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OptiMill-SPM: High Performance Mills for the High Volume Machining of Aluminium Structural Parts

11/15/2022

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MAPAL has developed a new range of aluminium roughing mills
OptiMill SPM milling high volume machining aluminium structural parts
In the aerospace industry, aluminium structural parts, such as wing parts and frame elements are generally milled from solid material. A buy-to-fly ratio of 22 (95 %) is not uncommon here.

New machine generations that have sufficient drive power and the necessary spindle speeds make the high-performance machining of aluminum parts cost effective. MAPAL has developed a new range of aluminium roughing mills especially for these machines.

The OptiMill-SPM (structural part machining) high performance mill is equipped with a cutting edge that makes up 60%-80% of its diameter. This represents the maximum contact depth for the high-performance milling of aluminum.

Thanks to a highly positive cutting edge geometry and optimised chip flutes, the cutting force of PCD mills is reduced by up to 15%. Even when milling on standard machines, this reduction in cutting force results in more efficient machining parameters, and hence in improved performance.

​The bottleneck form of the mill prevents the tool from bending during the machining process. Another advantage of this stable design 
is the clearance that is created between the wall of the part and the mill shank. This prevents chips from scratching the wall of the part, particularly if it has deep pockets.

OptiMill-SPM tools with internal cooling are available in a solid carbide design with a diameter range of 6 to 32 mm or in a PCD design with a diameter range of 6 to 50 mm as part of the standard range. The range of products also includes variants with the well-known CFS replaceable head system.

OptiMill-SPM Roughing Tool Features in Detail

OptiMill SPM Solid carbide design
OptiMill SPM Solid carbide design

  1. Uniform point thinning - Improved plunging capability
  2. Optimal cutting edge length - Optimal ratio between the length of the cutting edge and the diameter.
  3. Highly positive rake angle - Reduced cutting force and high surface quality thanks to a highly positive rake angle
  4. Polished chip flutes -  Unhindered chip removal  and no corners or sharp edges in the chip flute
  5. Conical neck - High rigidity thanks to conical design

More Designs for Roughing

OptiMill SPM
OptiMill SPM
Solid carbide design with corrugated profile
  • Low vibration roughing
  • Uniform material removal rate for each tooth
  • Polished chip flutes
  • Reduction of cutting power required
OptiMill Diamond SPM
OptiMill Diamond SPM
PCD design
  • High stability during machining thanks to optimally embedded PCD blades
  • No notching effects or protrusions
  • ​Increased axis angle
CPMill SPM
CPMill SPM
Solid carbide design with replaceable head system

  • ​Cost effective thanks to CFS -replaceable head system
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Speroni Tool Presetter: A Fabricator Finds Dramatic Time and Tool Cost Savings in an Unusual Place

12/15/2020

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Big Kaiser Speroni STP Essntia Tool Presetter at Alfa Granite & Tile
The Speroni STP Essntia Tool Presetter bench top design from Big Kaiser can work with any brand or router and handles very complex tool profiles stone cutting with ease, according to Denis Phocus, the owner of Alfa Granite & Tile.
Alpha Granite & Tile in Austin, TX, has grown steadily since its opening in 2003, adding and diversifying machinery, materials and service offerings along the way, eventually earning the title “Accredited Natural Stone Company” from the Natural Stone Institute. They’ve expanded to deliver a range of custom residential and commercial stone surfaces, from wall cladding to kitchen countertops, in more than 150 colors of granite, marble, onyx, quartz, quartzite and ultra-compact sintered surfaces.

To keep up, Alpha Granite has invested in several advanced CNC machines, diminishing or altogether eliminating many of the laborious and time-consuming processes. Despite the technological advances, there was still a bottleneck that frustrated owners Denis and Sonia Phocas.

“Measuring tools in the stone industry was always a very laborious process,” explained Denis Phocas. “It’s archaic. You get wet, dirty and it takes a really long time. In reality, the process destroys tools because employees know the time and effort involved, so they tend to skip the necessary measuring intervals [ultimately cutting tool life roughly in half].

Dressing of the tools is also skipped, as this process needs to be done after a set amount of linear feet of work. In essence, the tools need to be measured and sharpened at set intervals to increase life.”

The traditional measuring process is manual. Measuring height and diameter to set up and inspect tools requires handheld instruments like calipers. Phocas explains how important accurate and sharp tools are to cutting stone profiles.

Since each profile requires several passes by six or seven different tools, each dependent on the accuracy, and more delicate than the one before. In other words, if the first tool isn’t dialed in right, the profile shape will be deformed, tools wear faster and the hours spent preparing them are wasted.

