IMTS 2016 Preview: Tooling & Workholding

Cutting Tool Engineering provides coverage of more than 210 of the products that exhibitors will showcase at IMTS 2016. They are divided into tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories, and metalworking products. Presented here is the preview for Tooling & Workholding.

VARIABLE-GEOMETRY ENDMILL. The design of Cobra Carbide’s ADDER endmill includes variable-helix and variable-flute geometries. This reportedly allows for chatter-free milling when cutting hard, ferrous materials. Proprietary coatings allow end users to dramatically increase speeds and feeds and take deeper DOCs while extending tool life, according to the company.

Cobra Carbide
Booth: W-92.

BROACH HOLDER. Hassay Savage Co.’s new broach holder is for Swiss-style machining centers. Made of 17-4 stainless steel, the holder provides strength, rigidity and accuracy for all punch and index broaches with an 8mm (0.315″) shank size, according to the company. The holder is available in five shank sizes: 0.625″ (15.88mm), 0.750″ (19.05mm), 20mm (0.787″), 22mm (0.866″) and 1.00″ (25.4mm).

Hassay Savage Co.
Booth: W-2356.

FORM TOOLS. Iscar Metals Inc.’s PentaCut grooving insert with five cutting edges has evolved to include custom forms up to 20mm (0.787″) wide. According to the company, a custom form allows quick and accurate indexing, and the tangential pocket design is more rigid than a conventional form tool. The insert is ideal for screw and automatic machines.

Iscar Metals Inc.
Booth: W-1800.

DIAMOND CHIPBREAKER. Lach Diamond Inc. offers the diamond chipbreaker-type 3D-active insert. During fine finishing, the chipbreaker functions reliably—even with a feed of 0.1 mm/rev. (0.004 ipr). This makes it suitable for machining thin-wall and unstable components. There is no heat development when machining because of the chipbreaker’s special construction, according to the company.

Lach Diamond Inc.
Booth: W-2108.

WORKHOLDING SYSTEM. The Spanntop workholding system from Hainbuch America Corp. offers the option of converting the basic chuck for OD, ID and 3-jaw clamping operations with a changeover time of 2 minutes or less. ID workholding capability is enhanced by clamping sleeves that provide the ideal holding pressure while cushioning the workpiece to avoid damage, according to the company. Repeatability makes the system suitable for automated operations.

Hainbuch America Corp.
Booth: W-1636.

MILLING CUTTERS. Seco Tools LLC says its T4-12 square-shoulder and helical milling cutters allow parts manufacturers to achieve increased DOCs and high metal-removal rates when roughing and semifinishing steel, cast iron and other materials. The inserts tangentially mount in the cutter bodies to enhance stability and allow easy access to their mounting screws. This mounting design directs the cutting force to the thickest part of the insert, which contributes to high metal-removal capability.

Seco Tools LLC
Booth: W-1564.

VIBRATION-DAMPING EXTENSIONS. Bilz Tool Co. Inc. offers ThermoGrip extensions with its VIbration DAmping Technology (VIDAT) for applying tools with long overhangs in hard-to-reach areas, such as deep cavities. With an integrated damper, the extensions reduce the relatively quick vibrations. The extensions are available for tool diameters from 6mm to 20mm (0.236″ to 0.787″) and with total lengths from 210mm to 300mm (8.268″ to 11.811″).

Bilz Tool Co. Inc.
Booth: W-1062.

ANGLE HEADS. Parlec Inc. offers Light series Evolution line angle heads for small machine tools. The angle heads have an aluminum body. The tapered, conical positioning pins enables uncomplicated spindle installation, according to the company. They are available with CAT, BT, HSK and Capto inputs, with ER collet, Weldon and shell mill holder outputs.

Parlec Inc.
Booth: W-2300.

MILLING TOOLS. KOMET of America Inc.’s line of indexable milling tools is comprised of more than 280 articles, including 63 new imperial and 63 new metric bodies. The tools accept single- and double-sided inserts. The line includes tools for facemilling, profile milling and high-speed milling. A variety of diameters, configurations and insert grades and geometries are available.

KOMET of America Inc.
Booth: W-2400.

DIAMOND DRESSERS. A new generation of cDD diamond dressers from Meister Abrasives USA Inc. can be certified accurate to within 2µm ±0.001mm. The dressers are for truing and dressing grinding wheels, such as ones for grinding automotive and aerospace bearing races, gears, and fuel-injection armatures and needles.

Meister Abrasives USA Inc.
Booth: N-7351.

TOOL SELECTION PROGRAM. Wohlhaupter Corp.’s Tool Architect is a tool selection program that identifies and specifies boring tool configurations based on end user specifications. Users are able to “virtually” build a complete tool assembly and create 2D and 3D models for review. Several configurations can be saved for consideration purposes.

