Case Study From: 5/1/2014 Modern Machine Shop, Edited by: Emily Probst, Associate Editor To machine helical gears at 45-degree angles, Gurecky installed a customized multifunctional machine from DMG Mori Ellison Technologies with a hobbing tool from Heimatec.
Gurecky was founded in 1983. Today, the company operates out of a 43,000-square-foot facility, serving the oil, gas and energy industries. The company produces multifaceted precision parts ranging from prototypes to mass production. To remain competitive, Gurecky constantly invests in advanced manufacturing equipment. For example, since buying its first DMU 50 ecoline from DMG Mori (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), the company has moved production from traditional vertical machining centers (VMCs) to the more versatile five-axis DMG Mori machines. In late 2012, Gurecky President John Dorman decided it was time to purchase a CNC machine specifically for gear hobbing. The company approached DMG Mori Ellison Technologies and decided to install its customized multifunctional NLX 2500SY/700 with the ability to hob gears. What made this particular application challenging was the fact that Gurecky needed to machine helical gears at a 45-degree angle. This was a problem because standard hobbing units only allow ±30 degrees of helix angle adjustment due to loss of rigidity. Undaunted by the task, Heimatec said it could design a custom hobbing tool with ±45 degrees of adjustment to use in conjunction with the new machine. According to Preben Hansen, president of Heimatec, lathes and their coordinating controls are more sophisticated these days, so a dedicated hobbing machine isn’t always necessary. “As long as the machines can handle it, we can build a tool to do it.” After a few months of testing, the tool was complete and ready to be put to work. Rigidity is the key to tackling this difficult machining operation, he says. “It’s a pretty difficult operation, and when you’re twisting that tool, there’s a lot of leverage. You have to be concerned with the rigidity of the tool. When you’re turning at 45 degrees and milling at the same time, you tend to lose rigidity,” he says. To combat this loss, Mr. Hansen says Heimatec’s hobbing units are designed with a strong bearing structure. In turn, this structure provides the rigidity necessary to reduce backlash and increase tool life. It also increases the performance of the hobs that do the cutting, he says. The hobbing unit can run at 3,000 rpm and provide 63 Nm of torque. “One of the things we do to help is increase the torque through a gear reduction,” Mr. Hansen says. “Many times, it’s a 1:1 ratio, and we go 2:1. So if its 3,000 rpm into the tool, the tool only rotates at 1,500 rpm. So we increase the torque output by gearing down the tool.”
Heimatec and DMG Mori Ellison Technologies set up the hobbing attachment, wrote the program code and started cutting the 45-degree helical gears in a quarter of the time that it took in the past. Completing more operations in one setup has been a major time saver for Gurecky. Previously, the part would be turned on the lathe, then taken off and set up for a secondary hobbing operation. The hobbing operation alone took one to two hours. Now, the company can machine precision parts on the CNC lathe using the custom hobbing unit in 8 to 10 minutes, start to finish. Another benefit of the single setup is that scrap has been reduced from about 10 percent to 1.6 percent, greatly improving overall efficiency and the company’s bottom line.
Along with the increased adjustment angle, Heimatec designed the custom hobbing tool to be interchangeable, which enables Gurecky to use different arbor sizes. The company can put a different kind of hob in the unit and switch to a different part fairly simply. According to the company, this feature has saved more than $200,000.
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The OSG AeroHBC is a herringbone style router for high feed rates and excellent surface finishes in difficult to cut carbon fiber composites and Nomex honeycomb sandwich materials. It features a compression cutting mechanism to reduce the tendency of flagging in honeycomb materials. ![]() Upshear, Downshear and Herringbones We often get asked about the advantages of different types of cutters by machine shops who are starting to move from metals based machining to composites. Here's a short explanation. Upcut or upshear routers will pull the chips up and out of the cut. Most standard end mills and routers operate this way. Downshear routers leaves a crisper, cleaner edge on the top surface of the material because they push the chips downward into the material. Herringbone cutters, also called compression routers, combine the two for the cutting of laminates, honeycomb or any two sided material. It virtually eliminates chipping, or flagging, on both sides for cleaner edge surface finishes. It also prevents the delimitation of the surface materials that sandwich the honeycomb together. In a herringbone cutter the bottom portion is upshear and the top portion is downshear. The EXOPRO Aero-HBC Features![]() EXOPRO® AERO-HBC Features
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The Exopro-CC-SUS spiral tap series from OSG Tap & Die is designed for tapping stainless steel, as well as carbon and alloy steels.
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by Steve McBride, Product Specialist, OSG Tap & Die There are a variety of Shrink Fit Toolholding Systems on the market, all of which use thermal contraction to grip cutting tools. However, while most Shrink Fit holders are one-piece type, OSG has improved upon this design with our “hybrid” Shrink Fit System. The word “hybrid” is defined as “something of mixed origin or composition” and this is what OSG has accomplished with our shrink fit system, as our holders have the accuracy and rigidity of Shrink Fit Holders, but the versatility of Collet Chucks.
