Pay attention to new ideas for non-standard customization of tools

Pay attention to new ideas for non-standard customization of tools
Standard tools vs. non-standard tools
When choosing the right cutting tool for a specific machining application, it is difficult to determine whether it is more desirable to use a standard tool or a non-standard tool. Choosing the most suitable tool depends on various factors, such as business conditions, manufacturing processes, production types, and sometimes personal preferences.

Standard cutting tools produced by professional tool manufacturers are highly versatile and suitable for machining parts of various shapes. In addition, standard tools also show 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 essential. This is why standard tools are the basis of tool inventory management for 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 precision, or specific fixtures installed on the machine tool. This non-standard tool solution is designed to achieve the best performance and machining results. However, this solution has a disadvantage 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 mass production of parts, such as in the automotive industry.

Delivery time of non-standard tools

The design and production of non-standard tools is not simple. It requires communication and coordination with customers, confirmation of tool solutions, confirmation of the process and cycle of the processing technology, part accuracy and processing costs, product design drawings, etc., and finally manufacturing tool products. Therefore, the delivery time of non-standard tools is significantly longer than that of standard tools. Machining companies often face a dilemma when choosing between standard and non-standard tools, and this choice may affect the progress of the project. So which tool can provide the best solution? Should the factory rely on ready-made standard tools, or choose non-standard tools with long delivery times but higher efficiency? Of course, economic factors such as unit cost and tool cost should also be considered. When choosing non-standard tools when the processing requirements are basically the same, the shortest delivery time becomes an important factor.

The design complexity of non-standard tools varies. Some are simple modifications to standard tools, such as changing the fillet radius or tool length. These modifications belong to the "semi-standard" product category and are relatively fast to produce. The design of some non-standard tools requires pre-evaluation of customer restrictions in processing and manufacturing, as well as calculation of production costs and cycle times. The results of the evaluation will show the limitations of the special tool design and the economics of using it, which will affect the delivery time of the special tool. However, there are other ways to shorten the delivery time of the special tool, such as using solid carbide tools with replaceable tool heads, designing indexable tool bodies or replaceable special inserts. The delivery time and production capacity of the tool manufacturer have a crucial influence on the customer's final decision.

Modular tools can replace some of the functions of special tools. For example, Iscar's MULTI-MASTER product series is a rotating tool with a replaceable solid carbide head. This tool system includes a variety of tool bodies (called "shanks" in the series nomenclature), adapters, extensions and reducers to achieve tool configurations for various machining applications.

New ideas for special tool customization

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides new opportunities for special tool solutions. Additive manufacturing technology can quickly produce tools with complex contours. Although finishing and grinding are still necessary, the rapid production of pre-formed products that are extremely close to the final shape is hard to resist. In addition, 3D printing can be used to manufacture carbide inserts without the need for molds, which greatly reduces production time and costs. 3D printing is a smart choice for the initial production of prototype inserts and small batches of non-standard inserts. The use of additive manufacturing to produce carbide inserts and heads is developing rapidly, and this method can ensure the rapid delivery of non-standard tools and their components.

Some corporate factories can also quickly produce customized non-standard tools, but if there is no suitable ready-made blank product, they may not be able to complete the entire tool manufacturing process independently. In this case, the tool manufacturer can first provide semi-finished tools as blank products, which customers can adjust and manufacture according to their final shape. These semi-finished products include blank tool bodies, blank inserts and blank tool heads. Iscar, as a leading cutting tool manufacturer, provides this service and includes blank products in its product range.

The MULTI-MASTER series provides extra-long tool shanks with a MULTI-MASTER internal thread at the front and a center hole at the rear, which can be cut and processed by the customer. Recently, Iscar has launched uncoated carbide blank tool heads, which are divided into two parts: a disc-shaped front area with a hexagonal (TORX) groove on the surface and a MULTI-MASTER external thread in the rear area. These blank tool heads are used to produce non-standard products and can be installed on the existing MULTI-MASTER product handles in the customer's workshop for different processing operations, such as milling, grooving, threading, spline processing and gear processing.

Some corporate factories can also quickly produce customized non-standard tools, but if there is no suitable ready-made blank product, they may not be able to complete the entire tool manufacturing process independently. In this case, the tool manufacturer can first provide semi-finished tools as blank products, and the customer can adjust and manufacture them according to their final shape. These semi-finished products include blank tool bodies, blank inserts and blank tool heads. As a leading cutting tool manufacturer, Iscar provides this service and includes blank products in its product range.

The MULTI-MASTER series offers extra-long tool bars with a MULTI-MASTER internal thread at the front end and a center hole at the rear end, which can be cut and processed by the customer. Recently, Iscar has launched an uncoated carbide blank tool head, which is divided into two parts: a disc-shaped front area with a hexagonal (TORX) groove on the surface and a MULTI-MASTER external thread in the rear area. These blank tool heads are used to produce non-standard products and can be installed on the existing MULTI-MASTER product handles in the customer's workshop for different processing operations, such as milling, grooving, threading, spline processing and gear processing.