Wohlhaupter Corp.
Booth: W-1201.

GROOVING TOOLS. Kaiser Tool Co. Inc. manufactures Thinbit DeepGroove support blade-style tools for internal grooving with a bore diameter of 1″ (25.4mm). They accept 2mm (0.079″), 3mm (0.118″) and 4mm (0.157″) inserts. The tools are available in four neck styles: 3″ (76.2mm) reach with 0.375″ (9.5mm) cutting depth, 3″ reach with 0.500″ (12.7mm) cutting depth, 1½” (38.1mm) reach with 0.375″ cutting depth and 1½” reach with 0.500″ cutting depth. The elliptical cross-sectional area of the neck maximizes rigidity.

Kaiser Tool Co. Inc.
Booth: W-2172.

MILLING TOOL. U.S. Union Tool Inc.’s Ultra Diamond Coat (UDC) tool is for milling hard, brittle materials. A patented, multiple-layer diamond film on the tool enables direct milling of materials such as cemented carbide, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, zirconia, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and platinum.

U.S. Union Tool Inc.
Booth: W-2112.

TRUNNIONS. Stallion Hybrid trunnions from TrunnionTable.com allow users to install faceplates and chucks without removing the trunnion table. This enables faster setups, increased productivity and higher quality parts, according to the company. The workholders accommodate a variety of vises, fixtures, 3- and 4-jaw chucks and collet chucks. Two models are available: the 9/20 (9″×20″, or 228.6mm × 508mm) for 6″ (152.4mm) vises and the 9/23 (9″×23″, or 228.6mm × 584.2mm) for single- or double-station 6″ vises.

TrunnionTable.com
Booth: W-2268.

TOOLING COLUMNS. Abbott Workholding Products has introduced premachined versions of its popular tooling column configurations with a universal mounting pattern for use on virtually any machine. The 400mm (15.75″), 500mm (19.68″) and 630mm (24.80″) fixtures include top plates where applicable. The Tenzaloy tooling columns are a third of the weight of equivalent cast iron versions.

Abbott Workholding Products
Booth: S-9347.

MANUAL CHUCK. Röhm Products of America’s DURO-TA XT key bar chuck has extended and detachable guide ways that enhance the clamping range and allow quick conversion between small and large workpieces. Through the direct mount on the base body, the guide ways provide high rigidity, stability and protection against dirt and dust. The chuck is up to 75 percent lighter than competitive designs, according to the company.

Röhm Products of America
Booth: W-2528.

ROTARY TABLES. EXSYS Tool Inc. says rotary tables from pL Lehmann allow users to upgrade a vertical machining center’s productivity without incurring the expense of a new machine. The tables are available in four basic models, which can be assembled into up to 240 configurations. Single- and multiple-spindle tables are available in 4- and 4/5-axis versions. Swiveling, bridge-style 4-axis tables use the roto-FIX clamping yoke for machining multiple parts.

EXSYS Tool Inc.
Booths: W-2061, N-7223.

JAW PALLET SYSTEM. Kitagawa North-Tech Inc.’s automated jaw pallet system is for robot-tended CNC mill-turn cells used in flexible production environments. In conjunction with Kitagawa Promano grippers, the system automates the workholding and part holding changeover. This allows a cell to run many different parts in low volumes consecutively, congruently and unattended. Pallets are equipped with special jaws and dust covers to prevent contaminants from entering.

Kitagawa North-Tech Inc.
Booth: W-2412.

TOOL CHANGING SYSTEM. The Solidfix modular tool changing system from BENZ Inc. allows users to change tools quickly with adapters that hold a variety of tools instead of requiring a manual tool change or adding an automatic toolchanger. The system allows a user to preset tools, with tool changes in 15 seconds. Instead of traveling to an ATC rack, the system’s spindle can be programmed to move to a home position where the operator can quickly change tools and resume machining.

BENZ Inc.
Booth: W-2445.

THREE-JAW CHUCK. The Model 620 from Northfield Precision Instrument Corp. is a 6″-dia. (152.4mm), 3-jaw chuck that has a hidden 1″-dia. (25.4mm) counterbore, with special subjaws, inserts and side-loading base stop and stop pad. Because of the customer’s part geometry, it has to be side loaded between the jaws and rest on the small boss at the end of the slot. Changeable insert stop pads repeat to 0.0001″ (2.54µm) TIR when removed and reinstalled.

Northfield Precision Instrument Corp.
Booth: W-2145.

