equipment double throughput on a troublesome arbor milling job in hardened steel.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/inserts-withstand-heavy-high-feed-cuts

2/10/2012 | 4 MINUTE READ
High-Feed Cutters Keep Mold Shops Competitive
Ingersoll cutting tools designed specifically for high-feed machining helped these three mold-makers improve productivity on deep cavities and hostile combinations of layered material.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/high-feed-cutters-keep-mold-shops-competitive

9/14/2011 | 6 MINUTE READ
Long-Lasting Inserts Break Drilling Bottleneck
Allied Machine & Engineering’s Gen3sys XT high-penetration drilling system helped this small job shop alleviate a drilling operation bottleneck and realize significant time and cost savings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/long-lasting-inserts-break-drilling-bottleneck

3/7/2011 | 6 MINUTE READ
PCBN Grades Facilitate Complete Process Revamp
Faced with a difficult thread-machining operation in extremely hard material, this pump manufacturer turned to its cutting tool supplier for help. A new combination of PCBN insert grade and geometry improved part quality, reduced cycle time and eliminated the need for annealing, pre-machining and heat treating.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/insert-facilitates-complete-process-revamp

2/14/2011 | 4 MINUTE READ
Long-Lasting Insert Turns Around Tough Inconel Job
By changing to a hex-shaped turning insert with a 45-degree lead angle, this shop saved thousands of dollars on a difficult Inconel turning application.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/long-lasting-insert-turns-around-tough-inconel-job

9/3/2010 | 5 MINUTE READ
Indexable Mills Speed Cavity Cutting
Ballnose mills are a common choice for hogging out cavities on molds and form dies. However, these three shops have realized significantly faster cavity milling by switching to Ingersoll’s Chip Surfer modular tooling system, which features a cylindrical shape that keeps more of the tool engaged in the cut.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/indexable-mills-speed-cavity-cutting

6/15/2010 | 4 MINUTE READ
Insert Coating Makes the Grade in Progress Initiative
Exchanging turning inserts for Seco’s Duratomic-coated grade TP2500 helped this manufacturer reduce per-part and perishable tooling costs by 20 and 70 percent, respectively.

While toughness and wear resistance are usually considered diametrically opposed, the Duratomic coating process developed by Seco Tools (Troy, Michigan) is said to improve both properties simultaneously. Duratomic process actually alters the aluminum oxide coating at an atomic level, changing the grain direction to make it more wear resistant
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/insert-coating-makes-the-grade-in-progress-initiative

3/15/2010 | 4 MINUTE READ
Tool for Shallow, High-Feed Cuts Speeds Roughing
“Feed fast, cut shallow.” This strategy, in combination with a cutting tool specifically designed to take advantage of it—the Power Feed+ from Ingersoll—enabled this shop to reduce cycle time on a tough prototyping job by a factor of five and increase insert life by a factor of six.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tool-for-shallow-high-feed-cuts-speeds-roughing

3/8/2010 | 3 MINUTE READ
Strategy Change Leads to Performance Boost
The application of a Horn Type 636 slot milling cutter has set new standards of accuracy, tool life, process reliability and costs for milling recesses on planetary gears at Sitec Aerospace in Bad Tölz, Bavaria, Germany.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/strategy-change-leads-to-performance-boost

12/17/2009 | 3 MINUTE READ
New Tool, New Strategy Allow Five Times Faster Roughing
This shop realized a tool designed for fast feeds and shallow cutting depths could reduce the roughing cycle time of a large shipyard component from 20 to 4 minutes.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/new-tool-new-strategy-allow-five-times-faster-roughing

9/11/2009 | 7 MINUTE READ
Cutters Halve Cycle Time On Custom Racing Component
Seeking to improve production time on custom-built connecting rods for racecar engines, this shop invested in a light-duty VMC with an eye toward implementing high speed machining. Retooling with cutters from Ingersoll helped make the most of this new capability.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/cutters-halve-cycle-time-on-custom-racing-component

8/14/2009 | 3 MINUTE READ
Tooling Supplier Expertise Lends Competitive Edge
Even a shop that is committed to continually optimizing processes might struggle with the time and effort required to stay abreast of the latest technology developments. One manufacturer, however, has taken steps toward eliminating this problem by holding a cutting tool manufacturer responsible for improvements.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tooling-supplier-expertise-lends-competitive-edge

8/14/2009 | 3 MINUTE READ
Tooling Supplier's  Productivity Improvement Program (PIP) gives excellent benefits
Even a shop that is committed to continually optimizing processes might struggle with the time and effort required to stay abreast of the latest technology developments. One manufacturer has taken steps toward eliminating this problem by making a cutting tool manufacturer partner in in improvements.
Sandvik'k Productivity Improvement Program (PIP). Through PIP, Sandvik technicians collaborate with customer personnel to optimize their manufacturing operations.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tooling-supplier-expertise-lends-competitive-edge

