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END USER: BH Tool, (801) 908-0707, www.bh-tool.com. CHALLENGE: Ensure gaging accuracy. SOLUTION: An edge-finding gage. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Haimer USA LLC, (866) 837-3265, www.haimer-usa.com
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Courtesy of Haimer
The Haimer USA Zero Master enables machine tool operators to measure and identify X, Y and Z workpiece dimensions.
For Bryan Haslam, business success is all about making prudent decisions based on careful research and painstaking attention to detail—as befits a prototype tool maker.
Haslam began BH Tool in Salt Lake City as a part-time firm in 1997, and for the next 5 years methodically carved out his niche. “I do milling, but I specialize in wire EDM,” said Haslam, who uses a Swiss-made Agie with 3-D setup. “A lot of people do milling, turning and so on, but what separates me from the rest is wire EDM.”
His clientele gradually grew to include industries ranging from materials testing to medical and moldmaking. In 2002, BH Tool became a full-time concern when Haslam added a Deckel Maho DMU 50M universal milling machine, which, he said, provided added versatility with its 4th and 5th axes provided by the tilting and rotating worktable. With the acquisition of the Maho, Haslam began to search for an efficient edge-finding gage. “I knew I needed something better than the standard, simple edge finder,” he said.
His search led him to the Haimer USA booth at a trade show. “I do remember talking to [Haslam at the show],” said Brendt Holden, president of Haimer USA LLC, Villa Park, Ill. Their conversation centered on Haimer’s Zero Master 3-D edge-finding gage.
“[Haslam] was excited because I think he instantly knew how he could utilize the gage,” Holden said. “And that was neat to see, because a lot of people might look at the gages and not know exactly what they can do, but he instantly got it.”
What Haslam quickly understood was how the gage would improve his shop’s measuring accuracy. The analog Zero Master enables a machine tool operator to approach a workpiece from any of three directions (X, Y or Z) and identify and gage its three dimensions. Once it reaches zero, the gage is resting directly over the edge of the workpiece. No calculations are needed.
“One thing that makes it unique from basic edge-finding devices is its ability to measure in the Z-axis for setting depth, as well as the X and Y,” Haslam said. “Typically, the other methods for edge finding do not deal with the Z-axis.”
“With similar technology in the industry,” Holden added, “it’s up to the operator to actually take a measurement and then make a calculation. You have to calculate half the diameter of the measuring probe and then take that reading and apply it to your offset. In other words, there’s a lot of room for error with that option. With our technology, you just bring the dial gage to zero and you are truly measuring the position you need to be in.”
High-end pickup probes often are integrated with the controller, Haslam continued. “Then there’s something more straightforward like the Haimer for a normal CAT 40 shank. As a toolmaker, where everything changes constantly and nothing is really a repeat job, the cost (about $350) and straightforwardness of the Haimer fits the situation. Less expensive finders are slower and often knock themselves off center once they find the edge. They can also leave marks on the softer materials like aluminum.”
Haslam figures that, compared to conventional gage technology, the Zero Master’s quick measuring capability enables him to shave minutes off of every gaging procedure. “It’s a small amount of time, ultimately, but nonetheless it is an advantage. And [the gage] provides the accuracy I expect.”
Related Glossary Terms
- 3-D
3-D
Way of displaying real-world objects in a natural way by showing depth, height and width. This system uses the X, Y and Z axes.
- edge finder
edge finder
Gage mounted in the spindle of a vertical mill and used, while rotating, to find the center of a part relative to the toolholder.
- electrical-discharge machining ( EDM)
electrical-discharge machining ( EDM)
Process that vaporizes conductive materials by controlled application of pulsed electrical current that flows between a workpiece and electrode (tool) in a dielectric fluid. Permits machining shapes to tight accuracies without the internal stresses conventional machining often generates. Useful in diemaking.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- milling machine ( mill)
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- shank
shank
Main body of a tool; the portion of a drill or similar end-held tool that fits into a collet, chuck or similar mounting device.
- turning
turning
Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.
- universal milling machine
universal milling machine
Horizontal mill equipped with a table that swivels, with respect to the saddle, allowing angular surfaces to be cut without changing the workpiece’s position.
- wire EDM
wire EDM
Process similar to ram electrical-discharge machining except a small-diameter copper or brass wire is used as a traveling electrode. Usually used in conjunction with a CNC and only works when a part is to be cut completely through. A common analogy is wire electrical-discharge machining is like an ultraprecise, electrical, contour-sawing operation.
