BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Co., Hoffman Estates, Ill., recently introduced two new precision boring heads with a patented damping system to eliminate vibration in deep-hole finish boring, according to a company news release.

The integral design of the new EWN and EWD Smart Damper boring heads shortens the distance from the damping mechanism to the cutting edge, which is the source of vibration. This design produces higher damping effects to the tool assembly and minimizes the chatter or vibration, which results in better surface finishes and improved metal removal rates, according to BIG Kaiser.

"For precision machining of deep bores, it had previously been necessary to program low cutting parameters in order to prevent vibrations, which unnecessarily increases machining time," said Jack Burley, BIG Kaiser's vice president of sales and engineering. "The EWN/EWD Smart Damper overcomes this problem, and enables high cutting parameters to be used. This means that extremely short turnaround times can be achieved, which improves productivity by up to a factor of ten."

BIG Kaiser tests reportedly have shown that deep holes free of vibration can be bored with an excellent surface finish, and with dramatic time savings. For example, with a projection length of 14.3" working with high-carbon steel at a cutting speed of 1,300 SFM, a feed rate of 11.4 IPM was achieved with the EWN41 Smart Damper.

The newest Smart Damper solution comes equipped with either the tried-and-true EWN analog boring head series or the latest digital technology in the EWD series. The EWN heads feature a dial with Ø.0005"/div setting accuracy (.0001" w/ Vernier). The EWD heads have a large digital screen, which clearly shows adjustments to an accuracy of Ø.00005", thus helping to minimize operator errors and removing the need for complicated Vernier markings.