Jan 2020 - 17: No Set up no Downtime for smart industries

No Setup, No Downtime for Smart Factories.

Manufacturing is on the eve of comprehensive digitisation that will impact product design, process planning, machining, assembly and more.

The driving force behind the changes is a series of technological breakthroughs related to the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0.
With the use of network communication, new digital technologies combine physical manufacturing systems with virtual worlds of knowledge and 3D modelling.

The target is significantly increased output, but as manufacturing systems improve their intellectual features, they become more complicated and expensive.

Minimizing downtime of such systems is a ‘must’ for the development of every system component such as machine tools, workholding devices and cutting tools.

Cutting tools can not only cut metal but also cut downtime, depending on their design concept.
Cutting tools with exchangeable cutting heads from cemented carbides are very common in metalworking today.

Advances in tool grinding and resharpening machines have simplified production of solid carbide tools and their regrinding.

This in turn has resulted in an increased number of medium and small tool manufacturers and regrinding services.

It might have been expected that the solid carbide design approach would seriously challenge the exchangeable alternative and quickly regain lost ground.

However, this hasn't happened.

In fact, the situation has reversed: progress in machine tool engineering and the current trend towards smart manufacturing hold good promise for the future of assembled cutting tools.
An example can be provided by taking a look at ISCAR.

It introduced the ‘no setup’ principle with exchangeable heads, whereby replacing a worn head would not require additional tool setup or adjustment.

The ‘no setup’ principle was successfully realised in ISCAR’s MULTI-MASTER and SUMOCHAM rotating tool families.

In non-rotating products, the new MULTI-F-GRIP and LOGIQ-5-GRIP parting and grooving tool families represent the fruits of a different approach where the assembled tool comprises a tool block and an indexable multi-pocket adapter carrying replaceable inserts.

The high precision of the assembly components eliminates additional setups from pocket indexing.
Along with the benefits in reducing downtime, these tools feature exceptional versatility.

The MULTI-MASTER head can be mounted in different tool bodies to enable thousands of tool combinations for a broad range of applications.

The MULTI-F-GRIP family integrates both TANG- and DO-GRIP inserts.

Not so long ago, versatility was considered the main advantage of tools with exchangeable heads.

But recent progress in machine tool building and, especially, the trend towards smart manufacturing based on Industry 4.0 concepts, returned ‘no setup’ capabilities to the fore.
A further advantage of using tools with exchangeable heads is their ability to customise tool configurations according to the requirements of a specific part.

Multi-tasking machines that enable various types of cutting in one single-step process have become very popular.

These machines have driven-tool capabilities for combining machining by rotating and no-rotating tools, which can significantly improve productivity.

In addition, machine tool builders offer a range of options to supplement a standard CNC lathe with driven-tool functions, and so transform the lathe to a multi-tasking machine.

The MULTI-MASTER line features a wide variety of tool bodies with different adaptations, reducers and extensions that can minimise tool overhang.

This greatly contributes to reducing bending load on the driven tool unit mechanism to improve performance and tool life.
Implementing Industry 4.0 concepts into the metalworking industry is exemplified by the integration of the ‘no setup’ principle in assembled tools with exchangeable heads.

And it is not only about saving cemented carbide; the new developments have generated important capabilities to maximize machining output and decrease production costs.