A Turn to the Exotic
END USER: Toolcraft Inc., (360) 794-5512, www.tcprecision.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Mil-Tec Inc., (800) 564-5832, www.miltecusa.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce cycle time when machining an aluminum part. SOLUTION: A progressive form tool applied on a horizontal machining center.
END USER: Toolcraft Inc., (360) 794-5512, www.tcprecision.com
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Mil-Tec Inc., (800) 564-5832, www.miltecusa.com
CHALLENGE: Reduce cycle time when machining an aluminum part.
SOLUTION: A progressive form tool applied on a horizontal machining center.
Sometimes a more-complex cutting tool simplifies part production by streamlining the machining operation. Toolcraft Inc. realized this when machining a 6061 aluminum medical part.
The Monroe, Wash., manufacturer was applying an 1⁄8” (3.175mm) ballnose endmill to rough the radius of the part and then finishing with a 1⁄16” (1.59mm) ballnose endmill, said Brian Laulainen, shop supervisor. “To scrub the radius would take 20 or 30 passes, going back and forth on that radius to knock the sharp corners down,” he said about the finishing operation.
Mil-Tec produced this progressive form tool to enable Toolcraft to replace two ballnose endmills and significantly reduce the cycle time when machining a 6061 aluminum part (below). Images courtesy Mil-Tec.
Finishing took place on a compact machining center with a 24,000-rpm spindle, he added. The bar-stock workpiece was then parted off before being manually deburred with a Scotch-Brite abrasive wheel.
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