DOVETAIL VISES. Kurt Manufacturing Co. expanded its DoveLock dovetail 5-axis vise line with the addition of a reverse model and smaller-footprint model. The vises provide up to 4,000 lbs. (1,814 kg) of clamping force without distorting the workpiece while providing access to five sides of the workpiece. The dovetail holding feature requires only 1⁄8″ (3.175mm) of material height to hold a part. The vises are made from 4140 steel.

Kurt Manufacturing Co.
Booth: W-2423.

QUICK-CHANGE TOOLING. Alberti’s SmartChange system from Koma Precision Inc. provides quick-change, live-tooling capability for multitask lathes. The units have a low profile to reduce the chance of interference with machine enclosures. To enhance concentricity and rigidity, there are three points of contacts between the driven toolholder spindle and the toolholder output surfaces. The system allows tools to be externally preset.

Koma Precision Inc.
Booth: S-9153.

MINIATURE TOOLS. Carmex Precision Tools LLC has added the Tiny Tool CBR to its line of tools for machining small components. The tool has an advanced chipbreaker for enhancing chip evacuation when boring and profiling, according to the company. The through-coolant tool is made of the TNX carbide grade and is suitable for machining stainless steel, nickel-base superalloys and other challenging workpiece materials. A triple coating stabilizes the cutting edge and improves chip flow.

Carmex Precision Tools LLC
Booth: W-1480.

MINIATURE ENDMILLS. RobbJack Corp.’s miniature endmills have cutting diameters that start at 0.005″ (0.127mm) and hand-select diameters are to the nearest 0.0002″ (0.0051mm). Each tool comes with a variety of options, including stub or standard lengths, two or four flutes and square or ball ends. Tools can be coated in-house.

RobbJack Corp.
Booth: W-2206.

TOOL ADAPTERS. Heimatec Inc.’s U-tec flexible tool adapter system is available on all of its right-angle heads. The system allows a standard ER-output live tool to accept various adapters for different applications. This enables users to quickly change tools on almost any lathe or mill, using a single live tool without having to commit to a quick-change system on the initial purchase. This significantly reduces inventory costs and changeover time.

Heimatec Inc.
Booth: W-2413.

HAND TOOL. The LRC 20 hand tool from Suhner Industrial Products LLC can grind, mill and polish difficult-to-access part features, such as the leading edges and corners of impellers and the IDs of narrow pipes. The pneumatic drive provides 20,000 rpm for user handwork. A centrifugal governor regulates the speed to an extent that it saves an average of 20 percent of the compressed air needed for conventional air tools, according to the company. The sound pressure level is 69.5 dB even under full load.

Suhner Industrial Products LLC
Booth: W-1474.

MODIFIED FACE DRIVER. Riten Industries Inc. offers a modified face driver to hold workpieces 2″ (50.8mm) in diameter or smaller. In lieu of individual drive pins, the unit has a multiple-tooth drive disc that securely penetrates the face of a part. The disc is available in a choice of diameters, similar to the driving diameters on standard face drivers. The tooth configuration allows the disc to be bidirectional for clockwise and counterclockwise rotation. This compensates for the backlash common to gear hobs.

Riten Industries Inc.
Booth: W-1336.

CARBIDE HOBS. Helios Gear Products’ Ra-Cut fine-pitch, carbide hobs from Koepfer America LLC reportedly have up to double the number of cutting faces compared to similar designs. According to the company, the hobs achieve higher quality finish-cut gears and greater productivity using rehobbing or skiving processes compared to traditional hard-hobbing tools.

Koepfer America LLC
Booth: N-6918.

JAW NUTS. Dillon Manufacturing Inc. makes jaw nuts and keys from heat-treated 4140 steel to enhance wear and impact resistance, extend jaw nut life and provide high tensile strength. Operator safety and chuck life are significantly improved by eliminating the use of low-carbon jaw nuts and T-nuts in the machining process, according to the company. The company offers jaw nuts, T-nuts and keys to fit power chucks from 6″ (152.4mm) to 24″ (609.6mm) in diameter.

Dillon Manufacturing Inc.
Booth: W-2168.

METAL COATINGS. Carbinite Metal Coatings says its metallurgically bonded coatings provide a durable, textured surface to improve clamping on toolholders, collets, lathe jaws, fixtures and bending and forming dies. According to the company, the coatings will not chip, flake or peel. A coating has a hardness harder than 68 HRC when applied to tool steels, and can be applied to almost any metallic substrate.

Carbinite Metal Coatings
Booth: W-1396.

MICROCOLLET OPTION. IBAG North America’s “Micro Line” spindles are available with an optional microcollet, which provides a 1µm TIR at the collet nose and handles tools up to 1⁄8″ (3.175mm) in diameter. Equipped for use with the company’s 22mm (0.866″), 25mm (0.984″) and 33mm (1.299″) high-speed spindles, including back-working and right-angle models, users can achieve high accuracies when micromilling and microdrilling, according to the company.

