Better, Faster, Smarter

New tooling and workholding systems help prep machines shops for Industry 4.0

CNC lathes, machining centers, and EDM can be nothing but expensive hunks of iron and electronics without tooling. Here's a rundown of some of the cutting tools, toolholders, chucks, vises, and pallet systems—showcased at the IMTS Tooling and Workholding pavilion—needed to make them run efficiently and profitably.

Like CNC machinery, tooling continues to improve every year. Cutting tools last longer and run faster, toolholders and vises gain a firmer, more accurate grip, pallet systems continue to reduce downtime. At the same time, though, these and other mainstays of the machine shop world are doing something even more important: they’re getting smarter. Whether it's Bluetooth-ready tools for milling and deep boring or electrically activated four-jaw lathe chucks, there's no shortage of IIoT-capable tooling and workholding systems to help get a shop started down the Industry 4.0 path.

A prime example is Haimer USA LLC. Although the Villa Park, Ill.-based company's location at IMTS is the same as in previous years (Booth 431510), its focus has shifted to the Industry 4.0 revolution. Visitors will see Haimer's newest shrink-fit offering, the i4.0 machine series, said to be adjustable for all types of tool holders and suitable for solid carbide and HSS tools. The Nano NG i4.0, Comfort i4.0, and Premium i4.0 shrink machines are just a few examples, and like all of the machines in this lineup, are equipped with wireless communication capabilities, a 7" [177.8 mm] touch screen, and intuitive software for greater ease of use, as well as options for a hand-scanner that automatically sets the correct shrinking parameters, length presetting, and the auxiliary Intelligent New Generation coil.

"Based on the fact that the manufacturing industry is extremely busy but continues to struggle with supply chain-related delays on machine tools, it's the perfect time for shops to dive into how to make their existing machine tools more productive," said president Brendt Holden. "Haimer products allow our customers to get the most out of their machine tool with our ability to provide a consistent and accurate tooling assembly to the machine each and every time. We will be showing products in our booth that will illustrate this clearly to anyone looking to get more out of their equipment, whatever its age."

Visitors to IMTS 2022 can see Promess Inc. at Booth 236623 in the North Building or Booth 135941 in the East (both on Level 3). President Glenn Nausley said that, despite current manufacturing challenges, the New Brighton, Mich.-based assembly and test equipment manufacturer continues to develop new and innovative assembly solutions while still delivering in standard lead times. One of these is a Promess Robot Press with tool changer that can be dropped off and picked up on-demand, "giving robot cells the ultimate flexibility to conquer the most demanding needs." There are also the L-frame and Benchtop workstations, said to give the user a smaller footprint while keeping the turnkey performance and precision that so many are used to with an all-electric solution.

Also at the West Building, Level 3 is Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Inc. of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Booth 431546 will display a wide array of cutting tools, among them the company's Series 77 H-Carb seven-flute high-efficiency end mill, designed for deep axial cuts during trochoidal and high-speed machining applications, and the Z-Carb HPR five-flute roughing end mills for high metal removal rates and surface finishes of 80 RMS or better on most materials. Kyocera SGS has also introduced two styles of barrel cutter—the MultiCarb series for steels and high-temp alloys and the S-Carb APF-B series for non-ferrous materials. Both use the more common taper form and reportedly deliver 90 percent or greater cycle time reductions compared to ball nose end mills in certain applications.

SMW Autoblok Corp. of Wheeling, Ill., has been busy since IMTS 2020. The company broke ground on an 11,000-sq.-ft. [1,022-sq-m] facility in Meckenbeuren, Germany, to house its new division—SMW-Electronics—that will focus on developing sensors, clamping systems, and software to help automate and digitize manufacturing processes.

SMW Autoblok also acquired Tecnomagnete, which is said to be the world's leading manufacturer of permanent electromagnetic clamping and lifting systems, along with several new product lines. These include quick-change expanding mandrels and special chucks from SMW Autoblok Tobler, various wireless technologies including mechanical and intelligent workholding for workpiece clamping, and a full line of electro-magnetic chucking systems for four- and five-axis machining and turning applications—all of which will be on display at Booth 431700.

