Most hybrid machine tools rely on laser deposition to provide additive manufacturing capabilities. This strategy uses an additive head that sprays and heats metal powder to grow a part or its features.

In its OPM250L hybrid machine, Sodick takes a different approach. This machine tool combines high-speed milling via a 45,000-rpm spindle with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), a powder-bed process that uses a laser to fuse metal powder layer by layer.

The machine’s additive process begins with a base plate the is coated with a thin layer of metal powder. A 500-W fiber optic laser sinters the metal powder in layers 50 microns thick. After 10 layers have been built up, the machine makes a pass with the spindle Threading Inserts to cut away any surplus. This process continues until the height of the part is reached. The machine accommodates parts as large as 250 by 250 by 250 mm.

Why combine high-speed milling with a powder-bed process like this? According to Sodick, this “additive-first” approach makes it possible to achieve greater precision and density in the finished product. The laser sinters the metal to a 99.99 percent density, which has not been possible with previous versions of metal 3D printers, according to Sodick’s Masa Fukushima. Another advantage is surface finish. The hybrid’s high-speed milling capability is said to enable standard cutting to a 2-micron Ra surface finish, followed by a shift cut that brings it down to 0.47-micron Ra.

Interspersing milling operations with additive manufacturing makes it possible to finish internal structures such as conformal cooling channels, and lends itself to automated operation. Sintering, recoating and milling can all be performed unattended to complete a part in a single piece, and the combination of processes on a single machine helps to simplify IIoT integration, Sodick says. The hybrid also offers offline CAM data generation and import, and MTConnect functionality is in progress.

A good example of a possible application for this hybrid is a plastic injection mold. Traditionally, a mold cavity and core demand multiple setups and processes including sinker and wire EDM, grinding and milling. However, the OPM250L hybrid enables such a mold to be grown as one piece with just one setup for reduced production time. For example, the mold core pictured in Figure 4 originally consisted of 31 individual parts that required multiple machines and took more than 660 hours to produce. Using the OPM250L, the same core was created in just two parts with a SNMG Insert 55 percent reduction in lead time and 38 percent reduction in production cost.  

The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005979895118.html

The Live TriboMAM drilling system from M4 Sciences, featuring modulation-assisted machining (MAM) technology, is suitable for use with gun drilling machines and machining centers. The system uses Carbide Inserts piezo-electric actuators and precision motion control to oscillate drills and increase Carbide Threading Inserts productivity in CNC lathes and turning centers. With MAM technology, it can also be used on drilling machines with live tooling. According to the company, the drilling system is well-suited for use in the medical, automotive and energy manufacturing sectors.

The system is capable of drilling deep holes even in difficult materials, and is said to increase drilling speeds by as much as five times over a diameter range of 0.2 to 12.0 mm (0.008" to 0.47"). According to M4 Sciences, the drilling system can reduce tool breakage, improve the effectiveness of cutting fluids, increase tool life and improve surface finish.

The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005979934200.html

A tool-handling device developed for more efficient automated production of cutting tools may also be helpful for machine shops that have their own in-house area for tool regrinding or making custom tools. An adjustable tool pallet from Active Automation (Elk Grove Village, Illinois) holds tools of various diameters. The pallet reduces the various costs associated with storing and retrieving dedicated pallets for different sized holes.

To understand how the adjustable pallet works, it helps to understand why it was developed. Increasingly, the tool and cutter grinders used to manufacture rotary tools such as drills, end mills and reamers are served by free-standing robots or integral pick-and-place attachments that automatically load tool blanks into the grinder and unload the finish-ground tools. Usually, the blanks and the ground cutting tools are held in pallets that have a grid of holes drilled to the size (diameter) of the tool being produced. Depending on the space availability, separate pallets may be used to hold the blanks and finished cutting tools, or the same pallet may be used to hold both.