7/9/2009 | 4 MINUTE READ
Balanced Tool Assemblies Boost Quality, Efficiency
With balancing equipment and shrink-fit toolholders from Haimer USA, this manufacturer of automotive castings improved productivity, accuracy and surface finishes while extending tool and spindle life.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/balanced-tool-assemblies-boost-quality-efficiency

6/10/2009 | 4 MINUTE READ
More Effective Groove Milling For Gearboxes
A cutting tools supplier developed a grooving tool with an 18-inch gage length and a radial runout of just 0.004 inch. That tool enabled a gearbox manufacturer to increase its groove milling feed rate tenfold for a hard-to-reach bore.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/more-effective-groove-milling-for-gearboxes

5/13/2009 | 3 MINUTE READ
Drilling Solutions Improve Tool Life, Cut Cycle Times
Interruptions due to worn or failed tools can be especially detrimental to productivity, especially on parts with lengthy cycle times. At a manufacturer of large commercial heat exchangers, many of which require drilling of hundreds of holes, the improved tool life of Precision Dormer’s Hydra and CDX-Inox drills led to significant cost and cycle time savings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/drilling-solutions-improve-tool-life-cut-cycle-times

11/14/2008 | 3 MINUTE READ
Drill Helps Shop Balance Cycle Time, Part Quality
At Mill Equip Products, getting components out the door quickly is extremely important. A difficult drilling operation had the shop considering a $5,000 option for its milling machine to reduce cycle time until it found a simpler, less costly solution—the R458 MP-X drill from Dormer Precision. The drill’s geometry and long tool life enabled the shop to reduce production time on the job by more than two weeks.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/drill-helps-shop-balance-cycle-time-part-quality

4/1/2008 | 5 MINUTE READ
No-Burr Threading Helps Shop Compete
With the switch from a ground top-notch tool to a pressed Ingersoll threading form tool on one high-volume job, Warren Screw Machine eliminated 2 minutes of hand deburring per part. Not incidentally,  the company also lopped 20 seconds per part off the threading cycle.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/no-burr-threading-helps-shop-compete

3/21/2008 | 5 MINUTE READ
New Boring Tool Phases Out Multiple-Pass Operation
Boring large holes often takes multiple passes that lead to lengthy cycle times. This oil industry manufacturer turned to Allied Machine and Engineering for help with one such troublesome application. A custom tool saved the shop hours on cycle time.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/new-boring-tool-phases-out-multiple-pass-operation

4/17/2007 | 1 MINUTE READ
Internal Threading Solution Supports Broken Tibias
To find a cutting tool that would replace time-consuming manual work to fulfill a 4,000-part order, Albert Keller of Keller Engineering sought out cutting tool experts at Emuge Corp.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/internal-threading-solution-supports-broken-tibias

4/3/2007 | 5 MINUTE READ
Measuring And Inspection System Slashes Machine Time
This shop bought an inspection system to complement its five-axis wire EDM.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/measuring-and-inspection-system-slashes-machine-time

12/21/2006 | 4 MINUTE READ
Realizing Large-Scale Savings On Large-Scale Parts
Converting big square bars to largely round tie bars used to require 24 hours per piece at Oak Products. The Sturgis, Michigan, company can now complete the same job in 8 hours. How did the company slash its machining times and realize substantial cost savings? Oak attributes the turnaround to process re-engineering involving aggressive mill-turning and tooling geared to stand up to the challenge.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/realizing-large-scale-savings-on-large-scale-parts

8/16/2006 | 2 MINUTE READ
Chip Control Solution Provides Increase In Tool Life
Replacing the traditional ISO-style inserts with a reaming system solved a chip buildup problem in bore finishing of injector bodies.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/chip-control-solution-provides-increase-in-tool-life

9/13/2005 | 4 MINUTE READ
Tangential Milling Helps Foundry Speed Operations While Reducing Costs
There are always exceptions to those 'hard and fast' machining rules. A tripling of edge life and a 3-to-1 reduction in cutter count on a tough-cast steel milling job at Harrison Steel Castings Company (Attica, Indiana) proves this.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tangential-milling-helps-foundry-speed-operations-while-reducing-costs

1/26/2009 | 3 MINUTE READ
Insert Provides Long Life, Short Cycle Times
Novatek, a manufacturer of diamond products used in the oil and gas, mining, construction and other industries, needed to reduce both costs and production time on a job involving very large workpieces. The Tiger-Tec black and gold WPP10 insert from Walter USA, which features an aluminum oxide coating designed to prolong tool life at high surface footages, helped the company increase feeds and speeds and create smaller, more manageable chips.