“Finding the center of one tool is hard enough,” he said. “Finding the center in relation to six others is very difficult.”

Phocas had heard about tool presetters, essentially a powerful microscope with a high-resolution monitor and basic computing power. It allows for precise inspection and measurement of tool edges. The process is relatively new to the stone industry and mostly limited to larger fabricators. As he explored further, Phocas began to understand why — only the big guys could afford them.

​The presetters he saw from his distributers were big, expensive and, frankly, had more bells and whistles than a family-owned independent shop like Alpha Granite would need. Phocas recalled thinking, “It was such a major expense. Who needs to spend $60,000 on something you don’t need fully automated? There had to be a smaller solution.”

Phocas approached suppliers about entry-level options, but they continued pushing more expensive options. He got creative and found a metalworking supplier, Big Kaiser Precision Tooling in Hoffman Estates, IL, that might be able to help. The Speroni STP Essentia they offered featured a compact bench-top design, could work with any brand of router tools and handle the more complex tool profiles in stone cutting with ease. Most importantly, it was much less expensive than the other options he had found.

After working closely with a representative from Big Kaiser, even trying out an Essentia in his shop, Phocas was convinced and decided to purchase one. While there are significantly fewer types of tools used for profile cutting, this new capability and process would be an adjustment at first, starting with installation.

“I had never worked with one of these,” said Phocas. “It’s a precision tool. I wouldn’t call it daunting, but the process was interesting. We installed it in the workshop manager’s office because we wanted to keep it in a clean environment and because it’s got a computer hooked up to it. In the end, the installation process was pretty straightforward.”
Working with Alfa Granite & Tile instructions Speroni touchscreen Tool Presetter
Working with Big Kaiser, Alfa Granite & Tile, put together instructions for using the Speroni touchscreen system and measuring their 11 most common tools for us in the Tool Presetter
To shrink the learning curve for his team, Phocas worked with Big Kaiser to develop a simple calibration manual. In just 18 pages, they were able to include step-by-step instructions for using the touchscreen system and measuring their 11 most common tools, from simple drillers to ogees.
“Once we got used to it, it was very easy,” said Phocas. “Our employees simply love the Essentia and now depend on it.”

The results have been undeniable. “The Essentia quickly tells you if a tool is out of shape,” explained Phocas. “I can prepare a set of tools in about 10 minutes, put them on the machine and start running. Whereas, with the old system it would take me anywhere between two to three hours, re-measuring and re-dressing while machines sat idle. We think our tool life has improved by 35 to 45 percent as well. It’s just phenomenal.”

Alpha Granite isn’t stopping there. In the near future, they’ll install software on their CNC routers that will precisely monitor the amount of linear feet each tool is working. This data will make tool recalibration even more streamlined. As things stand now, they have scheduled days for using the Essentia to recalibrate tools. With the new software, they’ll be able to recalibrate on-demand, so to speak, right when a tool has reached its manufacturer-recommended linear feet.

The addition of the Essentia has sparked dramatic process improvements. While presetters aren’t foreign to stonework, they aren’t all that common at fabrication shops like Alpha Granite. But if the results are any indication, other independent fabricators may want to get creative in their exploration of tool management options too.
​
The full story about Alpha Granite & Tile can be found in the April 2018 issue of Stone World or online at: www.stoneworld.com. ​​
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NEW ShrinkLOCKED Technology for Shrink Fit Holders to Improve Gripping Power.

8/19/2020

3 Comments

 
by, Bernard Martin
Techniks Shrink Locked Rotary Toolholder
As carbide end mills gain higher and higher speeds and metal removal rates there has also been a trend by round tool manufacturers to tighten up the tolerances on both the cutting diameter and the shank diameter to improve concentricity. At the same time, shrink fit holders have become more and more popular because they hold a tighter concentricity as well.  To achieve this both the shank and the bore now have similar surface finishes and this has led to a problem  The tools pull out in the cut.

Shrink fit holders are the most accurate for TIR as the toolholder engages completely around round shank tools with a bore tolerance of -0.0001" to  -0.0003".  As high performance end mills have tightened shank tolerances to the same range of -0.0001" to  -0.0003" they have used finer and finer grain grinding wheels which give the shanks a 'shiny' appearance. 

Shiny means that the superfinished shank has a lower coefficient of friction. So, although the TIR is tighter, the shank is more "slippery".   End mills traditionally had surface finish of about 8 μin on the tool shank. But that's changed.  It's been recommended that tool shanks used in shrink fit holders should not have a finish finer than 16 μin. for optimum holding power, but tell that to the guy who just superfinished the end mill to a super cocncentric tolerance that you don't want it looking that good.

