Product category:
Tool and cutter grinding
News Release from: Walter GB | Subject: Helitronic Vision five-axis CNC tool grinder
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 February 2004
Five-axis tool grinder gives 50% more
productivity
Spearheading a 'tool system' display at MACH, will be an innovative five-axis CNC tool grinder promises tool grinding productivity gains of up to 50 per cent over competitor machines.
Several new products will be spearheading Walter GB's 'tool system' display at MACH, headed by the innovative Helitronic Vision five-axis CNC tool grinder - which promises tool grinding productivity gains of up to 50 per cent over competitor machines - and the new Xtra.tec tool programme that can halve machining times on steel workpieces In addition, a new pallet loading system for the Helitronic Vision machine will be on show, alongside the recently-announced HelitronicTool Studio programming system and the super-fast Heli Toolcheck tool measuring machine
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Nov 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Together, these new product launches complement Walter GB's existing market-leading range of tooling - including the ultra-successful Tiger.tec and Quartec inserts - and CNC tool and cutter grinders (for example, the 'two-in-one' Helitronic Diamond that combines CNC erosion of PCD tools with 'conventional' CNC grinding of carbide and HSS tools) as well as its suite of TDM tool management software and its Novex Express special-purpose tool design and manufacturing service.
Combined, these enable the Redditch-based company to offer manufacturers end-to-end tool system supply.
The new Xtra.tec insert range follows in the footsteps of the massive productivity improvements gained by the company's Quartec and Tiger.tec inserts (targeted at universal applications and the machining of cast iron, respectively).
Further reading
Direct linear drives contribute to 50% output gain
Innovative five-axis CNC tool grinder that uses direct linear drive systems to all five axes and gearless direct drive to rotary A and C axes, offers 50% productivity gains.
Circular saws ground under 'lights out' conditions
The potential for extended production routines including lights-out operation have spurred Harrison Saw and Tool, to invest in a Woodtronic CNC circular saw blade grinder with auto Loader.
Tool grinder meets rising aerospace demand
Rising order levels from its aerospace customer base have prompted cutting tool specialist, Techni-grind (Preston), to buy a Walter Helitronic Power Regrinder tool and cutter grinder.
Xtra.tec has initially been announced with a series of inserts for milling cutters and solid carbide drilling.
Xtra.tec's improved productivity claims - including, for example, reduced cost per cutting edge through maximum cutting performance at low power consumption - are based on Walter's development of the new cutting materials, WKP25 and WKP35.
In action, both WKP25 and WKP35 are characterised by reduced formation of comb cracks, and are therefore ideally suited to wet machining.
Two shoulder milling cutters - F4041 and F4042 - are included in the new range.
Available in diameters of 40 mm to 160mm for cutting depths up to 15mm, the F4041 cutter features rhombic inserts with four positive cutting edges each having an approach angle of 90deg.
Such an extreme spiral means step generation is avoided on machined side walls, while the resulting 'soft' cutting action promotes high feed rates and low power consumption.
Milling cutter F4042 features rhombic double-edged inserts of high positive geometry to again promote maximum cutting performance at low power consumption.
Three types of insert with cutting lengths of 8mm, 12mm and 16mm are recommended for these cutters available in diameters from 10mm to 160mm.
Also available as part of the new Xtra.tec range is the B4013 drill and the F4033 face milling cutter with double-sided, highly positive cutting angles Xtra.tec inserts having eight effective cutting edges.
Of neutral shape, the inserts fit either right- or left-hand cutters in the diameter range 40 mm to 160 mm.
Helitronic Vision, the latest addition to the renowned Helitronic CNC tool grinding range, owes much of its high-performance to the introduction of direct linear drive systems that permit rapid traverse speeds of 50m/min in the X, Y and Z axes, and there is gearless direct drive to the rotary A and C axes.
The machine features a rigid 100 mm diameter grinding spindle with 30 kW motor having spindle speeds up to 12,000 revs/min, and can accommodate rotary HSS and carbide tools from 3mm to 320mm diameter and up to 370mm long for length/contour grinding and 300mm long for length/end face grinding.
Helitronic Vision will be shown featuring Walter's new Lift Loader automated loading system for unmanned (lights-out) operation.
Currently available with three pallets, Lift Loader can accommodate up to 504 tools, depending on size.
The Helitronic Tool Studio programming software combines the benefits of tool simulation with simplified yet high-performance programming routines.
Importantly, the system enables users to generate machining programs for complex tools quickly and simply - and to simultaneously simulate and if necessary adjust all proposed grinding routines before production commences.
As each parameter is changed, the program is automatically recalculated and the appropriate/correct three-dimensional graphic appears on screen - hence Walter's catchphrase of 'What you see is what you grind'.
Control and software enhancements have made non-contact tool inspection times up to 25 per cent faster on Walter GB's Helicheck and Heli Toolcheck machines.
The benefits are courtesy of the machines' Windows XP-based pendant-mounted PC with TFT colour monitor, as well as a series of labour- and time-saving software programs including the new Order Management Software.
Designed for both manual and automatic use, the Heli Toolcheck can accommodate tools up to 300 mm diameter and 500mm long, and it has a repeatable measuring accuracy of +/- 2 microns.
Resolution in all linear axes is 0.2 micron and in the rotational axis it is 0.0025O.
Repeat accuracy on diameter and length measurements is +/- 2 microns.
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