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2023年06月

The Most Complete Introduction To Non

Milling cutters are multi-toothed rotary cutters, each of which is comparable to a turning tool mounted to the revolving face of the milling cutter. Milling cutters are used to mill materials such as wood, metal, and plastic. The cutting edge is longer, there is no empty Carbide Grooving Inserts stroke, and the Vc is greater, all of which contribute to a better level of productivity. There are several kinds of milling cutters, each with its own unique structure and a diverse selection of possible uses. Milling cutters may be broken down into three primary groups based on the types of work they are used for: flat milling cutters, milling cutters that are used to machine grooves, and milling cutters that are used to shape surfaces.

Milling is a way of cutting workpieces using a rotary tool with many cutting edges. It is a very effective approach. During the process of the work, the tool rotates (this constitutes the primary motion), the workpiece moves (this constitutes the feed motion), the workpiece itself can be fixed, but the tool that is spinning must also move (both the main motion and the feed motion). Milling tungsten carbide inserts can be done with either horizontal or vertical milling machines, as well as with massive gantry milling machines. These might be conventional tool machines or numerically controlled tool machines. Both of these options are possible. machining performed using a rotary milling cutter as the primary cutting tool. Milling is often performed on a milling machine or a boring machine, and it is well-suited for the processing of planes, grooves, a variety of forming surfaces (such as flower milling keys, gears, and threads), and unique mould forms.

A Brief Overview of Milling Cutters

Milling cutters are designed to cut away material from a workpiece. This is its primary function. Having said that, milling cutters do not comprise a solitary blade by themselves. Milling cutters often have more than one blade, as contrast to lathe cutters, which typically only have one. Lathe operations, such as turning, are accomplished using the lathe. The milling cutter removes material from a workpiece by scraping against it while it spins against the workpiece.

Milling cutters are often built of tough materials that are able to resist high stress without breaking or being damaged in any other way. Milling cutters are also known as milling cutters. For instance, a covering of polycrystalline diamond can be seen on milling cutters very frequently (PCD). PCD-coated milling cutters are said to have a lifespan that is up to one hundred times longer than its uncoated equivalents, as stated by Wikipedia. PCD-coated milling cutters have the benefit of being able to withstand temperatures up to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit, but this comes at the cost of not being able to utilize them in environments with temperatures higher than this.

Now, let’s take a look at some conventional milling cutters as well as some unconventional milling cutters, as well as the uses for each of them.

Conventional Milling Cutters

When it comes to cutting materials using a mill, there are two main methods available: conventional milling and unconventional milling. The interaction between the rotation of the cutter and the direction in which the material is being fed is what differentiates these two approaches. The cutter in a conventional mill spins in the opposite direction as the feed when the mill is operating. When cutting, the conventional method, known as conventional milling, is the method of choice because it eliminates backlash, also known as the play between the lead screw and the nut in the machine table.

  • Flat End Milling Cutters

Flat end milling cutters are also referred to as “flat end mills” in some circles. These mills have sharp edges that can produce an angle of exactly 90 degrees. They might have a single end or a double end, and they can be formed of either solid carbide or high-speed steel manufactured from a variety of different compositions.

The end mill is one of the most common types of flat end milling cutters, and its primary usage is in milling operations that are performed in industrial settings. End mills and milling bits are not interchangeable in terms of the applications they are used for, the geometry they employ, or the manufacturing process. It is important to keep in mind that flat end milling cutters can be mounted on three to five axes depending on the items that are being milled. It is also possible to add extra attachments to the end mill machine in order to expand its range of applications. If you choose to use flat end milling cutters, you will have the option to place the milling table in a variety of ways, and you will be able to cut the parts in either the vertical or horizontal direction because of the presence of vertical and horizontal spindles.

The automobile and aviation sectors are both potential users of flat end milling cutters that have 4 axes. The presence of a turnaround table sets this particular type of milling cutter apart from the others. And last, we have the 5-axis flat end milling cutters. This particular sort of cutter is made up of three linear axes and two rotating axes, all of which are customizable depending on the model that is chosen. For the purpose of processing, cutting, and shaping various kinds of mechanical parts, either on their own or in series, a flat end milling cutter is the tool of choice.

