Quest for tool knowledge

I recently attended cutting tool seminars provided by Sumitomo Electric Carbide Manufacturing Inc., New Berlin, Wis., which is within an hour’s drive from my home.

The toolmaker offers three levels of training. The first level is a 1-day seminar provided twice a year, usually in the spring and the fall. This is purely an introduction to cutting tools for newbies to the industry, such as apprentice machinists and new sales and service staffers. The seminar includes a plant tour so attendees can see various manufacturing processes, such as tool grinding, brazing and coating.

Sumitomo also shows how it repairs and regrinds cutting tools. I never knew how labor-intensive some of this work is and was amazed at how many automated CNC tool grinders are on the plant floor.

The second level is a 2-day seminar provided five times a year that introduces attendees to the company’s product groups and grades and covers troubleshooting for tool failures. The product categories covered are milling, turning, drilling and reaming and include PCD and PCBN inserts and specials. This class, which also features a plant tour, is designed for up to 40 attendees.

I jumped right into the second level class. My class had 14 attendees, a mix of customers, distributors and new company employees. It was a good blend of classroom time and machining demos on a late-model turning center and a 40-hp vertical machining center. The demos reinforced what was presented in the classroom, and the three trainers, who alternated product lines, did an excellent job of conducting the seminar.