Standard tools vs non-standard tools
When it comes to choosing the right cutting tool for a specific machining application, it can be difficult to determine whether a standard or non-standard tool is preferable. Choosing the most suitable tool depends on a variety of factors, such as business conditions, manufacturing process, type of production, and sometimes personal preference.
Standard cutting tools produced by specialist tool manufacturers are highly versatile and suitable for machining a wide range of parts of different shapes. In addition, standard tools also exhibit excellent machining performance when cutting parts of various engineering materials. In order to ensure the production and processing of parts, timely delivery of cutting tools is crucial. That's why standard tools are the basis for tool inventory management in machining companies.
Non-standard cutting tools are used for specific machining applications of some parts, such as tools made of specific materials, non-standard design of tool dimensions and accuracy, or specific fixtures installed on the machine tool. This special tool solution is designed for optimal performance and machining results. However, this solution has a disadvantage in that it limits the versatility of the tool, making it difficult to adapt to different machining applications. Therefore, non-standard tools are mainly used for the processing and production of high-volume parts, such as in the automotive industry.
Delivery time for non-standard tools
The design and production of non-standard tools are not simple, and they need to communicate and coordinate with customers, confirm the tool plan, confirm the flow and beat of the processing process, the accuracy of the parts and the processing cost, the product design drawings, etc., and finally manufacture the tool products. As a result, special tools have significantly longer delivery times than standard tools. Machining companies often face a dilemma when choosing between standard and non-standard tools, which can affect the schedule of the project. So which tool offers the best solution? Does the factory rely on off-the-shelf standard tools, or do you opt for special tools with longer lead times but higher efficiency? Of course, economic factors such as the cost per part and the cost of the tool should also be taken into account. In the case of basically the same machining requirements, the shortest possible delivery time becomes an important factor when it comes to choosing special tools.
The design complexity of special tools varies. Some are simple modifications to standard cutters, such as changing the corner radius or tool length. These modifications belong to the category of "semi-standard" products and are produced relatively quickly. The design of some special tools requires a pre-assessment of the customer's manufacturing constraints, as well as a calculation of production costs and cycle times. The results of the evaluation will indicate the limitations of the design of the special tool and the economy of use, all of which can affect the delivery time of the special tool. However, there are other ways to shorten the delivery time of special tools, such as using solid hard tools with interchangeable heads, designing indexable tools, special bodies or transposable special inserts. The lead time and production capacity of the tool manufacturer have a crucial impact on how the customer ultimately decides.
Modular tools can replace parts of special tools, such as ISCAR's MULTI-MASTER product range, which is a rotary tool with an interchangeable solid carbide head. The tooling system includes a variety of cutter bodies (referred to as "shanks" in the series nomenclature), adaptors, extensions, and reducers to enable tool configurations for a wide range of machining applications. (Figure 1)
Fig. 1 - A variety of interchangeable heads, shanks, adaptors, extensions and reducers make up the MULTI-MASTER modular system.
A new idea of non-standard customization of tools
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers new opportunities for special tooling solutions. Additive manufacturing enables the rapid production of tools with complex contours. Although finishing and grinding are still necessary, it is difficult to turn down the rapid production of preforms that are extremely close to the final shape. In addition, 3D printing technology can be used to manufacture carbide inserts without the use of molds, which greatly reduces production time and costs. 3D printing technology is a smart choice for the initial production of blade prototypes and small batches of special blades. Additive manufacturing is rapidly evolving to produce carbide inserts and bits to ensure fast delivery of special tools and components. (Fig. 2)
Figure 2 - NEOSWISS complex shape bits for Switzerland machine tools are modular quick-change bits manufactured using 3D printing technology.
Some corporate factories can also quickly produce custom special tools, but without a suitable off-the-shelf product, they may not be able to complete the entire tool manufacturing process independently. In this case, the tool manufacturer can first provide a semi-finished tool as a blank product, and the customer can adjust and manufacture it according to its final shape. These semi-finished products include stock cutter bodies, stock inserts, and stock heads. ISCAR offers this service as a leading manufacturer of cutting tools, which includes blank products in its product range.
The MULTI-MASTER series offers extra-long shanks with a MULTI-MASTER female thread at the front and a center hole at the tail, which can be truncated and machined by the customer. Recently, ISCAR has introduced an uncoated carbide blank bits that are divided into two parts: a disc-shaped front area with a hexagon socket (TORX) groove on the surface and a MULTI-MASTER male thread on the rear area. These blank bits are used for the production of special products and can be installed on existing MULTI-MASTER product holders in the customer's workshop for different machining operations such as grooving, grooving, threading, spline machining and gear machining. (Fig. 3)
FIGURE 3 - DISC STOCK BITS WITH MULTI-MASTER SHANKS SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND THE CUSTOMER'S ABILITY TO PRODUCE CUSTOM MILLED SHAPES.
ISCAR has also added a special set of PENTACUT-27 blank inserts to its product range, which has five cutting edges that can be ground into different shapes by the end user for shallow contouring and grooving applications of parts such as pulleys, bearings and fittings. Compared to ordering special tools directly from the cutting tool manufacturer, the user is limited in the time it takes to receive the product. If time is of the essence, the user can find the most suitable solution in the limited situation by machining the special tool from the semi-finished blank himself. Empowering customers to build their own tools and opening up new horizons in metalworking to overcome obstacles in everyday manufacturing. (Fig. 4)
Fig. 4 - PENTACUT-27 star-shaped blank inserts provide a fast, customized solution for grooving complex profiles.