  • Ball End Milling Cutters

A ball end-milling cutter is very similar to a slot drill, except the ends of the cutter are hemispherical rather than flat. This type of cutter employs ball end mills. As a consequence of this, they are appropriate for cutting any three-dimensional contoured forms into the machining centers, such as dies and moulds. On the shop floor, they are sometimes referred to as ball mills, despite the fact that this phrase more properly refers to something else. A ball mill is a type of grinder that can grind and combine a variety of materials for use in a variety of applications, including ceramics, paints, and more. Regardless of the situation, you will most certainly overhear machinists using the word. It is also possible to create radiuses between perpendicular faces using a ball end milling cutter, which helps to minimize the amount of stress concentration. It is important not to mistake the ball end milling cutter with the bull nose cutter since the latter has a corner radius that is significantly larger. Because it is half the diameter of the ball mill, a cutter with a diameter of 20 millimeters would have a radius corner measuring 2 millimeters.

Ball end milling cutters may be customized to a broad variety of applications by combining a number of different design elements into its construction. Because of its design, which incorporates a big core, neutral cutting angles, and a slow helix, in addition to the entire radius and HSM machining processes, these tools may be used for roughing, and they have an exceptionally long life even when used on the most difficult materials. Roughing out softer steels in an efficient and predictable manner requires sharper designs with more chip pocket space and irregular helix patterns. These can be utilized in conjunction with more typical tool paths. As is the case with any other tool, it is determined by the specific component being used and the preferences of the programmer. Be that as it may, there is no denying the fact that the ball end milling cutter mill is a strong ally in the process of machining.

  • Thread Milling Cutter

When compared to more conventional methods of thread processing, carbide thread milling offers significant benefits in terms of processing accuracy and processing efficiency. Additionally, it is not constrained by the thread structure or thread rotation while it is being processed, and it is very simple to adjust the size of the thread diameter. In order to finish the operation of thread milling, the CNC machining center’s three-axis linkage function and either the G02 or G03 spiral interpolation command are used.

 

Thread milling cutter is a sophisticated tool that has been quickly evolving in recent years. As a result of its great and amazing processing performance, it is becoming more and more extensively adopted by businesses. It has evolved into a strong instrument that businesses may leverage to increase their operational efficiencies and cut the expenses of thread processing. Utilized in the production of moulds; for non-rotating or asymmetric components; high boring diameters; and interrupted cutting.

  • Aluminum Milling Cutters

People in numerous industries are becoming increasingly interested of metal and aluminum as their living conditions rise. Aluminum processing is commonly utilized for standard machine tools, engraving machines, and CNC machining centers. Aluminum milling cutters are frequently offered with two or three flutes. With larger flute counts, it would be impossible to remove chips properly at the high speeds possible in aluminum. This is due to the fact that aluminum alloys leave a huge chip, and chip valleys on aluminum milling cutters get narrower with each subsequent flute. Aluminum milling cutters are frequently offered with two or three flutes.

With larger flute counts, it would be impossible to remove chips properly at the high speeds possible in aluminum. This is due to the fact that aluminum alloys leave a huge chip, and chip valleys on aluminum milling cutters get narrower with each subsequent flute. 2 flute aluminum milling cutters have always been the standard option for Aluminum. However, 3 flute aluminum milling cutters have shown to be more successful in many finishing processes, and with the correct conditions, they may even operate satisfactorily as roughers.

Aluminum milling cutters often have greater helix angles than ordinary end mills. Aluminum milling cutter helix angles are commonly 35°, 40°, or 45°. Variable helix tools are also available and are an excellent alternative for decreasing chatter and harmonics while enhancing material removal rates.

  • Round Nose Milling Cutters

The round nose milling cutter may be used in any type of milling machine, including those used for engraving and woodworking. The primary function of a round nose milling cutter is to manufacture planes and grooves, as well as to do other tasks such as shaping work pieces. The round nose milling cutter has a strong construction, which adds to its outstanding performance and extended operational lifespan. Improve the process’s efficiency while maintaining a high feed rate.

The round nose milling cutter has a long service life and is ideal for cutting high-hardness steel. Material The turning tool made using solid carbide and the entire forging process has a high degree of operating efficiency, a long service life, and increased wear-resistance, strength, and stiffness. The antibacterial surface treatment on the round nose milling cutter helps to keep the tool clean. Strong earthquake resistance, which may result in a higher surface polish degree for the workpiece.

Unconventional Milling Cutters

  • T-Type Milling Cutters

T-slots are machined using T-type milling cutters. T-slot cutters are also known as T-type milling cutters, and they are classified as tapered shank T-slot milling cutters and straight shank T-slot milling cutters. This T-slot milling cutter may be used on a variety of mechanical tabletops as well as T-slots on other constructions. It is distinguished by a specific tool for processing T-shaped grooves. Following the milling of the straight grooves, the T-shaped grooves with the appropriate accuracy may be milled at the same time, and the terminal edge of the milling cutter has a sufficient cutting angle. This type of slot milling cutter is often built of a high stiffness and strong alloy, while high-speed steel can be used for general processing of easy-to-cut metals. If the material to be treated has a reasonably high hardness or is difficult to cut, a cemented carbide tool should be used.