11/21/2008 | 3 MINUTE READ
New Equipment Gives Students A Learning Boost
Haimer USA entered a partnership agreement with the Institute for Manufacturing Productivity at York Technical College (Rock Hill, S.C.). By supplying equipment to the school, the company gives students, and those already working in the manufacturing industry who receive training at York, exposure to processes that can make them and their employers more successful.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/new-equipment-gives-students-a-learning-boost

11/14/2008 | 3 MINUTE READ
Drill Drives Tool Life, Cycle Time Improvements
This shop upgraded to through-spindle coolant as part of a lean manufacturing initiative but soon experienced tool life issues in drilling applications. With the Performax drill from Seco Tools, the shop not only addressed this problem, but also reduced costs and cycle time.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/drill-drives-tool-life-cycle-time-improvements

12/15/2002 | 4 MINUTE READ
Harley Davidson Parts Manufacturer Mills A 'Mile Of Aluminum'
This designer and manufacturer of Harley-Davidson aftermarket motorcycle engines and related components, is using PCD milling to finish engine cases, oil pumps, rocker boxes, inner and outer primary engine covers, and transmission cases and covers.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/harley-davidson-parts-manufacturer-mills-a-quotmile-of-aluminumquot

9/15/2002 | 2 MINUTE READ
Tooling Reduces 21 Minute Job To 9 Minutes
Shop leadership was looking for a way to reduce the time it took to complete a very difficult boring job. The job took 21 minutes per part to complete with multiple roughing and finishing processes. It required 10 minutes of hone time.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tooling-reduces-21-minute-job-to-9-minutes

7/15/2002 | 4 MINUTE READ
Aviation Component Supplier Cuts Setup Time With Productivity Partnership
This shop turned to a tool supplier to help cut milling time on one alloy steel hydraulic body by 63 percent. The success led to a broader Productivity Improvement Program that identified some $87,000 in potential annual savings, and ultimately to a $600,000 payoff by introducing a quick-change modular tooling system.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/aviation-component-supplier-cuts-setup-time-with-productivity-partnership

4/15/2002 | 2 MINUTE READ
Laser Toolsetter Solves Moldmaker's Quality And Productivity Challenges
Prior to toolsetter installation, Desenco personnel report that it was 'almost impossible' to attain accurate Z depths and repeatability in the Z axis.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/laser-toolsetter-solves-moldmaker39s-quality-and-productivity-challenges

4/15/2002 | 4 MINUTE READ
Milling System Puts Productivity In Fast Lane
When this company won a contract to machine automotive parts for a customer, they were faced with the need for a milling tool that could meet tighter cycle times, enable machining centers to perform multiple tasks, maximize the life of milling tools and reduce tool inventory.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/milling-system-puts-productivity-in-fast-lane

5/15/2001 | 5 MINUTE READ
Using Helical Interpolation To Make Large-Diameter Holes
Producing a large-diameter hole is a common application for many shops, and there are numerous methods that can be used to achieve the end result. However, there are often numerous obstacles to completing the process cost effectively.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/using-helical-interpolation-to-make-large-diameter-holes

12/15/2000 | 3 MINUTE READ
Small Milling Tool Accounts For Big Productivity Gain In Machining Forging Dies
Who would have ever thought that such a small mill could so consistently and so reliably finish machine that hardened die steel.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/small-milling-tool-accounts-for-big-productivity-gain-in-machining-forging-dies

6/15/2000 | 4 MINUTE READ
Vacuum Pump Maker Finds Innovative Ways To Reduce Manufaturing Costs
With new tooling, this manufacturer was able to mill housings at 3,000 sfm and a feed rate of 230 ipm. Cutting time dropped from 20.68 minutes to 12.74 minutes, a savings of nearly 40 percent.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/vacuum-pump-maker-finds-innovative-ways-to-reduce-manufaturing-costs

11/15/1999 | 4 MINUTE READ
Aerospace On A Diet
The difficulty of close tolerance finishing in both high temperature alloys and titanium is particularly real in the Aerospace industry, where thinwall construction is becoming more common. Read how an insert gave this shop an edge.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/aerospace-on-a-diet

7/15/1999 | 3 MINUTE READ
Mold Maker Reduces Cycle Time 50 Percent With New Drilling System
Despite a 120 hour week and frequent overtime, Special Mold Engineering Inc. (Rochester Hills, Michigan) didn't have enough deephole drilling capacity to keep up with customer demand for its injection mold bases. So it reluctantly farmed out some of the gundrilling for the excess.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/mold-maker-reduces-cycle-time-50-percent-with-new-drilling-system

4/15/1999 | 3 MINUTE READ
Job Shop Triples Bandsaw Productivity By Substituting Carbide For Bi-Metal Blade
York Machine Shop Ltd. (Campbel1 River, British Columbia) cuts aluminum-bronze tube for a specialized paper industry application.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/job-shop-triples-bandsaw-productivity-by-substituting-carbide-for-bi-metal-blade

