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The Wagstaff family built a successful business designing and manufacturing systems and equipment needed to produce primary aluminum ingot and billet using direct-chill-casting methods from their 133,000-square-foot facility in Spokane, Washington. Like many companies that originate in a garage, or in this case a pump house, Wagstaff Inc. has faced various challenges as it has grown, particularly, those of “lost information.” Integrating a tool management system from TDM Systems (Schaumburg, Illinois) has helped capture the company’s tribal knowledge, saving both time and money.

Around 2004, Wagstaff began to look critically at the cost of lost information, says Jeff Smutny, manufacturing engineering manager. Product line information was stored in process documents, the CAM system and Excel spreadsheets. Tracking and leveraging the information on new jobs was difficult and not very efficient, he says. And the information wasn’t necessarily being shared amongst different users, says Russ Rasmussen, manufacturing engineering technician. For instance, product information wasn’t always adequately communicated between NC programming and the shop floor, he says, and without a central database, native information would commonly change, be cloned or mutate. There was no way to know if current, correct information was being used, which made it a challenge for workers to perform vital operations like simulating part programs.

That situation began to change in 2005 when Mr. Smutny, as a guest of Walter and Wagstaff’s local Walter distributor, visited the cutting tool company’s headquarters in Germany. He saw that Walter was using TDM System’s Tool Lifecycle Management system in its own shop, and he was impressed by its scope and capabilities.

“TDM’s Tool Lifecycle Management system ensures that tool data is available where and when it is needed,” explains Dan Speidel, TDM’s director of sales. It links CAM, presetting and crib systems, and CNCs, but it can also extend upstream to systems at the planning and execution level, such as in production planning, enterprise resource planning and manufacturing execution systems. To extend so widely, a tool management system must be open and able to supply numerous import and export interfaces, he says. It must also integrate data from various sources, such as manufacturer catalogs or 3D models created in house, into a centralized database.

The Tool Lifecycle Management system collects production data and transfers it to other systems. It impacts the entire process, from tool selection to production planning to seamless transfer and use on the shop floor, Mr. Speidel says. Information from the individual process steps continuously flows back to a centralized database, creating a growing mass of data that is accessible throughout the networked system.

“Wagstaff had the typical standalone silos of information that we see in so many companies,” Mr. Speidel says. “The old process was to get a job and turn it over to manufacturing engineering to design and plan the process, then turn it over to NC programming. Once the NC program was defined, they would walk the program to the tool crib and look for the tooling. They would look in their stash, and the machine operator would often need to look through his stash.” Of course, everyone has their own preference for tooling, he adds. This was neither consistent nor efficient.

Since the shop had numerous tooling racks in a variety of locations and there was no way to digitally search for the tools, the central tool crib primarily sharpened tools and tried to maintain stock levels, Mr. Rasmussen says.

Determined to become more organized, the company decided to capitalize on its wealth of tribal knowledge. The first step was to define approximately 4,000 tool assemblies and many more components within the Tool Lifecycle Management system. Instead of relying on a CAM system’s generic tool models, this system uses actual graphics to take the guesswork and uncertainty out of tool creation, leading to efficient and repeatable accuracy, Mr. Speidel says. The system also provides basic tool information and potential applications to help Wagstaff quickly decide which tools are best-suited for each process step and which combinations are most efficient.

The tool management system stores geometry and cutting data for each tool assembly, and makes 3D tool graphics available for NC and simulation analyses. It also saves tool lists from the NC programs for future use. In addition, its recording of cutting data, machining conditions and best practices helps optimize tool use in future applications.

“Features like these are what make TDM such a benefit on repeat jobs, but it comes into play on new jobs as well,” Mr. Smutny says. “For instance, it might be a different product or application, but maybe the material is the same, so the programmers already know about the behavior of the cutting tools and tool assemblies with this material. Overall, we’ve saved a lot of time and realized increases in accuracy.”

The Tool Lifecycle Management system is designed to bring benefits to tool presetting as well, and Wagstaff eventually purchased a presetter to complement its system. TDM says it works with presetter manufacturers to facilitate two-way communication. During the measuring procedure, these systems can access the nominal data for each tool assembly stored in the TDM system and transfer the measured data back to TDM to continually fine-tune the system. This data transfer is carried out via direct numerical control (DNC) Shoulder Milling Inserts or tool chips. The tools and NC programs simultaneously get to the correct machine, together with the current preset tool data and with graphics, photos and/or captions.

Access to accurate data can reduce programming and job setup time by 25 percent. For instance, instead of needing as many as seven people in the tool crib, Wagstaff now runs the area with just three, Mr. Rasmussen says. Although the company has grown since it implemented TDM, the programming crew is staffed at roughly the same level as in 2004, Mr. Smutny adds. They now spend more time preparing revenue-producing jobs and less time searching for information.

“Now we know what we need to stock in terms of cutting tools, extensions, holders, collets, you name it. That’s definitely streamlined the purchasing function, in addition to reduction Carbide Inserts of inventory,” Mr. Rasmussen says. Full knowledge of Wagstaff’s tools and their capabilities has enabled the company to reduce its purchases in some areas.

Although buy-in to the new system wasn’t automatic, it is well-accepted by Wagstaff’s staff today, Mr. Rasmussen says. “People don’t like to adopt new things, so there’s always some degree of hesitancy. However, one of our programmers recently mentioned to me that he didn’t know how he did his job without TDM. It’s become a vital part of our successful operation.”

March U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $197.6 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up 9.8 percent from February’s total and up 4.6 percent from the same time in 2014.

