IMTS Pavilion: Tooling & Workholding


five-axis and multiaxis machines. Cutting tool manufacturers spent a lot of money on research and on new equipment to produce better carbide grades and substrates and better coat- ings to machine metals like stainless steel, nickel-based alloys,


the Hastelloys, Waspaloys, and newest high tensile strength aluminum alloys for the aircraft market,” said Fara. “The price of the average end mill for these applications has gone from $6 to $12 apiece, up to $60, due to sophisticated grades, flute configurations, edge preps and geometries. As a result over the last couple of years, manufacturers have begun to realize that they can’t get the performance out of new advanced tech- nology using old toolholding technology. They are willing to consider higher preci- sion collet chucks and milling chucks be- cause of their higher TIR accuracy with their radial load capability. And, they’re looking at shrink-fit systems because that is the most accurate TIR toolholding sys- tem on the market. Once they have gone through cost justification of new machine tools, they understand the payback over a 1-, 2-, 3-year period for tooling systems vs the immediate perishable type tooling with an end mill holder.”


Step Back to Get Perspective A good starting point in discuss- ing the health of US manufacturing is to step back and consider growth in industries like aerospace, medical, and energy, as well as the impact of reshor- ing, said Kurt Nordlund, president, Seco Tools LLC (Troy, MI). “The reasons for reshoring are well known: difficulty of working at a distance, quality is- sues, and rising cost of transportation and delivery. As a company, we have specific knowledge about these growing high-tech segments. We have a tradi- tion of being focused on high-strength, heat-resistant materials, like Inconel, titanium, and high-end stainless steel.” At IMTS, Seco will focus on the mate- rials side of workpieces where the techni- cal content of its products is becoming more important. Said Nordlund: “We’ve expanded our engineering capabilities


124 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | August 2014


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