New Tooling Cuts Shop’s Machining Costs By Almost Two-Thirds
A Tier 2 automotive supplier wasn’t getting the most possible out of its vertical machining center until the shop tooled up with the TOP-Cut VAR end mill and FPC milling/drilling chuck from Emuge.
Posted: April 10, 2021
Full-service precision machine shop and Tier 2 automotive supplier SB Dezigns (North East, MD) lowered the cost of machining a stainless steel automotive shifter part for the racing industry more than 60% by using different tooling and optimizing the milling process. To lower milling cycle times, the company began using the Emuge-Franken TOP-Cut VAR end mill and FPC milling/drilling chuck from Emuge Corp. (West Boylston, MA) as well as more aggressive feeds and speeds on its CNC vertical machining center.
Combining flexibility and performance, the standard-length TOP-Cut VAR end mill with corner radius is made from premium solid micro-grain carbide with aluminum-chromium (AlCr) coating. Its geometry — variable-helix flute angle and tapered core diameter – dampens vibration, adds stability, increases feed rates and can be used in nearly all materials and milling strategies.
Offered in partnership with Albrecht Präzision GmbH & Co. KG (Wernau, Germany), the FPC milling/drilling chuck with maintenance-free mechanical clamping provides superior force, concentricity (0.000118-inch runout at 3xD projection), and shock absorbance. Tools are clamped and unclamped in seconds via a pin-lock collet with a hexagon wrench that operates a worm gear mechanism at the side.
In addition to lowering cycle times, the end mill/tool holder combination saves SB Dezigns 30 hours and $5,000 for every 500 shifter parts manufactured – a 62% reduction.