12/15/1998 | 2 MINUTE READ
Ohio Manufacturer Cuts Milling Time By 75 Percent
Oren Elliott Products, Inc. is located in Edgerton, Ohio near the Indiana border. It is a large North American supplier of air-dielectric variable capacitors, which are used in such diverse applications as magnetic resonance imagery equipment, mass spectroscopy equipment, silicon chip plasma etching and deposition devices, plus surface-to-air missile guidance systems.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/ohio-manufacturer-cuts-milling-time-by-75-percent

1/1/1998 | 5 MINUTE READ
Tooling Partnerships Key To Rapid Growth
It is through partnerships with tooling vendors that this growing shop feels it can best position itself to provide the kind of service its customers require.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tooling-partnerships-key-to-rapid-growth

1/1/1998 | 4 MINUTE READ
Fine Pitch Cutter Increases Milling Productivity
This 120 year-old manufacturer to update its manufacturing processes and expand its product offering so it could become a sole-source supplier for its customers in the steam industry.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/fine-pitch-cutter-increases-milling-productivity

10/1/1997 | 5 MINUTE READ
Tool And Die Shop Doubles Throughput On Steel Tubing Grooving
With their conventional high-speed steel milling cutters, this shop experienced a series of problems producing critical axial grooves in steel tubings.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tool-and-die-shop-doubles-throughput-on-steel-tubing-grooving

9/1/1997 | 4 MINUTE READ
Multi-Directional Turning System Quadruples Output Rate
Here's a look at a production machining contractor utilizing state-of-the-art CNC machine tools to produce components for suppliers and OEMs in the automotive, transportation equipment, and machine tool industries.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/multi-directional-turning-system-quadruples-output-rate

7/1/1997 | 4 MINUTE READ
Improving Milling Throughput By 50 Percent With 'Wrong' Insert
This company will save at least $87,500 per year by changing over to positive rake cutter and inserts for milling a family of ductile iron couplings. Cycle time per part has dropped one third, elevating production from four to six parts per hour.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/improving-milling-throughput-by-50-percent-with-39wrong39-insert

7/1/1996 | 3 MINUTE READ
Special Cutting Tools, Special Cars
Ford's new "world cars"--the Ford Contour, Mercury Mystique and Ford Mondeo (available in Europe)--can be equipped with a 2.5 liter, 60-degree, all aluminum V-6 Duratec engine designed to go 100,000 miles between tune-ups.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/special-cutting-tools-special-cars

7/1/1996 | 5 MINUTE READ
Indexable Cutters Prove Versatile Choice For Contoured Surfaces
Robert Pinto had always cut that external radius with a form tool. It seemed the most efficient way.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/indexable-cutters-prove-versatile-choice-for-contoured-surfaces

4/1/1996 | 5 MINUTE READ
Mold Maker Profits By Teaming With Tooling Company, Distributor
Productivity is up by 15 percent, tool life is up 20 percent and part cost is down 20 percent for face milling, drilling and boring operations at Engel Machinery Inc., York, Pennsylvania.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/mold-maker-profits-by-teaming-with-tooling-company-distributor

1/15/1996 | 2 MINUTE READ
Wisconsin Manufacturer Solves Boring Problem With Extensions
V&L Tool, Inc., located in a Milwaukee suburb, had to solve one of its toughest boring problems before beginning the manufacturing of a new hydraulic jack.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/wisconsin-manufacturer-solves-boring-problem-with-extensions

10/1/1995 | 2 MINUTE READ
Tooling Switch Improves Edge Life 25% For Bearing Manufacturer.
WNMG SV315 grade inserts NTN had been using to rough and finish the faces and races of 1053 steel raw forgings for bearings. The plan is to machine 40 pieces per insert, but inserts  would sometimes reach only 15 to 20 before failure occurred. The result was high scrap rate, additional time spent reworking the pieces, and costly, unproductive downtime.

Switch made to Sandvik's GC4035 inserts. Since switching to the Sandvik inserts, tool life increase was seen by approximately 25 percent. This has yielded a 20 percent improvement in the hourly production rate. Feed and speed rates have remained the same. Additionally, scrap rate is down an estimated 20 percent.

The raw forgings being machined are cylindrical in shape, roughly five inches in diameter and as long as three inches. Two turning operations are done to rough and finish the pieces to tolerance of 0.0039-inch. Depth of cut is 0.040- to 0.080-inch. Drilling and boring operations follow to create holes for the studs to which the auto wheel attaches.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/tooling-switch-improves-edge-life-25-for-bearing-manufacturer 

Source for Case Studies
https://www.productionmachining.com/zones/browse/cutting-forming-tools/9/4/date-descending