“As we close the first quarter of 2015, strong cutting tool shipments in March prove that this year’s economic outlook remains solid for our industry,” says Brad Lawton, chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. He adds that while these data support recent positive trends in machine tool orders and durable goods manufacturing, APKT Insert “there is a CCMT Insert possible caution in the industry regarding the increasing value of the dollar and the potential impact on exports.”

ANCA’s new MX7 Ultra can manufacture large volumes of end mills and other cutting tools of high accuracy and quality. New software, hardware and design features advance surface finish, accuracy and controlled runout capabilities.

The MX7 Ultra includes a nanometer control system; a new servo control algorithm for smooth motion; system and mechanical upgrades enhance stiffness and rigidity; in-process measuring, balancing and runout compensation for consistent accuracy; Motor Temperature Control (MTC), which provides compensation for thermal expansion on the grinding spindle; and specialist training support.

To increase the stiffness of the C-axis, the MX7 Ultra combines developments to the nanometer or micro-degree resolution in the linear and rotary axis, tuning parameters, several system enhancements and major mechanical changes.

ANCA’s newly designed servo control algorithm enables smooth motion of an axis with the use of a unique algorithm and nanometer measurement in the control system. This reportedly creates finer cutting edges and eliminates micro-chips, making it more efficient while used in actual machining of materials.

The MX7 Ultra is said to provide better cycle time and higher productivity of high-quality cutting tools. Its unique algorithm is key to the performance of the machine and ensures outstanding tracking performance.

Cutting-edge software has been developed by ANCA to ensure batch consistency in large volumes. LaserUltra is part of the MX7 Ultra package to maintain CCMT Insert consistency and accuracy of the grinding process, which includes in-process measurement and compensation to accommodate wheel wear and other external variations during large batch grinding. Its analog capability can maintain less than ±0.002 mm line-form accuracy of any profile which includes ballnose and corner radius tools.

Tool and wheel performance can be further optimized by the iBalance software, which guides users to the optimal grinding position and rpm for vibration monitoring and balancing the wheelpack inside the machine. Correctly balanced wheelpacks result in superior surface finish and reduced wheel wear due to the elimination of wheel vibration.

A major inclusion in the MX7 Ultra package is the total tool runout measurement and compensation operation in iGrind. Every tool in the batch can be DCMT Insert measured and compensated for runout to make sure the entire batch is within a tolerance of 0.002 mm.

Motor Temperature Control (MTC) is a patented innovation built into the motor spindle drive firmware. Smart control algorithm actively manages and maintains the temperature of motorized spindles in the MX7 Ultra. Dramatically reduced machine warmup time means production can start sooner, once the machine has reached thermal stability. This improves productivity and machine use. Consistent thermal stability of the spindle over time regardless of changes in load or speed, or coolant temperature, greatly improves the dimensional stability of grinding results.

The smoother, finer cutting edge and surface finish as a result of the combination of all the above, including the nanometer control, will assist in all post-grinding applications like edge preparation and coating. A finer edge that has been properly prepared has greater stability, which reduces the likelihood of it chipping while also decreasing surface roughness, which can cause increased friction between the tool and the workpiece.

Weiler Abrasives has expanded its offering of small-diameter cutting and snagging wheels for high-speed SNMU Insert die grinders to include Tiger AO, Tiger Zirc and Tiger Ceramic. These 2" to 4" diameter wheels are designed for long life and fast cutting. The 38-item expansion provides end users in the metal fabrication and ship building industry with increasing levels of cutting performance to choose from. The Tiger wheels are available with ¼" and 3/8" arbor hole sizes.

Tiger AO cutting wheels feature an aluminum oxide grain and are said to provide even, sharp, clean cuts. A hard bond extends wheel life when cutting steel. Like the Wolverine wheels, Tiger AO wheels are available in thicknesses of 0.035", 1/16", 1/8" and ¼".

Tiger Zirc cutting wheels have a thickness of 0.035". The wheels feature sharp zirconia alumina grains that are said to retain a high cut rate ANKT Indexable Insert throughout the life of the wheel, making them an ideal choice for cutting steels as well as cast iron.

Even on stainless steel and hard-to-grind metals, Tiger Ceramic cutting wheels’ self-sharpening grains reduce discoloration by cutting at lower temperatures with less friction and less effort, the company says. The wheels are available in 1/16" thickness.

JTEKT Machinery Americas Corporation has announced its JTEKT Technology Days, which will showcase the company’s advanced manufacturing solutions at the company headquarters in Arlington Heights, Illinois, on September 14 and 15. Visitors will have access to the products, technologies and dedicated people that drive JTEKT’s global operation.

“In addition to the grand opening of our all-new, spacious showroom and customer center, we’ll be showcasing JTEKT’s organizational synergies like never before,” says a company spokesperson. “Now globally unified under one brand, this event will mark a new era 16IR Insert of collaboration between our family of JTEKT companies. Top machines and technologies from JTEKT, WELE, Taiwan Takisawa and Ace Micromatic brands will be put through their paces.”

The machines on display will include a range of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, precision grinders, a large-capacity bridge mill and automation solutions.

Visitors will witness cutting tests and special demonstrations of precision workpieces from a diverse range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, consumer products and medical.

Industry experts will host workshops and learning sessions designed to improve processes, expand capabilities and maximize productivity. The workshops will be open to all visitors.

Numerous exhibitors also will be available TCGT Insert to discuss visitors’ production goals and challenges, including leaders in tooling, workholding and automation.

To register, go to the JTEKT Technology Days event webpage.