The T-type milling cutters produce a lot of heat during cutting, particularly when the cutting speed is high. As a result, the tool material should have strong heat resistance, both at high temperature can still keep a higher hardness, can continue to cut performance; this is a quality of high temperature hardness, also known as thermal hardness or red hardness.

T-type milling cutters must endure a lot of impact during the cutting process, thus the tool material should be stronger, otherwise it is easy to shatter and damage. Because T-type milling cutters are exposed to shock and vibration, the cutter material must be robust enough to avoid chipping and breaking.

  • Reamers

Reamers are metalworking rotary cutting tools. The process of widening and sizing a hole with a multi-fluted cutting tool is known as reaming. Precision reamers are designed to increase the size of a previously produced hole by a minimal amount while leaving smooth sides. Non-precision reamers are used for basic hole expansion and material removal to deburr. Reaming makes use of an existing hole in the workpiece to remove a tiny quantity of material known as chips. Relative axial and rotational motions between the reamer and the workpiece are involved in the operation. It is commonly performed on a drill press, although it may also be performed on lathes. As the reamer is pushed into the workpiece, a vice, chuck, or fixture holds it securely in place.

A reamer is typically made up of a series of parallel or helical cutting blades that run the length of a cylindrical body. Each cutting edge is ground at a little angle and has an undercut beneath it. Reamers should only be used to remove modest quantities of material to ensure the reamer’s longevity and a great hole finish. The performance of a reamer is determined by various variables, including speed, feeds, and workpiece material.

There are several specialty reamer possibilities. Chucking reamers, which generally have a straight shank and are used for general purpose reaming, automobile reamers, which are used for heavy-duty structural work, and repair reamers, which are widely used in utility and maintenance applications, are the most popular types of reamers.

  • Dovetail Milling Cutters

Dovetail cutters are specialized tools that are utilized for the purpose of cutting dovetail angled grooves into a workpiece. These grooves are then utilized for the purpose of fitting or attaching components. They can have a solid construction or holders and inserts added to them instead. There are a variety of end and tip geometry options available for use with dovetail cutters. These options include a square end, a ball nose, a radius tip, and a chamfer tip.

  • Dovetail cutters with square end tip geometry have a square or straight end and do not have a radius, chamfer, or any other finish on the end of the cutter.
  • The “ball nose” on ball nose dovetail cutter tips has a radius that is equal to one half of the diameter of the cutter. For the purpose of cutting female semicircle grooves of radii, this sort of dovetail cutter tip is really helpful.
  • Straight flutes with a ground radius on the very tip characterize the dovetail cutter ends that are referred to as radius-tipped.
  • Chamfer tip ends are distinguished by a piece of the side or the end that is bevelled at an angle. A workpiece will end up with an angled cut and a chamfered edge if these tips are used.

When choosing a dovetail cutter, it is important to take into consideration the sort of finish that will be applied. In most cases, there are two possible finishes to choose from: roughing/hogging and finishing. The machine shape, flutes, and materials utilised in roughing and hogging cutters are designed to facilitate the removal of large amounts of material in a short amount of time. Typically, they are used to manufacture workpieces to a point that is quite near to the finishing dimensions that are wanted. At that point, a finishing dovetail cutter is employed, which results in tighter tolerances and a higher-quality surface finish.

It is essential to grasp the material of the dovetail cutter in order to comprehend the degree of cutting that can be accomplished by the machine. Hard materials such as carbide, cobalt, and diamond are suitable for usage in high-speed applications. On the other hand, materials like as steel are utilized for common metal machining purposes. Micrograin carbide, which is utilized most frequently in applications involving surface finishing, is another material that may be used for dovetail cutters. Ceramic is still another choice.

  • Inner R Milling Cutters

The radiating efficiency of the Inner R milling cutter is great. This includes the cutter body, tool bit, superconducting heat pipe and fin, as well as the interface between the cutter body and tool bit. The tool bit of the inner R milling cutter is fitted with a number of sword teeth, and the sides of the sword teeth are fitted with curved sunkenly. One end of the superconducting heat pipe and the fin are attached to each other.

