Process Improvement


Tool Time for Fracking


I recently visited a customer who is producing fluid ends for the fracking industry in P20 steel material. Te company’s operators wanted to reduce cycle time by rough boring instead of performing helical interpolation with a mill. With a little know- how and the right tools, we were able to significantly reduce cycle time.


Helical Interpolation vs. Rough Boring Helical interpolation relies on the machine tool axes to produce output. A mill-


ing cutter, smaller in size than the desired bore size, is run along a helical path to open up the bore. For one-off projects, low production runs, or shallow bores, it can be a good stand-in solution. Keep in mind, though, that radial forces are constantly exerted on the spindle,


so increased wear on the bearings can be a concern, as well as tool stability for longer tools. With a twin rough boring you are just plunging the tool axially, so it’s a more stable operation; the radial cutting forces are balanced, and the result is


Helical interpolation and rough boring are two ways to open holes in fracking- industry applications, but as volume increases and speed becomes a factor, one operation emerges as superior.


In order to eliminate stringing chips in the bore that were not being evacuated, speed was increased to 600 sfm and feed to 0.026 ipr, resulting in chips that were very short and easily evacuated.


axial force back into the machine spindle. Tis also becomes a factor when deeper bores require longer tool lengths. Te deflection of a milling cutter will decrease its productivity much faster than a boring tool as tool length increases. And when that productivity difference is amortized over a long production run, boring becomes increasingly valuable.


Matt Tegelman Applications & Product Manager BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. Hoffman Estates, IL


Energy Manufacturing 2013 45


Photos courtesy BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc.


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