Product category:
Drilling, boring and reaming
News Release from: Stellram | Subject: Hardcore Technology dual carbide drills
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 August 2007
Dual carbide drill reduces holemaking
costs
Inside 'dual carbide' carbide drills is a core of breakage resistant micrograin carbide, which enables users to double cutting speeds, halve the costs of holemaking and quadruple tool life.
Stellram claims that its dual carbide drills that feature Hardcore Technology offer twice the cutting speed, while halving the cost/hole and quadrupling tool life Stellram's Hardcore Technology consists of a core of true micrograin carbide made to resist breakage at the point
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Mar 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Surrounding the core is a carbide grade formulated to withstand the higher speeds at the cutting edge.
These drills are producing dramatic improvements in hole quality - and in the cost of making holes.
"It's one thing to have a tool that performs better than another," said Dave Watson, vice president of ATI Stellram.
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"But when it comes down to the end of the shift, how much better is it?" Watson continued: "The Hardcore drill changes the economics of making holes.
Hardcore Technology offers advantages that just weren't there before.
It lets companies look at holemaking in an entirely different way.
And that can result in dramatic economic benefits".
Werner Mueller, Global Product manager - Drilling, said: "What we've seen with this technology is that tools will cut faster, last longer, and produce better quality holes.
In fact, field results show consistently that a Hardcore Technology drill may last up to four times longer than other 'high performance' drills currently available in the marketplace".
** What makes Hardcore work - Mueller explained: "Think about the tip of a drill bit.
The point absorbs high pressure but is basically stationary while the outer edges are running at higher surface speeds.
In single carbide tools, the carbide grade chosen had to compensate for this, so there was a trade off - performance for durability.
In the past, this has meant that the drillpoint is prone to chipping, which is a critical factor in performance and tool life".
He continued: "But imagine what happens when you use two grades of carbide - one designed to be resilient enough to handle the pressure applied to the tool point and one tailored for wear resistance to match the high speed of the tool's outer diameter.
Now you've eliminated the need for compromise - and you've dramatically improved performance.
You have a tool that will last longer, run faster and require less maintenance".
Mueller added: "This can be a major advantage for companies needing to boost productivity and reduce holemaking costs by as much as half.
Who wouldn't be interested in this type of savings? We're now offering calculators to customers so they can predict their actual cost savings when they change to Hardcore Technology drills".
** Carbide grades chosen for different applications - with Hardcore Technology, each of the two carbides used is engineered to the application.
Different grades and combinations are used based on the material to be drilled.
Currently, grades are available for cutting steels and cast irons.
Drill models are available in 3:1 and 5:1 configurations.
Through-coolant models in 5:1 and 8:1 configurations will be available July of this year.
In addition to dual carbide construction, Hardcore Technology drills feature the following.
* High accuracy edge preparation for better hole quality.
* 140 deg point geometry produced to 'zero' run out for reduced wear forces.
* Specially designed flute profile for best chip evacuation.
* TiAlN structure nano coating for exceptional wear resistance and temperature diffusion.
* 4140: 2.5s/hole.
** Drilling hardened steels - one customer's production requires extensive drilling in hardened steel (Material 4140 300Hb).
With this material, it is difficult to maintain high production speeds.
"When we asked for the test, the customer emphasised the need to better manage production speed," said Dave Wills, ATI Stellram's technical director in the USA.
"We looked at the Hardcore Technology options available, and matched the dual-carbide drill to the material being machined to optimize speed without compromising quality or tool durability.
Speed not only includes the rate at which the tool operates, but the ability to produce finished holes." Previously, it had taken more than 66 min using three drills to produce 814 holes in the 4140 hardened steel.
With Hardcore Technology, it took just over 34 min, using a single Hardcore Technology drill.
The customer was able to produce the same 814 holes, significantly increasing production speeds.
That's about 2.5s/hole.
"In this case, the 'bottom line' benefit is obvious," Wills said.
"We were able to double the production speed and reduce the number of tools being used.
In fact, the Hardcore Technology drill that finished the test showed very little wear, and could continue being used:, ** Hardcore Technology drills by ATI Stellram provide many advantages, as follows.
* Durability - results show that Hardcore Technology drills last up to four times longer than other drills available - including 'high performance' drills with special coatings.
* Speed - Hardcore Technology drills can operate up to twice as fast as other drills.
* Quality - because optimum carbide grades are combined for the application, Hardcore Technology drills produce better quality holes.
This means less additional work and better tolerances.
* Long life - lower cutting forces result in less wear, less power usage, and better overall productivity.
* Strength - Hardcore Technology drills offer extraordinary tool strength.
There's less chance of breakage or deterioration that can damage expensive workpieces.
* Productivity - Hardcore Technology engineers the dual carbide combination precisely to the material being worked.
This produces optimum production speeds and quality.
* Lower production costs - all of the above benefits result in a reduction of production costs by as much as 50% per hole drilled.
** Holemaking economics - "A slight increase in performance probably doesn't justify changing from one tool to another," said Watson.
"The only way to know the real impact of a changeover is to produce effective models." That requires taking a number of factors into account.
"Tool life is important, but it's only one component.
The ultimate determinant is production speed, and that requires an analysis of tool life, downtime for tool changes, speed and feed rates, labor rates, production quality, and tool cost," he said.
The results are often surprising.
"We've worked the numbers with several customers who thought they had a 'handle' on their costs (costs under control - Ed)," he said.
"But sometimes, they'd left out two or three factors that were critical.
They saw the problem on the 'bottom line', but they couldn't find it in their production." ** Performance modeling - "We really didn't understand how important Hardcore Technology could be to a company until we had created our models," Watson said.
"That's where the real advantages of Hardcore Technology began to show up.
We could look at the increase in durability, in the faster feed and speed rates, and in the reductions in changeover." That's where the true impact of Hardcore Technology became apparent.
"With the model, we could accurately demonstrate that Hardcore Technology could reduce production costs for drilling by as much as 50% per hole.
That's not just a one-time calculation.
We repeated it multiple times to make sure it was true, then we compared our model to Hardcore Technology results used for actual production.
They held true," said Watson.
Challenging hole-making economics - the economics of Hardcore Technology are significantly different than those for other drills currently available.
"Hardcore Technology is a premium tool with a premium price," said Watson.
"But the value is definitely there.
When customers who use HARDCORE Technology drills evaluate production effectiveness, the cost savings are confirmed.
So, imagine how this changes the production 'landscape'. Request a free brochure from Stellram ...
What could you do if you knew your costs for drilling - even in hardened materials - was half of what it used to be, just by changing a tool?".
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