Technical standardization is very important for the manufacturing industry, because only through standardization can we communicate in the same language and understand the existing limitations. However, in practice, standards sometimes hinder the pace of technological progress. At this time, it is necessary to bypass these limitations and introduce better solutions. The development of milling cutters is such an example.
CNC milling machines and machining centers need milling cutters with stronger processing capabilities and greater versatility – in the past few years, the development of more advanced milling cutters by tool suppliers has stemmed from this demand.
In the past, special tools were often the only effective solution for mass production, but nowadays, users need more flexible production methods, and new concepts of milling cutters provide tools with a wider range of processing capabilities. Modern tool design and manufacturing allow more complex tool concepts, and the processing process becomes more reliable by taking advantage of the progressive output of CNC machines.
Development of tool technology
Milling cutter inserts used to be specified by ISO standards, so users could buy interchangeable tools from different suppliers. But in order to meet the standards, there are also restrictions on milling cutters and inserts. ISO standards specify the shape and thickness of the inserts, not only describe the circumference, but also indicate the size of the chuck and wedge used to insert the inserts, as well as the size of the cutter body. Blade brands, grinding, and chip breaking designs are all limited to a certain range. If users and tool suppliers fully comply with ISO standards, this means that they will face serious technical and performance limitations.
Compared with ISO standard milling cutters, the current milling cutter concepts can provide tool suppliers with more freedom, optimize tool and blade design, and provide CNC machining centers with more powerful general processing capabilities. The adoption of new tool concepts can better solve problems such as processing security, processing accuracy, surface finish, adaptability to different processing paths, metal removal rate, tool overhang and high-speed processing.
In order to adapt to current manipulation processes and materials, concept milling cutters have been widely accepted by the entire industry after optimization. Compared with ISO standard tools, these concept tools can cut metal several times faster, with less cutting force and more appropriate force guidance. At the same time, compared with ISO standard tools, concept tools have much smaller runout, which can ensure smaller part tolerances and less edge wear. Minimum axial and radial runout means higher cutting edge accuracy, higher surface finish, smaller part tolerances and longer tool life. These tools can also distribute the machining load more evenly, cutting faster with less noise, vibration and wear.
These modern concept tools also provide the technology to achieve high spindle speed, fast feed milling and hard part machining, increasing the opportunity to achieve dry milling. The design features of CoroMill make the concept tool design more concise and require less adjustment and maintenance. The tool body made of pre-hardened steel has good rigidity and high precision, and the precisely positioned blades can provide different pitch options for a variety of machining occasions.
The consequences of using outdated milling cutters
The use of outdated milling cutters will seriously affect the economy and safety of production. Therefore, machining workshops using non-modern concept milling cutters will be significantly inferior to others in machining competitiveness. Users who only invest in advanced machining centers or other rotary spindle milling machines without updating milling cutters and blades can only get one-sided progress.
Some manufacturers are still using outdated special milling cutters, boring cutters or other special tools. Now, the advancement of tool technology and the processing capabilities of CNC machine tools have brought them new development potential. However, these old tools are usually designed and used for specific cutting steps of one or a class of parts. That is, the machining center has to have a separate rotary tool for each dimension of each part.
In a sense, using these specially designed standard tools seems to be a return to the days of boring and milling with limited shaft machining capabilities on milling machines or special machines. Especially for the machining of internal surfaces, every diameter, every face, every chamfer, every groove, even if the size difference between them is only a few millimeters, requires a separate tool. Sometimes, only limited flexibility can be achieved using an adjustable tool holder on the chuck.
With the widespread use of multi-axis CNC machining centers, the movement of the tool will no longer be restricted. So even if a tool cannot complete the cutting of the entire part, at least it can complete several machining tasks. Programming different tool paths becomes quite simple, and oblique and circular interpolation is also possible. The tool is more flexible and has a wider range of activities, and it can be applied to parts of different sizes with simple program adjustments.
Fewer tools means a corresponding increase in production time.
A European off-road vehicle manufacturer has reaped the benefits of using modern concept milling cutters on a flexible production line of horizontal machining centers. The line processes different types of housings for the axles of wheel loaders. This transformation is only part of the overall benefit project, the purpose of which is to improve the production performance of driveline components, especially to improve the processing of side shells by improving production efficiency.
Previously, this flexible production line used special boring tools to process cast iron side shells of different sizes. Each part has several different sizes of inner diameters and inner surfaces to be processed. After analysis, it was realized that the concept tool can replace several boring tools in use and is not limited to the size of the hole. For example, a small diameter long-edge tool can be interpolated, so various sizes of center holes can be processed, and only the program needs to be changed to process different sizes. The cutting tool is universal for different sizes and processes, and the standard concept cutting tool is also used for end milling.