Everyone knows that the last thing you want is for the end mill to slip in the middle of a heavy cut or on the finishing pass of a high tolerance part.  These 'hi performance' end mills, often times have higher helix angles which are great for ejecting chips but also create a higher pull out force on that slippery shank. And reducing the helix angle is not the answer.

We  already know that the gripping pressure is a function of the interference between the tool shank  and the shrink fit toolholder bore. Most shrink fit holders have a already bore surface finish of between 12 μin. and 16 μin.  So they are ground to a very high tolerance and have about the same surface finish as the toolholder shank.

End mill manufacturers and machinist have tried a variety of methods over the years to stop the tools from pulling out. This has ranged from grit blasting the shank to rubbing chalk on the shank, but most everyone in the industry has felt that the problem really needs to be addressed by the longer life toolholder rather than the replaceable cutting tool.

That's the problem that Techniks wanted to address. Techniks claims that their "proprietary non-slip TTG594 compound virtually fuses the tool shank with the shrink fit toolholder."

ShrinkLOCKED Toolholders eliminate cutting tool pull-out and provide 4X the friction drive force compared to un-treated shrink holders.
  • No modifications to your tool holder required.
  • Increase productivity with higher feed rates.
  • No impact on concentricity.
Shrinklocked Shrink Fit diagram
It’s not just a rougher bore finish that enhances the holding power. TTG-594 is a compound that has a much higher Brinell hardness than carbide so it can “bite” into the tool shank. But this does not affect the ability to perform tool changes.

Techniks arrived at their 4x the holding power comes from torsion testing vs. a standard shrink fit toolholder. They used a ¾” carbide gage pin in a standard holder and found the torque at which the tool will spin in the bore.

They then tested the ShrinkLOCKED holder using the same test.

According to Greg Webb, at Techniks,
"We actually could not find the point at which the tool would spin in the ShrinkLOCKED holder as we broke the carbide gage pins at 4x+ times the torque of the standard holder. The holding power is greater, we just have not found a way to measure this, so we kept our claims conservative at 4x."
Shrink-locked Techniks
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The Centering Tool: An Easy Solution to Finding Center on your CNC Lathe

8/14/2019

2 Comments

 
Big Kaiser Lathe Self Centering Tool
With this innovative centering tool from Big Kaiser, spindles and tools can be centered quickly and easily.  It's ideal for limited spaces within small lathes.  The Centering Tool is a static dial gauge for easy centering.
  • Reduce setup time
  • Centering the tool holder is simplified since the dial gauge position is static and in front
  • Easy setting with a fine adjustment mechanism
  • Magnetic base allows for flexible mounting positions
Check out the technical video below to learn how to get center on your CNC Lathe.
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H6 End Mill Shanks available with "Firm Hold" to prevent tools from slipping out of holders.

10/11/2017

1 Comment

 
PCT Firm Hold End Mill Shank daimond blast
Precision Cutting Tools already holds one of the highest tolerances on shank diameter in the industry for their end mills.  All PCT End Mills Shanks hold an h6 tolerance! That means that 
1/8" - 1/4": -0.0001"/-0.0003"
1/4" - 1/2": -0.0001"/-0.0003"
1/2' - 1": -0.0001"/-0.0004"

A tighter grind tolerance often times will mean a much shinier polished shank.  A polished shank is more apt to have lower coefficient of friction which makes it more prone to slip particularly while being held in a collet type toolholder.  
PCT offers a Firm Hold Shank option on all of their standard end mills and special tools.  The Shank of the tool is diamond blasted to provide an overall stronger grip while still maintaining a h6 shank tolerance.  ​
PCT Non Slip end Mill Shank Firm Hold
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Next Generation Tooling Now Offers Technical Training!

6/14/2017

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We are very excited to announce that we are now able to offer on-site technical training to YOUR machinists at YOUR location!  This is offered at no charge  to customers who use any of the manufacturer's whom we represent in California and Nevada.  

However, just because you don't purchase things from us, don't feel left out! We also offer on-site topic specter training on any of the following topics for $150/hour.  

