Product category:
Tool and cutter grinding
News Release from: Schneeberger, J | Subject: Schneeberger Norma tool and cutter grinder
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 December 2006
CNC tool and cutter grinder grows
company
CNC tool and cutter grinder converts tool regrinding and modification company into a significant manufacturer of special and standard tooling.
Installing a CNC tool and cutter grinder has: "Completely changed the company, opening important new areas of work and allowing us to become a much more sophisticated, capable, and , of course, profitable business," said Jeff Smith at Leicester, UK-based A and S Tooling From providing a tool regrinding and modification service to end users and distributors the company has become a significant manufacturer of special and standard tooling for customers nationwide as well as enhancing its original regrind/modification service
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Jul 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Precision tool grinding machines are sought after
Grinding machine supplier, J Schneeberger, reports that the company had received a substantially high number of serious enquiries at MACH 2006 for its high precision tool grinding machines.
Machine grinds round and flat tooling
Tool and cutter grinder is able to grind round and flat tooling and is equipped with a highly versatile loader, which also accepts both round and flat components.
It now numbers aerospace, motorsport and automotive companies among its regular customers.
Smith established the business 16 years ago, initially to fill the gap he saw in quality tool regrinding.
The business grew steadily but, Smith said, "To remain successful it is essential that you keep abreast of current technologies and employ them as appropriate.
Further reading
Software eases grinding of complex cutters
Software permits the easy grinding of even the most complex tools, with grinding strategy selected according to the cutting out of end cutters.
Machine grinds micro-tools as small as 0.4mm
A grinding machine has been designed specifically to meet the demands of machining micro-tools as small as 0.4mm and does not exert grinding forces on the work piece.
5-axis machine grinds different broaches
For grinding flat, cylindrical or helical broaches, a 5-axis machine produces exceptionally high accuracies owing to the machine's rigid and robust construction.
We are following a programme of planned, controlled growth to ensure we can always deliver the quality and service which are essential and at the same time remain cost-competitive.
The installation of the first Schneeberger Norma tool and cutter grinder was a major leap forward in that programme." Purchase of more advanced machines was within Smith's overall plan.
The prompt to take the next step and invest in a CNC grinder came when the company was offered the tender for a substantial tool regrinding contract.
Quality, tolerance and surface finish of the tools to be reground was critical.
Quantities were sufficient to suggest CNC could be a more efficient working practice.
He selected the Norma from Schneeberger partly because of its reputation - the consensus amongst acquaintances and former colleagues was that the Norma was the best tool and cutter grinder available.
He also felt that the Schneeberger pre and post sales service was the best - "Experience has proved that to be true," he said.
"The service is excellent.
If we ever need assistance, for instance with how to carry out a job, the application engineer is only a phone call away.
The machine also gives you much more for your money than other, similar machines." Until installing the first Norma, A and S Tooling had been operating with conventional machines.
Installing the 5-axis Norma allowed the company to work to much higher tolerances and to regrind tools back to manufacturer?s specification.
Because the Norma can accommodate higher quality grinding wheels and the feed rate is more easily controlled, high quality surface finish is much easier to achieve.
Jobs are faster to complete ? cycle time on one regrinding job, for instance, was more than decimated with a reduction from 45 to 3.5 min.
"Better quality work, faster cycle times, reduced prices were a great advantage, but are not the real impact which installation of the Norma had on the business," said Smith.
"Using the Norma, we could look at jobs in a completely different light.
It enabled us to take on a wide range of work which was previously unavailable to us.
From being essentially a small regrind shop, we have become a manufacturer of special and bespoke tooling to a wide range of industries.
We can manufacture standard and non-standard tools from high speed steels and tungsten carbide to customer specifications or design cutters to machine various materials and for various applications.
Batch size is now anything from one-offs to 200 and we could easily handle much larger batches.
Thanks to the auto-loader, we run unmanned overnight, increasing output still further." Smith added: "The other important difference it has made is to the environment in which we work.
Despite installing the very best extraction equipment, the atmosphere in a regrind shop is dusty and dirty.
That has all changed, and Health and Safety regulations are easier and less expensive to implement, quality and cleanliness are easier to maintain, and it is altogether a better environment for the machine operators." Smith was so impressed with the Norma that a second was installed in Spring 2006 to cope with the greatly increased workload.
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