The first passageway and the second channel both intercommunicate with one another, and the superconducting heat pipe receives input from both the first passageway and the second channel. The first passageway and the second channel are both located on the inside of the Inner R milling cutter. The above-mentioned Inner R milling cutter’s radiating efficiency is high sets up superconducting heat pipe in milling cutter’s inside, and superconducting heat pipe is connected with the fin that is located on the cutter body outer wall simultaneously, utilizes superconducting heat pipe’s high -efficient heat transfer performance, the process fin gives off the heat to outside, improvement Inner R milling cutter’s radiating efficiency at last.

Conclusion

The globalization of industry has led to an increase in the utilization of non-standard milling methods, which has led to their increasingly widespread deployment. To enter the high-end market of manufacturing should be the primary focus of the transformation of the economic development mode that should take place in the tool industry. This should be followed by the elimination of the excess capacity of high-consumption and inefficient standard tools, and the vigorous development of modern high-efficiency tools. non-standard milling cutters are in urgent demand in the industrial business, and society would benefit from their use of less resources if they were available. Provide optimum productivity. If you are seeking for milling cutters that are not standard, you should get in touch with HUANA..


The Carbide Inserts Blog: https://derekvirgi.exblog.jp/

Can Nanotechnology Redefine Metalworking Fluid?

Rick Steinard’s coolant is full of onions. However, there is no smell to speak of at his small CNC machining side business in Madison Heights, Michigan – not of onions, nor of rotten eggs, which might surprise many because Mr. Steinard never adds biocides. In fact, his metalworking fluid is formulated to kill bacteria (which causes the rotten egg smell when coolant sits in sumps for too long). “Maintenance is pretty much nil,” he says. “I check the concentration, but that’s about it.”

The key ingredients in this formulation are the aforementioned “onions” — specifically, sub-micron-sized particles of carbon known as “nano onions” that provide an alternative to bacteria-attracting chemical combinations for cooling and lubricating parts. Beyond reduced maintenance, Mr. Steinard says tool life increased by about 30 percent immediately upon switching from coolant to nanofluid. In some applications, the gain has been more than 100 percent. Parts are visibly smoother and shinier, including repeat work on the same machines with the same tooling and programming.

Most of Mr. Steinard’s work is in aluminum, but the nanofluid formulation was originally developed for more difficult-to-machine materials. Michigan Tool & Gauge, a prototyping and job shop in Howell, Michigan, reports similar results on an Inconel forging die application: visibly improved surface finish, and significant increases in parts per cutting edge. At 200 pieces per order, “We were going through a whole box of inserts,” says Jason Kile at Michigan Tool. “Now it’s just one insert, or maybe two.”

“Before I was getting 30, 40, maybe 50 pieces per edge, but now I get 200 or 250 without changing the tool.” – Rick Steinard, machinist and owner of SPI Racing Wheels.

These relatively small shops are not the only manufacturers with eyebrow-raising stories about Tool-X, their metalworking fluid of choice. In fact, various plastic injection mold manufacturers and other, larger businesses declined to lend testimony to this article. However, one of the largest manufacturers of all, General Motors (GM), published a research paper last year that says the nanofluid is “ideal for tough-to-machine material such as heat treated gears,” citing improvements in chip control; flank wear and edge buildup (which are cited as good metrics by which to evaluate coolant performance); and surface finish. In one hardened steel gear-making application, tool life reportedly improved by more than 150 percent.

Tool-X consists of nanoparticles suspended in a water-based formulation for general machining or an oil-based formulation for machines and applications that require it, such as Swiss-type lathes and gear-making operations. Image: Tool-X LLC.

The nanofluid technology is not new. Its provider, Tool-X LLC, was formed in 2012. The essentials have not changed since then: Submicron-sized particles formed by exploding carbon cylinders and carried in an oil- or water-based solution flush heat from the cutting zone; smooth friction at the intersection of tool and metal; and polish surfaces. However, what appears to be changing is the extent to which this technology is practical and accessible for increasing numbers of machine shops.   

Lessons Learned

Although Jim English is president of Tool-X, he does not call himself a businessman. “I’m a scientist,” says the former GM chemical engineer. As such, he was part of the team that first adapted the nanotechnology, which was originally used for wound-treating salves, to metalworking applications. Development was driven by interest from the Department of Defense (DoD) in its potential for materials such as titanium and hardened steel.  

After initial success with DoD suppliers, capitalizing on the technology with manufacturers serving other sectors proved to be more challenging than expected. Efforts to spread the word paid off, but “we weren’t prepared to handle the demand,” Mr. English says, adding that many potential distributors feared that carrying the line would cut into cutting tool sales.  