Each presentation lasts about 2 hours.  The presentations last approximately 45-60 minutes with the remaining time for Q&A and discussion about unique applications in your facility.
Picture
Training Classes Available:
Machining 101
  • Basic Boring
  • Basic Chamfering
  • Basic Drill Training
  • Basic End Mill
  • Basic Indexable
  • Basic Tap Training
  • Basic Tool Holders
  • Basic Work Holding / Fixturing​

Advanced Part Manufacturing:
  • Programming Tool Path – Climb versus Conventional
  • Material Machinability – Cubic Inches of Stock Removal
  • Part Set Up / Work Holding / Fixture 
  • Tool Holder Selection, Collet, Solid, Hydraulic, Shrink Fit
  • Cutting Tool Selection – Substrate, Geometry, Coating, Speed and Feeds 
  • Estimating Part Cycle Time
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CASE STUDIES: Materials being machined by the MA Ford XT end mills

3/15/2017

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Since the introduction of the XT Series 4 flute, 5 flute and the new 279 series 4 flute ball nose end mills they have proven to be a huge success in the machining of Titanium and stainless steels.   These tools have already made their impact in the machining of many other areas such as all steels and super alloys.
 
MA Ford's spotlight focus is on some other materials that are widely used in the market.  17-4 PH stainless many feel is somewhat difficult to machine and performance may vary depending on the material hardness.  That is not the case with the new XT series end mills.  These tools do not seem to care what hardness is presented to them!  28-42 RC is primary range for this series of stainless steel.  

Example: A customer had a very difficult 17-4 PH medical component with lots of contouring both roughing and finishing.  A 1/2" 279 Series was used for roughing the profile at 600 SFM with a depth of .015 and .025 step over at 80 IPM.  The customer had to double the speeds and feeds as well as increase the step over to get the desired finish required!

The 277 Series 4 flute can full slot up to 1X dia. depth at speeds as high as 260 to 340 SFM. The chip loads will be lighter than profile milling dependent on the tool diameter and fixture set up. The slotting depth can be increased even beyond 1X depth (which generally requires a reduction in speeds and feeds).
 
The 278 Series 5 flute can slot up to 1X depth effectively but slotting is more suited for the  4 flute 277 Series if a lot of slotting is to be done.  The speeds and feeds are the same as the 277, but calculations must be made for the additional cutting edge.  It is not recommended to slot over 1X the tool diameter with this 5 flute tools as it is best suited for profile milling both conventional and high speed machining.
 
The new 279 Series 4 flute ball nose end mill is an excellent choice for both conventional and high speed machining of stainless steels.  With the added radial relief and a thicker cross section in the center of the tools it can withstand extreme speeds and feeds both roughing and contouring. 
MA Ford XT End Mills
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General Guidelines for Successful Milling with NTK Ceramics

1/18/2017

1 Comment

 
NTK's industry leading line of ceramic cutting tools recently expanded with new solid CERAMIC end mills! You can see our product announcement here: NTK now offers SX9 Ceramic End Mills for Cutting Exotic Alloys which contains the various features. Below is the  technical info on how to run the NTK Ceramic End mills and a troubleshooting guide.  

NTK's SX9 cermaic end mill grade can run at speeds of 2000 SFM. The line-up includes 4 and 6 flutes in inch and metric versions. Again, you can learn more about on our Blog Post.  
Solid ceramic end mills are made with SX9 SiAlON grade substrate which features a balance of toughness and wear resistance. It's suitable for even the most demanding applications.
NTK Ceramic end mills with SX9 SiAlON substrate
NTK Ceramic end mills with SX9 SiAlON substrate
First Step Machining Procedures
  • Eliminate any overhang to increase stability
  • Choose the strongest nose radius
  • No Coolant. Use compressed air
  • Check clamp and part rigidity 
Gernarel Recomendations for machining heat resistant alloys & PH stainless steel
  • Down or climb milling where the chip thins upon exit is the preferred method for HNBA materials
  • Reduce feed rate 50% upon entrance and exit
  • Do not recut side walls as this can cause work hardening
  • Use balanced shell mill adapter or shrink t for end-mills
  • As DOC gets thinner the feed must be increased to compensate for heat loss
  • Usse RPG geometries if tool pressure is a proble 
NTK Ceramic end mills  Troubleshooting guide
NTK Ceramic end mills Troubleshooting guide
As with any other techncial questions please get in touch with us on our CONTACTS page and we can provide both over-the-phone troubleshooting or schedule at time for on-site techncial training.
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    Technical Support Blog

    At Next Generation Tool we often run into many of the same technical questions from different customers. This section should answer many of your most common questions.

    We set up this special blog for the most commonly asked questions and machinist data tables for your easy reference.

    If you've got a question that's not answered here, then just send us a quick note via email or reach one of us on our CONTACTS page here on the website
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    Authorship

    Our technical section is written by several different people. Sometimes, it's from our team here at Next Generation Tooling & at other times it's by one of the innovative manufacturer's we represent in California and Nevada.

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