Metal Working World 2010 #2

One lOcal imprOvement that spreads thrOughOut the wOrld

find the road to success at imtsdeep holes are high techthe real heroes step forward

a business and technology magazine from sandvik coromant

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why caring is good for your business

the giant leap

social responsibility:

Heinz-Josef van der Sande, global commodity manager special tools, Siemens.

In the prevIous Issue of Metalworking World we discussed how Sandvik Coromant works with customers to find optimal ways to use our tools in every solution we suggest, and how we make sure to implement each solution to the best benefit of the individual customer. The trend is toward industry specialization.

There is also another trend that involves standardization. Many of our global customers want to identify best practice in production processes. As a second step, they want to roll

out those processes in all production units around the world. Customized solutions and standardization are no longer opposites; they go hand in hand. Standardization will give fewer but better tools, with a longer tool life, refined supervision and higher quality – in other words, improved manufacturing economics.

take a look at Siemens Energy, a German manufacturer of turbines. Following a heavy machine investment Siemens worked with Sandvik Coromant on productivity improve-ments that were carried out across several production units in different parts of the world.

Or read about SwePart Verktyg, a Swedish

manufacturer of tools such as deep drawing dies. SwePart halved its production time, thanks to standardization and using fewer tools, a result of working with Sandvik Coromant on a Productivity Improvement Program. The specific stamping die is used to manufacture components for a BMW model wheelhouse. The manufacturing cost for the stamping dies for a single car model is an estimated $150 million. Imagine the possible cost savings in standardization.

These are just two of examples of what we will share with you at this year’s IMTS, taking place September 13–18 in Chicago. The solution carried out at SwePart Verktyg along with other cutting-edge solutions for your business will be showcased at the Sandvik Coromant Smart Hub. We look forward to seeing you there.

I wIll repeat something else from the previous issue: my conviction that progress comes from meeting challenges. Globalization and specialization will continue to be two key areas where Sandvik Coromant creates customer value.

I wish you pleasant reading!

tom erixonPreSident Sandvik Coromant

customizing standards

editorial

“ Customized solutions and standardization are no longer opposites; they go hand in hand.”

Metalworking worldis a business and technology magazine from AB Sandvik Coromant, 811 81 Sandviken, Sweden. Phone: +46 (26) 26 60 00. Metalworking World is published three times a year in American and British English, Czech, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Thai. The magazine is free to customers of Sandvik Coromant worldwide. Published by Spoon Publishing in Stockholm, Sweden. ISSN 1652-5825.

editor-in-chief and responsible under Swedish publishing law: Yvonne Strandberg. account executive: Christina Hoffmann. editorial manager: Johan Andersson. art director: Erik Westin. technical editor: Christer Richt. Sub editor: Valerie Mindel. Coordinator: Beate Tjernström. Language coordination: Sergio Tenconi. Layout, language editions: Jessica Bladh. Prepress: Markus Dahlstedt. Cover photo: Peter Jönsson.

Please note that unsolicited manuscripts are not accepted. Material in this publication may only be reproduced with permission. Requests for permission should be sent to the editorial manager, Metalworking World. Editorial material and opinions expressed in Metalworking World do not necessarily reflect the views of Sandvik Coromant or the publisher.

Correspondence and inquiries regarding the magazine are welcome. Contact: Metalworking World, Spoon Publishing AB,Kungstensgatan 21B, 113 57 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: +46 (8) 442 96 20. e-mail: [email protected]. distribution inquiries: Beate Tjernström, Sandvik Coromant. Phone: +46 (26) 26 67 35. e-mail: [email protected] in US.Coromant Capto, CoroMill, CoroCut, CoroPlex, CoroTurn, CoroThread, CoroDrill, CoroBore, CoroGrip, AutoTAS, GC and iLock are all registered trademarks of Sandvik Coromant.

Metalworking World is issued for informational purposes. The information provided is of a general nature and should not be treated as advice or be relied upon for making decisions or for use in a specific matter. Any use of the information provided is at the user’s sole risk, and Sandvik Coromant shall not be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential or indirect damage arising out of the use of the information made available in Metalworking World.

Get your free copy of metalworking World. email your address to [email protected].

ToM ERIxoN PRESIDENT SANDVIK CoRoMANT

2 metalworking world

metalworking news.........4china’s richest man has powerful dreams..............6imts special: speeding up business........................8the superhero among drilling techniques..........12same solution – everywhere...................17

they make good ideas come true........................ 26be careful – your business benefits from it...............32metalworking outlook............................. 36manufacturing of the windmill giant..................38

3010metalworking world 3

contentMETALWoRKING WoRLD #2 2010

the best tool-holding system there is.

Siemens energy in Berlin produces the world’s largest gas turbine.

Technology

die casts for the car industry can be manufactured much faster.

Jet engine components from HRSA are difficult to manufacture efficiently. But with a well-balanced overall solution the job can be done.

Heat exchangers represent a real machining challenge. They require thousands of holes to be drilled consistently and accurately.

the thousand-hole challenge

Challenge the heat

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8

the windmill hub is more than 13 feet in diameter.