Rick Steinard says he was “floored” by the roughing finish on this triple clamp set for a motorcycle. Most of the 7075 aluminum was machined at 9,000 rpm and 220 ipm, which he says is “nowhere close to finishing speeds and feeds.” Image: SPI Racing Wheels

Image: SPI Racing Wheels

Things are different today, he says. For one, the company is expanding its distribution network. The first to represent Tool-X outside Michigan is Minneapolis-based Hexis, which extends the company’s reach throughout the upper Midwest. For another, the company now offers nanoparticle-infused coolant as a standalone, oil- or water-based product rather than a nanoparticle additive for existing fluids. This ensures testing and evaluations of performance do not depend too much on outside variables. “We also don’t hear any more stories about warranties being voided,” he adds.

Peeling Onions

Tool-X’s chemistry is relatively simple because the nanoparticles do all the work. As such, it is reportedly safer, more environmentally friendly, and more cost-effective to maintain – and, just as critically, to dispose of – than other fluids. “Most coolants have 30 or 40 different chemicals in them,” Mr. English says. “Ours has 12.”

The nano-onions that provide the performance gains are made of carbon, a material that is both highly thermally conductive and highly lubricious (graphite, a form of carbon, is a common ingredient in dry lubricants). The cores of the onions are hard, but their outer Shoulder Milling Inserts peels act much like sponges, essentially holding fluid and releasing it when compressed between tool and workpiece.

The cushioning slurry between tool and workpiece material becomes more effective as the nanomaterial breaks down under shearing forces. Image: Tool-X LLC

Onions are not the only nanoparticles at work. Microscopic ball bearings help replace the typical sliding friction of machining with a smoother, rolling friction, Mr. English says. Other particles provide the necessary biocidal properties. All of the nanoparticles also add to the cutting forces exerted by the tool, providing an effect similar to shot-peening that can harden, smooth and remove material accumulating on surfaces. Meanwhile, their combined surface area forms a lubricating, heat-removing, buildup-preventing TCMT Insert slurry between cutting edge and workpiece material, as depicted in the diagram above.

Although results are immediate in most cases, the full impact of nanofluid cannot be evaluated until shearing forces begin to break down the nanoparticle “peels.” The peels shed particles of graphene — one of the most thermally conductive materials on Earth — into the surrounding fluid to increase the total volume of nanomaterial. As the volume of nanomaterial increases, so does its total surface area and, by extension, the cooling and lubricating effect of the cushioning slurry.   

Not a Coolant                                                                                     

Mr. Steinard’s experience with Tool-X extends beyond his own small machine shop, which has always been a side business. He has spent most of his career designing and selling cutting tools for a major carbide manufacturer. After being impressed by a test of the fluid at a customer’s facility, he contacted Mr. English. Before long, he was not only using the nanofluid in his own shop, but also recommending it to potential customers, even providing samples donated by Mr. English for test cuts in some cases.  “It was another tool in my bag,” he says about the fluid. “They’d say, ‘Wow, Rick’s tools are the greatest,’ but a lot of that was the cutting fluid.”

Tool-X helps Mr. Steinard achieve mirror-like finish on remote control car wheels right off the machine without manual polishing, a task that previously took him at least a few minutes per set. Photo Credit: SPI Racing Wheels

Now, his only work with cutting tools is using them in his own shop, which remains a side business. As for the performance impact, “I do these little spark plugs in tool steel with a little solid carbide trepanning tool,” he says. “Before I was getting 30, 40, maybe 50 pieces per edge, but now I get 200 or 250 without changing the tool.”

However, his biggest money-maker is his own product: wheels for remote control cars, which he machines in batches of a few hundred at a time and sells under the brand SPI Racing. Thanks to Tool-X, “they look like chrome” right off the machine without manual polishing, he says.

However, the wheels do not require the level of surface finish that Tool-X helps provide. The case is the same for other projects, he says, adding that he is not discerning in terms of work. Keeping the doors open is enough for him, because, as he puts it, “cutting metal is in my blood.” Nonetheless, nanofluid runs in every machine not due to cost savings in comparison to coolant, he says, because it is not a coolant. Rather, he runs it because it reduces the overall cost of manufacturing, and because it helps satisfy an innate desire for quality on every job, regardless of the required specifications. “I’ve been doing this for 40-something years now, and this is paradigm-shifting technology,” he says.


The Carbide Inserts Blog: https://charlesbar.exblog.jp/

ESOP Solidifies Culture of Continuous Improvement

What kind of machine makes a licorice stick? The level of specialization required for this machine means it could never be produced in high enough quantities to warrant a spot in a regular catalog, or as part of an OEM’s traditional offerings. Instead, customers must reach out to custom machine builders, such as Astro Machine Works.

