How TechSolve Can Help Increase Tool Life for Better Manufacturing Process Efficiency

When a machine or a machining process becomes a bottleneck, it can affect the entire production process. Even if attended to quickly, it consumes resources and a solution can often be difficult to find or to implement. This is when expert help from TechSolve’s machining specialists—scientists, physicists and engineers—can be invaluable in diagnosing and providing practical, implementable solutions to meet and exceed your goals for manufacturing process optimization.

The Consequences of an Underperforming Tool

An international manufacturer of bearings for the automotive industry had been working with a tool manufacturer for over a year to address problems with a cutting tool that was not meeting production goals. The tool life promised by the cutting tool manufacturer was not being met at the final station of the transfer line, finish boring operations, and the tool life rates were random—between four and 450 parts.

Due to the premature tool failure, the surface finish and final tolerance on every machined part had to be inspected. The many parts that failed inspection had to be scrapped because they could not be reworked or recycled. The company wanted to reduce the volume of scrapped parts and increase the life of the cutting tools to over 800 parts.

A Solution in the Geometry

TechSolve carried out a detailed analysis of the process, followed by testing and evaluation of the resonant frequencies of the machine tool. New and worn-out tool cutters and samples of failed bearing faces were microscopically analyzed to determine specific failure modes.

TechSolve identified potential adjustments to the tool’s geometry. A honed edge on the cutter would reduce wear and part failure. A honed radius on the tool would give the cutter more stability when engaging material and increase its structural stability without sacrificing surface finish requirements.

The geometry of the radius of the cutters was then determined and implemented by TechSolve’s experts. As a result, there was no further need for the individual inspection of parts and the manufacturer solved a variety of issues such as an unacceptable part finish, inconsistent material quality and high scrap rates, to name a few. This led to benefits that included:

  • A 4:1 increase in tool life and a dramatic decrease in scrapped parts to less than 1%;
  • Previously high—and expensive—scrap rates plummeted from 68% to under 1%; and
  • The part no longer needing manual inspection, which reduced operational cost.

A Plan That is Right for You

Imagine if you could identify the areas of your production line that are dragging down efficiency, and refine your machining processes to make data-driven decisions and create smarter systems. At TechSolve we can help you analyze data to optimize manufacturing process efficiency and create a plan for adopting technology that makes sense for your business and your budget. Contact us at info@techsolve.org or complete the form below to find out more.