When production switches to a different tool diameter, the pallet must be changed for one with appropriately sized holes. Because of the many standard English and metric tool sizes, the cutting tool manufacturer quickly accumulates a large number of pallets, which must be stored in such a way that they can be quickly located and accessed. The setup person must return the pallet used for the job just completed to the pallet storage area, locate the pallet with the hole size required for the next job, and install it at the machine. If the manufacturer receives an order for a tool size and does not have the appropriate pallet, the manufacturer must buy or make a pallet drilled to the correct hole size, which can delay the start of the job.

The adjustable tool pallet simplifies handling of various sizes of cutting tools by adjusting to the diameter of the current tool. The top of the pallet consists of a stack of three plates, each with a grid of square or octagonal holes. A thumbwheel adjusts the relative position of the plates: The top and bottom plates move in one direction while the middle plate moves in the opposite direction, reducing the DCMT Insert resulting opening to the size of the round or multi-sided tool being processed.

The relative movement of the plates is such that the centerline of the opening for the tool remains constant. As a result, the programmed movement of the robot or pick-and-place device does not have to be adjusted to compensate for a different tool diameter. The standard adjustable pallet accepts tool diameters from 0.025 inch to 0.500 inch; specials can be ordered capable of handling tool diameters to 1.25 inches. Because space for the pallet on the tool and cutter grinder varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, many pallet models are available to fit AAI, ANCA, Rollomatic, Unison, Walter and other tool and cutter grinders. Active Automation recommends that the pallets be purchased in pairs to avoid downtime caused by idling the machine when Carbide Milling Inserts inserting blanks in and unloading finished tools from an only pallet.

Sam Marinkovich, president of Active Automation, notes that for cutting tool manufacturers, the adjustable tool pallet represents a significant cost savings: It replaces 13 or more conventional pallets, each of which can cost $350 to $800 depending on the manufacturer. Ability to use the same pallet for different tool sizes helps to minimize downtime for setups and saves time that would otherwise be lost moving pallets in and out of storage. Just as importantly, the automated loading and unloading of cutting tools from the adjustable pallets through the various production steps reduces handling by operators, resulting in fewer injuries and less in-process damage to expensive tools. Similarly, the adjustable pallet will benefit machine shops and other shops involved in tool grinding.

The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005875549905.html

The Tiger-Tec Silver WPP05S insert grade is a wear-resistant, indexable TNGG Insert grade from Walter USA said to deliver high performance and productivity in steel machining, particularly for roughing forged components Cemented Carbide Inserts and long production runs. The insert’s thicker Tiger-Tec Silver coating offers optimized aluminum oxide microstructure, while its post-coating treatment provides greater reliability, increased toughness and reduced downtime due to chipping, especially in high-volume production. The inserts are capable of operating reliably at high cutting speeds with greater metal removal rates, and are said to provide increased tool life at high speeds.

The insert grade is designed with a new substrate said to better resist plastic deformation. According to the company, this is particularly important at higher cutting speeds required for increased productivity. In addition, a thicker cobalt-enriched zone yields greater toughness and process reliability. The inserts are available in MP3, MP5, RP5 and NRF geometries.

The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006037900426.html

Eltool Corp. has added live lathe tools with 5:1 and 1:5 gear boxes for high-torque and high-speed machining applications to its offerings. According to the company, speeders are available to improve surface finish and reduce cycle time when machining small holes and soft materials without the use of acceleration ramps. Reducers are designed to optimize the lower-speed, higher-torque requirements of large holes and tough materials without sacrificing horsepower.

In-line holders are Coated Inserts designed to use ER-style collets. They are available on extensions to machine between chuck jaws. Angle Carbide Drilling Inserts head versions are designed to fit popular lathe models and machine in bores down to 5/8" diameter. Secondary ID machining operations, such as oil grooving and keyway cutting, can be integrated into turning operations, according to Eltool. The heads and drivers are modular, and available in both face and OD mount configurations.

The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005981652723.html