Astro Machine Works was founded in 1984 by four friends who wanted to build custom machines. Over the course of almost four decades, the Ephrata, Pennsylvania-based company has expanded its range of markets based on capabilities it developed as a result of its initial focus on custom machines — an expansion that has also greatly benefited from passing the shop into its employees’ hands.

Astro’s 10-foot by 20-foot by 5-foot APEC G3060 gantry mill not only produces the long frames some of the company’s custom machines require, the mill can also machine multiple sides of five-axis parts. This versatility has led Astro’s customers to book jobs requiring the gantry mill half a year in advance. Photos courtesy of Astro Machine Works.

Building a Custom Machine Company

Building a custom machine from scratch requires a wide array of capabilities: milling and turning, certainly, but also welding, assembly, painting, electrical, hydraulic, quality, and more. Organizing these operations requires dedicated back-of-house departments and benefits from in-house HR and IT teams. Leaders from each team report to an overall operations manager, whose work is slightly eased by assigning sales and project managers to either commercial work or government work. The company tries to balance its work between these two markets 50/50.

This comprehensive range of capabilities requires Astro’s employees to undergo equally comprehensive training. This emphasis on training manifests both in robust internship and apprenticeship programs as well as a culture of continuous improvement. The internship program draws students from local high schools and technical schools, simultaneously bolstering their skill sets and furthering their education, while its state-certified apprenticeship program is a fully on-the-job, in-house training program. Apprenticeships exist for both the machining and tool-and-die departments — apprentices train on machines across their departments while also receiving instruction through ToolingU, a learning management platform developed by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Although many apprentices have already attended technical schools, Astro president Eric Blow says this hybrid approach is especially useful for teaching those students with no previous formal machining education, but who are good culture fits and show interest and aptitude in manufacturing.

Both inside the apprenticeship program and out, shop floor employees at Astro train on progressively more difficult machines — first on manual Bridgeport-style machines, then on three-axis machines, then on four-axis machines and those with rotary chucks, progressing to five-axis machines, and finally learning to use the shop’s multitasking Mazak Integrexes. Ideally, the company’s machinists should be able to machine anything from small parts to those requiring Astro’s five-axis gantry mill with a 10-foot by 20-foot machining area. Outside of the apprenticeship program — and outside of initial training sessions when new equipment hits the shop floor — there is no formal process for this training, with Blow describing it as simply “a matter of stepping up to a more complex unit and just putting in the time to master that new piece of equipment.”

As for how to motivate employees to push themselves, learn Cermet Inserts these new skills and act as mentors for interns and apprentices, Blow says it hasn’t been a challenge. The cooperative culture at Astro makes continuous education a regular part of the workday for most employees — and the company’s open-book management and ESOP have been heavy lifters, besides.

Management Is an Open Book

Astro has long given its employees as full a picture as possible: In late 2007, it moved to what Blow calls “open book management.” Anyone in the company could see its finances, from lines of credit to more production-focused metrics such as quoting targets and backlogs. In addition to the morale benefits of trusting employees with financial data, Astro also began a twice-yearly bonus program based on free cash flow after expenses. Employees can see how their work affects the APMT Insert accumulating bonus pool from month to month, encouraging them to be knowledgeable about the company and giving them more of a stake in day-to-day operations. Blow credits this shift in management style for growing the company through the 2008 recession into the early 2010s.

An additional shot in the arm came in the form of an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). Three of Astro’s founders have already retired, with only Blow remaining. While an initial deal with a local, hands-off private equity firm in 2006 during the first founder’s exit went very well for Astro, by 2016, the ownership of that firm was also looking to retire. While Blow and the owners of the private equity firm initially searched for another buyer, they ultimately determined that rolling the dice with another private equity firm would put Astro’s successful culture and operation at risk.

Employees know that expanding their own knowledge of machining techniques and teaching their coworkers will increase productivity — and, therefore, the value of everyone’s shares in the ESOP.

An ESOP “gave us the most potential to maintain our employee base, our culture, our identity,” Blow says, and in 2018, Astro began its ESOP program. While Blow is still the CEO pending his eventual retirement, the company has also created a five-person senior leadership team that works alongside him. The idea is that this team will be able to consult with and advise a future CEO, ensuring that Astro’s successful strategies continue long into the future. Astro has also safeguarded its future by developing a board of directors, which Blow is slated to join after his retirement.