"We are extremely excited about acquiring Tecnomagnete and offering even more specialized workholding capabilities to help customers with their diverse manufacturing needs," said Larry Robbins, president of SMW Autoblok's Commercial Division. "Their technologies are a perfect complement to our growing product offering, and we look forward to what the future holds."

If there’d been an actual IMTS 2020 instead of a virtual one, you almost certainly would have visited BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. at Booth 431610 in the West Building, Level 3. There you would have seen that year's extensive product lineup, including the Unilock Stabilizer 50 and quick-change Uniflex Ball Systems, an ATC-capable line of Chip Blowers, and what was then a brand new product, the EWA fully automatic, intelligent fine boring tool. Visitors to this year's show will see those same products and many others but will also notice a new company name: As of Jan. 1, BIG Kaiser is now BIG Daishowa Inc. of Hoffman Estates, Ill.

"Our focus products remain the same as in 2020, but we will also feature tool digitalization and our new tool data scanning directly to machine controls, along with our existing technology for boring, milling, and drilling," said Jack Burley, vice president of sales and engineering. "I encourage everyone at IMTS to stop by and say hello, and while there, be sure to ask about our passive ‘Smart Damper’ tools for deep-hole boring on lathes or mills and extended reach milling applications, which help to reduce the vibration that causes poor tool life and surface finish."

As one of the leading cutting tool and tooling providers in the U.S., Arlington, Texas-based Iscar Metals Inc. needs no introduction. The company offers a huge selection of indexable cutting tools, toolholding, and other milling and turning products, and whether you use their products or not, it's a good bet you’ve at least heard of them. And for anyone trying to reduce tool costs and increase utilization, Iscar is offering a group of new products designed with modularity and versatility in mind.

"For milling applications, Iscar has introduced a line of mini-indexable milling heads to go along with its long standing Multi-Master system," said chief technical officer Tom Raun. "For parting, grooving, and turning on Swiss-style CNC lathes, there are several new designs including the Neoswiss line of quick-change, interchangeable, heads and the Swissgrip line, available in parting and grooving down to 0.024" [.061 mm] wide. Lastly, Iscar has bolstered its popular Sumocham drilling line with heads and bodies just 0.157" [3.99 mm] in diameter, along with new, modular, drill bodies for use with the Multi-Master and Flexfit tooling systems."

Swing by Booth 431522 to discuss how these items (and others) can take your machining applications to more productive levels, while increasing utilization of your shop's tooling and carbide investment.

Also in Booth 431522 is CTMS North America, Charlotte, N.C., a member of the IMC Group. It's there that you’ll see the Matrix line of smart tool cabinets, tool management software, and a variety of other Industry 4.0 manufacturing solutions. If your shop is one of those that experience periodic stockouts, tool hoarding, unexpected machine tool downtime, or wonders where that last order of carbide end mills got off to, take a hard look at some of the Commodity and Tool Management Services’ many ways to get your tool crib in better working order.

Many IMTS visitors might approach Booth 432146 and wonder why a well-known press brake and punch tooling manufacturer is there. Don't worry, mate, Anoka, Minn.-based Mate Precision Technologies is now in the zero-point workholding business. Its compact, next-generation 52/96 Mate DynoGrip vises, Mate DynoLock Bases, and Mate DynoMount mounts and accessories are based on years of internal use at the company's 300,000-sq-ft. [27,871 sq-m] manufacturing facility in Anoka. As Vice President Frank Baeumler said recently, the team there machines a huge number of parts each year, and in order to maximize their own CNC equipment, developed a quick-change clamping system to hold them. With a "timed" trapezoidal leadscrew, reversible jaws, and a 52/96-mm locating footprint, the modular workholding platform offers flexibility and compatibility with other zero-point systems.

Dovetail-style vises are a great way to grip parts for five-axis machining except for one thing: Preparing the blanks is a hassle. TCI Precision Metals of Gardena, Calif., will tell you there's an easier way. Since 1956 the company has offered various value-added services, including precision sawing and waterjet cutting, CNC roughing, flattening and straightening, and, yes, cutting those pesky dovetails in steel, stainless, aluminum, superalloys, and "anything but magnesium." The majority of these are duplex-milled to +/- 0.002" [.051 mm] tolerance, often accurate enough to avoid further machining. Stop by Booth 432123 and ask them to explain why "machine ready is Lean ready."

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