Drill Systems and Tool Simulator Reduce Downtime, Lower Cost Per Hole

Allied Machine & Engineering Corporation (Dover, OH), a leading manufacturer of holemaking and finishing tooling systems, provides replaceable tip Original T-A® drill systems with high performance inserts and holders that are particularly ideal for automotive holemaking applications used in manufacturing engine blocks, crankshafts, pistons, and suspension parts. Using T-A drill systems helps manufacturers achieve costs per hole that are 25 percent to 50 percent lower than other options in the marketplace. With the T-A drill line, operators get a perfect factory-ground surface or drill point every time they insert the drill tip, with no downtime required to alter tool offsets due to regrinding operations. The replaceable tips are consistent every time, unlike variations often encountered when using drills reground by different machinists.

Allied offers cast iron (-CI) geometries for their T-A drill that are ideal for automotive applications. Featuring lower rake angles and a tougher cutting edge to make them more resilient, these (-CI) drill tips are a good choice for blocks and heads made out of cast iron. Other application-specific drill tips are also available. Allied develops custom-configured shapes for tools, including a special form end for the end of a crankshaft.

Innovative coating options for the T-A drill include the exclusive AM200® coating that improves performance and extends tool life. A variety of insert grades are available for automotive applications, including C3 carbide, a wear-resistant carbide offering the best life in gray cast iron and C2 carbide, a good choice for aluminum and other nonferrous applications. C1 options are available for steel applications using the GEN2 T-A® drill that fits into the same holder as the Original T-A and provides even better performance and longer tool life for automotive applications.

Allied Machine & Engineering also announced the launch of their Wohlhaupter Tool-Architect software, a configurator for modular system tools that allows users to virtually build customized tools online using Wohlhaupter parts for holemaking and finishing challenges. This program is an online-based simulator that puts the entire Wohlhaupter inventory at the user’s fingertips, providing a digital bank of every individual part that Wohlhaupter manufactures in either inch or metric measurements. The user can search this bank through various criteria to find the parts they need to build the custom tool they are imagining. Once a part is selected, the user follows a series of friendly prompts to select more parts and finish building their tool. Throughout the process the user can monitor the size of their custom tool and ensure that what they build matches their real-life specifications. Once a complete piece is virtually assembled, the program will render the tool in either a 2D or 3D drawing for the user to view on the computer screen. Each project can be either saved for later adjustment, or sent through a shopping cart option to Wohlhaupter engineers for an estimated price.

By designing custom tools with Tool-Architect, the user saves the time it would normally take to send desired specifications to a company engineer for design. Rather than wait up to a week to find out if the desired tool can be created as designed, the user can immediately check if their project needs adjustment in order to be manufactured. Tool-Architect streamlines the entire process of designing, quoting, manufacturing, and shipping custom modular system tools. Once the user creates a free online account, they are free to use Tool-Architect at any time. The program requires a WebGL capable browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer 11. To sign up for Tool-Architect, please click here.

Allied Machine & Engineering Corporation, 120 Deeds Drive, Dover, OH 44622, 330-343-4283, www.alliedmachine.com.