What does this leadership restructuring mean for the people on the shop floor? Not too much of a change (just as planned), but the ESOP acts as a secondary retirement fund for all employees, one that grows in value when the shop performs well. As a leveraged ESOP program, share values started at $1.12, but have risen over the course of four years to a value of $114.50 per share. This rapid increase in value has made an impression on employees, who know that expanding their own knowledge of machining techniques and teaching their coworkers will increase productivity and, therefore, the value of everyone’s shares.

With large parts comes the need to provide quality assurance over a large area. Astro’s FaroArm portable CMM can “leapfrog” from section to section of a large part by using data points as references, according to Eric Blow.

Large Parts Are a Big Deal

This determination to expand on skills grows more important by the day as Astro invests in more complicated machines. In addition to the Mazak Integrexes, Astro uses seven five-axis machines for part production — one of which is a gantry mill designed to machine large parts.

The APEC G3060 from the Asia Pacific Elite Corporation has been producing parts 10 feet by 20 feet by 5 feet since 2016. Originally, the machine was meant to produce the 15- or 20-foot frames some custom machines required, a task Astro farmed out to other partners for many years. While the APEC gantry mill still sees much use for finish machining of large machine frames and bases, it has also proved useful for machining multiple sides of large five-axis parts, a capability that Astro’s clients quickly noticed. Orders suited to the machine arrived in such high quantities that the machine can be fully booked six to eight months in advance.

This overbooking has led Astro to order an additional gantry mill, this one a Parpas machine with a 10-foot by 10-foot workspace. This not only saves floor space (even with a grand total of 72,000 square feet of floor space, there are limits), but Blow says 80% of jobs for the APEC mill could fit onto a machine of this size. Thus, the new machine will double up on capacity for most jobs and enable the APEC machine to better focus on jobs that make use of its full range.

Multipurpose Value-Adds

This strategy of acquiring capabilities to bring more aspects of custom machine manufacturing in-house, then expanding on these capabilities as they bring in additional business, expands beyond large-part machining.

Astro purchased a fabrication shop in March 2021 — not because it lacked fabrication capabilities, but because the acquired shop had long-established relationships with the energy distribution market, which Astro hoped to enter. It also filled a fabrication niche Astro’s existing department was too busy to handle. The nine full-time welders already with Astro focused on complicated, highly technical work, leaving them with little time to complete more traditional tasks like framework for machine bases or conveyors. While the acquired fabrication shop has largely continued to focus on its existing customer base, expansion plans for the shop involve both increasing business with current customers and looping in the shop to assist with Astro’s fabrication backlog.

This expansion of capabilities also applies to the company’s certifications. While the company is already ISO 9001- and AS9100-certified, management decided to go a step further and seek NQA-1 qualification for further work in the nuclear industry. This is not a formal accreditation, but a standard companies will insist upon before scheduling work. Astro rewrote its quality management manual to fit these standards (encompassing ISO and AS quality standards), and its quality manager’s role expanded to become what Brian Hess, commercial sales manager at Astro Machine Works, describes as a “safety-related auditor.” Once a nuclear customer audits Astro, a successful result will mean Astro enters a database of shops qualified for nuclear work. While qualifying for this database will not make much of a difference for most of the shop’s clients, it adds enough to deepen their relationship with a key handful of customers.

What comes next? Astro already maintains three production buildings, but plans are in motion to construct another building with a ceiling 40-50 feet high for even larger custom machines — and whatever new capabilities Astro adds next.

Landscape Photo Credit: Astro Machine Works
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Understanding the Different Choices in Metal and Fluid Recycling

 

Why would a company choose a chip wringer system for metal recycling over a briquetter system that compresses the chips into compact pucks? Is one of the two a more cost-effective choice?

Not necessarily, says Mike Hook, national sales manager for Prab. One consideration is the local scrap dealer, and what premium this firm is willing to pay for pucks over chips. Another consideration is transportation distance and cost, since the pucks are easier to ship.

This question was one of the points addressed in the recent webinar presentation Mr. Hook gave on managing waste streams in the machine shop—both metal waste Milling inserts and fluid waste. Investing to manage either of these streams more effectively can save cost in various ways, including via reuse, control of disposal and even the conversion of some of the waste into a revenue stream.

The value in the webinar (an archived version is available here) is that it touches quickly on various options for chip and coolant handling. Equipment discussed includes shredders, chip wringers, briquetters, tramp oil separators, magnetic and filter-media separators, centrifuges and coolant recycling systems—all arguably underappreciated equipment with the potential for significant impact on the economics of the shop.

