FEATURE ON TOOLING

Rainford presents latest tooling at MACH 2024

At the MACH 2024 exhibition in Birmingham this week (15-19 April), Rainford Precision is
presenting its latest cutting tool solutions from brands such as Union Tool, Louis Bélet,
Delmeco, Gloor, HOBE, Osawa, DTS, Iwata, 6C Tools, Swissceramill and ATOM. These
respective partners specialise in the manufacture of drills, end mills, reamers, boring bars,
thread mills, slitting saws and more.
Within this diverse portfolio are tools for specialist applications and material types, such as
the Hufschmied brand of milling tools. The Graftor range of end mills from Hufschmied are
specifically for machining graphite, and Rainford says the range can double productivity
rates and tool life in comparison with rival tools.

Offering such a varied platform of specialist cutting tools and micro-tool solutions, Rainford
has recently invested in a Keyence digital microscope to provide a complete tool
investigation and consultancy service for customers in the UK and Ireland. With a niche in
the micro-tooling sphere, Rainford has acquired the new Keyence VHX-970FN digital
microscope to assist customers in diagnosing issues and maximising the performance of
micro and precision cutting tools.
Providing dozens of tooling lines below 1 mm diameter, Rainford says it operates beyond
the remit and scale of other cutting tool vendors. It is here that the new service will
optimise and enhance tool service life and performance for clients.
Commenting on the new investment, Rainford Precision managing director Miles Evans
says: “When you’re servicing customers with tools below 0.5 mm in diameter, diagnosing
and optimising tool life and performance is a challenge. The Keyence system will enable us
to provide a unique service to our customers within the cutting tool marketplace.”
For further information www.rainfordprecision.com

Easy, accurate digital boring head set-up

Seco Axiabore and Axiabore Plus digital axial boring heads eliminate tedious, inaccurate
boring head adjustments that can lead to scrapped parts. A wide digital display helps for
quick, efficient adjustment and set-up.
“Boring heads typically require a skilled operator for accurate adjustment,” says Seco
product manager Kavita Dandge. “For shops struggling with skilled labour shortages, the
digital axial boring heads use a reversible digital display so operators of any level can make
adjustments without mistakes.”
Cutting-edge displacement is critical to boring accuracy. Seco Axiabore and Axiabore Plus
digital axial boring heads use a digital device to display precise displacement values during
tool set-up. This wide display works with all Seco digital axial boring heads.
Without a digital device, boring head set-up requires time-consuming adjustments of tiny
hard-to-read scales. Seco Axiabore and Axiabore Plus digital axial boring heads allow for
clear and concise adjustments to eliminate virtually all human error. With a wide, easy-to-
read display and convenient button controls, the Seco digital head also shortens set-up
times for greater efficiency and productivity.
For maximum versatility, the Seco digital adjustment device uses no batteries; charging is
via USB and attaches to the boring head with magnets for a tight seal. The elimination of
replaceable batteries prevents contamination during battery changes. Furthermore, the
battery-free design of Seco Axiabore and Axiabore Plus digital axial boring heads remains
sealed to keep dust and coolant out, while the digital display’s single charge lasts for 200
measurements.

Seco offers the Axiabore and Axiabore Plus digital axial boring heads in five sizes, starting
from 2 mm diameter. The heads handle OD turning diameters from 2 to 57 mm and
grooving diameters from 19 to 96 mm.
For further information www.secotools.com

Latest cutting tool technologies on show

Ceratizit says that more than 40 engineers are manning its stand at the MACH exhibition in Birmingham this week (15-19 April), ensuring that anyone wanting to enquire about working with the company gets the chance to have a useful conversation. Alongside the technical expertise of the engineers there are hundreds of items of tooling on display.

Among the huge selection of tools are three highlight products from Ceratizit: the HyPower, the WPC-Change and the MonoThread. 

The WPC-Change is an indexable insert drill. Making sure that high-quality machining does not have to come at a high price, the WPC-Change and Change UNI combine the advantages of Ceratizit’s WPC high-performance drills with the flexibility of an exchange system, allowing for quicker changeovers and reduced material usage.

Moving from drilling to hydraulic chucks, Ceratizit’s expansion of its HyPower hydraulic chucks makes it possible to meet the demands of difficult machining requirements. For rough and demanding machining operations, the company says that the HyPower Rough is tough enough to take on any challenge. For optimum accessibility in the machining zone, the HyPower Access 4.5° offers itself as a highly flexible adapter for machining contoured components.

On the thread milling side of cutting tool innovation is the MonoThread, a champion of Ceratizit’s performance line. Delivering an improvement on performance of 20%, this thread milling cutter upgrade is suitable for all standardised thread profiles with all tolerances and especially for asymmetrical, thin-walled, large or very expensive workpieces. The solid-carbide shank thread milling cutters are suitable for machining any materials, including high-strength and tempered steels, guaranteeing performance even in tough machine conditions.

For further information www.ceratizit.com

All-inclusive package for end machining

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further information www.mapal.com

Unusual application for Horn carbide inserts

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

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

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

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

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

For further information www.phorn.co.uk