HOW ACCURATE IS IT? Since all surfaces are precision ground, OSG’s Shrink Fit System maintains a runout accuracy of 5 microns (0.0002”) or less. This accuracy is consistently repeatable, since our Shrink Fit Collets are made of a stainless steel alloy (rather than tool steel) and our hot air Shrink Fit unit keeps the heat to a manageable level. This high level of accuracy helps the customer to machine the part to a finished state without worry.
Using the OSG’s Shrink Fit Holders with standard cutting tools (rather than EDM or special extended-length cutting tools) save customers considerable money. OSG’s Shrink Fit Collets can also be modified to fit extremely tight spaces
FLEXIBILITY In addition to accuracy and reach, OSG’s Shrink Fit System offers flexibility that others do not. One Base Holder can accommodate a variety of Shrink Fit Collets, allowing customers to keep initial investments low. Also, since Shrink Fit Collets can be used in any Base Holder, customers can use OSG’s Shrink Fit System in multiple machines simply by purchasing new Base Holders. This is particularly helpful since a shop can get greater versatility out of existing tooling when they purchase new machines. MAXIMUM COST SAVINGS OSG’s Shrink Fit System provides maximum accuracy, reach and flexibility, all of which contribute to increased productivity and cost savings. Your customers should consider our system not only for new tooling purchases, but also for improving productivity on existing jobs. DiACON, a part of M.A. Ford’s Advanced Product Group, features a wide range of high performance, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tipped tools to improve your productivity in today’s metal, wood and composite material industries. PCD tooling is ideal for more efficient machining of non-ferrous metals, plastics, composite materials, graphite and other hard to machine and abrasive materials. DiACONTM offers end mills, drills, step drills, step reamers and countersinks. Special tools are quoted upon request. According to MA Ford, "DiACONTM is dedicated to continually developing innovative products manufactured with efficient state-of-the-art technology while offering great value and top quality at reasonable prices." The tools will be offered in the following standard configurations. Here are the series names and some information about them.
Here's some of the details on the new tools: ![]() DES (DiACON End Mill Square) Series A straight flute PCD tipped end mill available with 1 or 2 flutes depending on tool size and configuration. These end mills combine a PCD tip with a carbide body for maximum rigidity and optimal performance. Offers excellent results in CFRP (Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer), fiberglass, aluminum and other very abrasive materials. A straight flute PCD tipped end mill available from 3 flute to 9 flutes depending on tool size and configuration. These end mills combine a PCD tip with a carbide body for maximum rigidity and optimal performance. Offers excellent results in CFRP (Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer), fiberglass, aluminum and other very abrasive materials. ![]() DEB (DiACON End Mill Ball) Series A straight flute PCD tipped ball nose end mill available in 1 or 2 flutes depending on tool size. These end mills combine a PCD tip with a carbide body for maximum rigidity and optimal performance. Offers excellent results in CFRP (Carbon-Fiber- Reinforced Polymer), fiberglass, aluminum and other very abrasive materials. ![]() DSE (DiACON Spiral End Mill) Series A spiral veined PCD end mill designed with a 30 degree helix (15 degree helix angleavailable as a special). Available in 2 flute for 6mm and 1⁄4” diameters, and 4 flute for larger diameters. A through hole can also be provided as a special on sizes 3/8” (10mm) and above. Offers excellent results in CFRP (Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer), fiber-glass, aluminum and other very abrasive materials. ![]() 84PCD Series A two flute PCD tipped microstop countersink manufactured on a high speed steel body allows for exceptional performance in aircraft composite applications. Available in inch and metric sizes and also can be reconditioned for maximum cost per hole. ![]() 87PCD Series A three flute PCD tipped microstop countersink manufactured on a high speed steel body allows for exceptional performance in aircraft composite applications. The three flute design allows for optimal wear resistance. Available in inch sizes and also can be reconditioned for maximum cost per hole. ![]() 83PCD Series A two flute PCD tipped integral pilot microstop countersink manufactured on a high speed steel body allows for exceptional performance in aircraft composite applications. Available in inch and metric sizes. Due to the integral pilot design, tools are not typically reconditioned, but can be quoted if needed. ![]() DWD (DiACON Spiral Wafer Drill) The spiral wafer drill offers excellent performance in CFRP (Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer), fiberglass, aluminum and other very abrasive materials. Available as a special from 1/8” to 1/2” and 3mm to 16mm. ![]() DND (DiACON Nib Drill) Series DiACONTM’s Full Nib Drill has been specifically developed for the drilling of CFRP and CFRP/Metal stack used on all modern aircraft today. The high performance point and fluting geometry greatly reduces separation and delamination in the drilling process. The DiACONTM Full Nib Drill can also be reconditioned two to three times for improved cost per hole. Available as a special in sizes from 1/8” to .354” and 3mm to 10mm. |
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