IBAG North America
Booth: NC-550.

SOLID-CARBIDE TOOLS. Monaghan Tooling Group offers MK Tools’ solid-carbide round tools with the “Speed-Drill R4” geometry for cutting gray cast iron, ductile iron and forged steel. With a corner radius that is tangential to the drill point but not tangential to the diameter, the tools are suitable for challenging, high-production applications. Standard drills and endmills are available for all material groups. Specials can be ordered.

Monaghan Tooling Group
Booth: W-1292.

BLISK MACHINING. Delcam announces developments for machining blisks using its PowerMILL CAM software that were produced in partnership with toolmaker Technicut Ltd. In one example for a titanium blisk with 31 blades, cycle time was reportedly reduced to 35 hours, less than half of the time needed using conventional methods. In addition to the software’s specific toolpaths for machining blisks, applying Technicut barrel cutters for semifinishing and finishing are key to the new method.

Delcam
Booth: E-3222.

FIXTURE PLATE. Jergens Inc.’s QLS (Quick Locating System) fixture plate is for use with the company’s Ball-Lock quick-change system. Ball-Lock subplates mount directly to the machine table and provide the connection to the QLS, which, in turn, connects to virtually any combination of the company’s Fixture-Pro risers, adapters and top tooling. The concept reportedly offers users a system that could be changed—even between machines—in seconds.

Jergens Inc.
Booth: W-2154.

BROACH TOOLS. Somma Tool Co. Inc. has introduced its Forte line of broaches. They are made with a tough, standard stock material that replaces M-2. According to the company, the broaches have a high resistance to wear and don’t chip, extending tool life, and enable a high DOC. Broach holders from other toolmakers can also accept Forte broaches. ASNI hex and square broaches are available as standard tools, and specials can be ordered.

Somma Tool Co. Inc.
Booth: W-2027.

CARBIDE ENDMILLS. Power Mill endmills from Haimer USA are made from K20- to K40-grade fine-grain carbide. Unequal flute and helix designs reportedly provide chatter-free machining. Runout accuracy is better than 0.0002″ (5.08µm). The ground and balanced cutting tools are available in inch and metric sizes. The endmills have integrated Safe-Lock shanks for optional use with the company’s Safe-Lock toolholding technology.

Haimer USA
Booth: W-1452.

MILLING SYSTEM. Walter USA LLC’s M4000 program uses an insert system that has a single, basic shape compatible with every M4000 tool body. The inserts can be placed in all bodies within the M4000 range to reduce tool and storage costs. Standard cutter styles include high-end feed, chamfer, T-slot and helical mill.

Walter USA LLC
Booth: W-1700.

ONE-TOUCH FASTENERS. Fixtureworks says Imao one-touch fasteners are an alternative to cumbersome nut-and-bolt assemblies for quick, easy and secure changeover and installation without the need for any tools. The pin-and-receptacle fasteners are used to attach fixtures, plates and machine covers. They join components with moderate clamping force.

Fixtureworks
Booth: W-2377.

INSERTS. BIDEMICS inserts from NTK Cutting Tools are for machining heat-resistant superalloys. End users can achieve cutting speeds up to 1,600 sfm (487.68 m/min.) with the inserts, according to the company. Both JX1 and JP2 versions have a honed-edge preparation.

NTK Cutting Tools
Booth: W-1664.

TOOL PACKAGES. Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc. offers Lous Belet SA “Expert” series carbide tool packages for machining aluminum, brass, titanium, stainless steel and composites. The packages incorporate optimized geometries and coatings for drills, endmills, slotting saws, thread mills and engraving and spotting tools. According to the company, the tools enhance productivity, provide high material-removal rates and impart fine surface finishes.

Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.
Booth: W-2356.

PVD COATING. Oerlikon Balzers developed the Balinit Altensa AlCrN-based coating for automotive and mechanical engineering applications. According to the company, the coating offers wear resistance, thermal shock stability and hot hardness when hobbing. In tests, a 140 percent tool life extension was achieved for 130mm-dia. (5.12″) HSS shaper cutters.

Oerlikon Balzers
Booth: W-2380.

EDGE ADJUSTER. Rigibore Inc. says its Smartbore tooling allows operators of all skill levels to make cutting edge adjustments down to 1µm on diameter. The tooling’s zero-backlash design needs no clamping or unclamping when making diameter adjustments, which means no deflection. This removes the risk of movement by clamping after adjustment. Changes are made with the hand-held adjuster without removing the cutting tool from the machine carousel.

Rigibore Inc.
Booth: W-1280.

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