Cutting Tools Pages 63 to 70 Correct Selection, Consistency and Coatings By Christina M. Fuges To achieve quality, consistent mold machining, the cutting tools used must be selected correctly. This may include keeping up with the latest tool technology and using only high-performance tools with a demonstrated track record. It should also be recognized that today’s complex mold designs require the purchase of different tools with optimal geometry for unique customer applications. The increased complexity of plastic part geometries requires smaller cutting tools that run at signifi cantly higher Leadtime Leader speeds, which are only 0.125-inch in diameter, generally. Precise Tooling Solutions shares current capabilities and a glimpse of the changes occurring inside its manufacturing Also, becoming more involved with vendors ensures a operations when it comes to cutting tool technology. company is able to educate itself on new products and best practices that could potentially improve capabilities and 1. Invest in the upgrade of your company’s equipment. deliver world-class products to customers. Five-axis technologies such as Roeders and Fermat machines run at signiicantly higher speeds than previous generation 3. Stay on top of continued advances in technology machines. This is in part due to the increased complexity of that drive improvements in cutting tool accuracy and plastic part geometries, which require smaller cutting tools increase tool longevity. that run at increased speeds. On average, these newer cut-These advancements can be found with new coatings ting tools are only . -inch in diameter. Although many for heat reduction and indexable cutting tools that offer smaller tools are shorter, there has been success in using a increased eficiency via the ability to get four uses out of heat shrink with a longer holder. This approach eliminates each insert. vibration and provides a longer reach, enabling users to More broadly, mold designers will stretch the limits reach deep into pockets. Updating cutting tools also offers of new software to design even more complex molds for time savings, including less machine downtime and reduced evolving customer (consumer) needs. We also expect mold-setup times. ers will be using new compounds. In turn, these develop-ments will require moldmakers to remain agile with their 2. Improve visibility into one’s machining efficiency approach to cutting tools, machining hardware and CAM via appropriate software installation such as IoT software. software that provides real-time analytics across the entire manufacturing operation. This could enable a company to monitor and track produc-tion metrics of its machines and provide a more granular understanding of setup times, causes of machine downtime, FOR MORE INFORMATION tool longevity, etc. For example, IoT software that helps Precise Tooling Solutions / 812-378-0247 to re-engineer an inventory system to offer a cutting tool info@precisetooling.com / precisetooling.com inventory based on usage rather than intuition. 70 Mo MoldMaking g Technology y — — JU JULY 2021 Image courtesy of Precise Tooling Solutions.