“The oil film reduces the degree of contact between the graphite and the tool surface, which further increases the service life of the tool. This technology offers outstanding advantages in the form of better component quality, fewer rejects, and significantly lower production costs,” said Dr. Dirk Kammermeier, head of product development at tool manufacturer Fraisa.
Costly multi-machine operation no longer is necessary for processing various electrode materials, and the associated labour from the setup of multiple processes also is eliminated.
Jonas Meier, head of the center of competence at machine builder GF Machining Solutions, said, “With the most recent innovation from GF Machining Solutions, we have not only solved the problem of dust build-up, but also [now] allow a single machine to be used for graphite, copper, and steel machining.”
All three of these materials can be machined in the same production system, without any manual intervention and with the same setup and tooling.
The system has been tested at Blaser Swisslube’s Technology Center in Switzerland, as well as in the metal cutting laboratories of Fraisa and GF Machining Solutions. A real-world component was simulated at all three sites during testing. In addition to the various tool coatings, numerous cutting oils were compared against one another during the rough cutting and finishing operations.
According to the builders, this system will give mold makers longer tool life, better part finishes, optimized cycle times, and substantial cost savings per machine per year.
Wet machining of graphite helps eliminate dust for a cleaner, healthier work environment.
Blaser Swisslube | www.blaser.com
FRAISA | www.fraisa.com
GF Machining Solutions | www.gfms.com
GR3 | gr3solution.com
Originally posted in Canadian Metal Working March 22, 2022:
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