Innovative turning process for vertical lathes

Competition in the automotive industry is driving the need for higher-quality parts and lower manufacturing costs. All aspects are affected, including turning.

The Germany-based toolmaker Vandurit GmbH has addressed this challenge with its development of the rollFEED turning process. Vandurit has, in turn, collaborated with EMAG Salach (Germany) GmbH to use rollFEED exclusively with the vertical turning centers that EMAG builds. The process, which works with chuck diameters as large as 500mm (19.685″), provides a third axis and can be retrofitted to existing EMAG centers.

A major challenge the companies faced was satisfying customers’ demand for processes that helped them machine parts with increasingly complex geometries. Existing processes required a lot of insert changes to meet the surface requirements of the parts.

As an insert moves across the workpiece’s surface, the point of contact along the tool’s cutting edge moves. Image courtesy of EMAG USA.

Vandurit found that adding the third axis to the turning process allowed the insert to move while the part was being machined. “Now, a specially shaped rollFEED insert consisting of radial segments passes along the various sides of the part, one after the other,” explained Maurice van den Hoonaard, Vandurit’s managing director.