In the area of chip handling, Mr. Hook discussed the familiar option of a conveyor system under the floor. He also showed the application of a cleaner alternative: a shop that had implemented a system that shreds chips at the machine tools so they can be sent through an above-ground pneumatic system to a cyclone for drying and a silo Carbide Turning Inserts to await pickup. For this shop (which has high cleanliness requirements), the result is an environmentally friendly system realizing hands-off chip management from generation to pickup.


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Non Metallic Inclusions in Steel and Methods to Identify Them

Non metallic inclusions mainly come from various types of non-metallic inclusion compounds formed by the corresponding increase of the equilibrium constants of oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the process of liquid steel condensation. The products formed by TCGT Insert chemical reaction should be called non-metallic inclusion or inclusion for short. Although the amount of inclusions in steel is small, it has a bad effect on the quality of steel materials and products. With the development of modern material engineering technology, the requirement of steel quality is increasingly strict. Therefore, in-depth study of non-metallic inclusions will be of great significance to material identification, product fracture analysis, scrap analysis and failure analysis.

Contents hide 11.Sources of non-metallic inclusions in steel 22.Influence of inclusions on steel quality 33.Metallographic identification of inclusions 44. types and morphology of inclusions1.Sources of non-metallic inclusions in steel

Inclusions are mainly caused by a series of physical and chemical reactions during melting and solidification of steel. According to their sources, they can be divided into endogenous (internal) inclusions and exogenous (external) inclusions.

endogenous inclusions

Endogenetic inclusions refer to the products produced by the chemical reaction between various material components in the process of steel smelting, casting and condensation, or the contact between the steel and the atmosphere or container in the furnace, or the particles precipitated due to the decrease of solubility when the condensation temperature of liquid steel decreases.

foreign inclusions

Foreign inclusion is also called external inclusion or accidental inclusion. It is due to the smelting, casting production process, from the equipment or container off and mixed into the liquid steel impurities. In addition, sometimes due to the negligence of smelting operation, the refractory brick cracks and falls off due to thermal impact, forming products with other kinds of oxides and becoming foreign inclusion

2.Influence of inclusions on steel quality

The harmfulness of inclusions depends on their quantity, shape, size, distribution, melting point, physical and chemical properties. When the inclusion has the property of low melting point, the steel will produce hot brittleness and crack due to its melting or softening during hot working. When there are aluminum inclusions or other nitrides in the steel, the surface hardness of the steel is not uniform, which makes it difficult to cut and grind. When the inclusion in the steel has exceeded the standard, it will bring great difficulties to the heat treatment and welding process, such as the uneven infiltration layer in the chemical heat treatment, and the strength of the weldment will be greatly reduced or cracked during welding

3.Metallographic identification of inclusions

Metallographic identification method can not identify the chemical composition and crystal structure of inclusions, but can directly observe and identify the shape, size, quantity, distribution and type of inclusions under optical metallographic microscope. At the same time, metallographic identification method also has the characteristics of simple operation and easy implementation.

interception and preparation of metallographic samples in order to ensure that the intercepted samples can represent the results of identification of non-metallic inclusions, the intercepted parts shall meet the requirements of corresponding technical conditions. For forging blank, samples can be taken from different parts from the center to the edge of forging blank, such as the head, middle and tail of forging blank; for rolled and cold drawn steel, samples should be taken longitudinally through the center line; for quenching crack, forging crack, hot rolling, stamping and failure fatigue fracture, samples should be taken at the crack and fracture; for special steel or product parts, samples can be taken according to the requirements It should be carried out according to the standard of the company.

The metallographic sandpaper from coarse to fine shall be used in the grinding process of the sample. The next grinding process shall be perpendicular to the grinding mark of the previous grinding process until the grinding mark disappears. In the polishing process, the polishing surface of the sample should be moved back and forth at the radius of the polishing disc with appropriate pressure, and the sample itself should also be rotated continuously. The final requirement is that the sample is not etched in 100 times field of view, and its surface has no scratch, no peeling, no water mark, no stain, smooth and bright as a mirror.

4. types and morphology of inclusions

Sulfides have high ductility, single gray inclusions with a wide range of shape ratio (length / width), generally with rounded Cemented Carbide Inserts ends; most of alumina have no deformation, with small shape ratio (generally < 3), and black or blue particles are arranged in a row along the rolling direction (at least three particles); silicate has high ductility, with a wide range of shape ratio Single black or dark gray inclusions (generally ≥ 3), generally with acute angle at the end; spherical oxides are non deformable, angular or round, small in shape (generally < 3), black or blue, irregularly distributed particles; single particle spherical inclusions are round or nearly round, diameter ≥ 13 μ M.


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