38

26Wu Yong Lin is the general manager of vdL etG’s plant in Singapore.

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The cost per machined gear wheel can be reduced considerably. The solution: the introduction of a new generation of indexable insert tools for gear milling.

gear grooming

7

A new, independent test series verifies that Coromant Capto has much better results for resistance to both bending and torsion than competing tool-holding systems.

Simply the best


news

A bridge for the recordBuildingS. Construction of the world’s longest bridge is due to start in the first half of 2010.

The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge, linking the Arab states of Bahrain and Qatar in the Persian Gulf, will be 25 miles long and will include a highway and rail lines. The bridge will be high enough to not obstruct maritime traffic. It will cost $3 billion to build and is scheduled to open in 2015.

five questions to rick hern, sandvik coromant us:

1. What should visitors focus on at imtS?“[IMTS] is more important than ever, with the market on the road to recovery. Visitors recognize the value of staying competitive in difficult times, which drives them to find new ways of staying ahead.”

2. What’s your focus?“To give an experience that will provide inspiration, innovation and a new way of making processes profitable. We can show the tools in action, running on the latest top machine brands.”

3. What solutions are you presenting?“The trend and future of

machining is to engineer the entire process before it gets to the machine. We will demonstrate new techniques and tools to enable manufacturers to reach desired process times and profits before cutting chips.”

4. What else can be found in the Smart Hub?“With qualified industry specialists on hand, representing all industry segments, we can look at even the most challenging of problems together to find a solution. After all, the secret of our research is the customer’s development.”

5. is imtS important even for companies from overseas? “IMTS is the most important exhibition this year in the whole world. As the market recovers and picks up speed, it’s more important than ever to keep track of what’s new.”

rick Hern works in the communications department at Sandvik Coromant US.

1. power pointCheck out some of the latest techniques within the wind and condensing industries – in gear milling and other areas.2. speaker’s cornerListen as the man in the yellow coat presents a shortened version of “The Modern Art of Milling.”3. product pathFollow the production of a component in the aerospace sector from CAD drawing to tryout in a virtual machine to the actual making of the component.4. show timeAt the end of the road, experience the unexpected.

read more about IMts on page 8.

the road to successiMtS. This year Sandvik Coromant has recreated a city of smart solutions and innovations with the main avenue leading visitors through the latest tooling technology. It’s a city that focuses on success in manufacturing, where visitors can experience the unexpected. Roadside highlights:

“We’re on the road to recovery”

to learn more, visit: www.sandvik.coromant.com/us.

the road to success starts here. the Sandvik Coromant Smart Hub at imtS will be like nothing you have seen before.

metalworking world 5

yellow coats on the roadtrade ShowS 2010•IMTS 2010, September 13–18, Chicago, Illinois• AMB, September 28–october 2, Stuttgart,

Germany• TATEF, october 12–17, Istanbul, Turkey• China WindPower, october 13–15, Beijing, China• Energia 2010, october 26–28, Tampere, Finland• JIMTOF2010, october 28–November 2, Tokyo,

Japan

anniverSary. To celebrate its 25th anniversary in China, Sandvik Coromant is taking its show on the road.

A bright yellow truck emblazoned with the Sandvik Coromant logo will travel to 45 cities in China between March and November 2010. The truck will also attend four trade shows.

The purpose of the road show is to demonstrate to existing and potential clients

the full range of Sandvik Coromant products and expertise. The show will emphasize CoroPak and milling tools in particular.

During road show events, the truck will open up into a demonstration booth to show off the various Sandvik Coromant tools. Touch screens will be available to help visitors learn about machining applications and best practices.

Productivity center opens in Australiar&d. A new Productivity Center opened in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2010.

The modern facility is the 25th Productivity Center Sandvik Coromant has opened. It will be used to train manufacturers and distributors via seminars, live demonstrations and advanced theory-based courses that cover the latest machining technologies.

All traditional industries will be included, but special emphasis will be placed on aerospace, milling and Coromant Capto tool-holding and multi-tasking opportunities.

Through the new center, Sandvik Coromant aims to help Australian manufacturers optimize their productivity and profitability.

listening to the customeriMtS. Sometimes a small dimensional or geometrical consideration can have a greater impact than a new coating technology. A case in point:

The gripper grooves on the Coromant Capto coupling are for automatic tool changing, but in lathes the tools are always changed manually so the gripper grooves are nonfunctional.

For a new line of high-performance lathes being developed by Mori Seiki in Chicago, space inside

the machine was getting tight. The company contacted Sandvik Coromant to see what could be done.

“By removing the gripper grooves we could shorten the tools to allow for extra turret swing clearance,” says Craig Dimond, machine investment manager at Sandvik Coromant US.

This solution is possible on all lathes.

Detlef Streichert, team leader, technical sales, at DMG/Mori Seiki USA, says: “Removing the gripper

grooves meant that we could use a larger Coromant Capto coupling size, which allowed for more rigidity and flexibility as well as higher productivity and security.”

This unique solution, along with others, will be on display at the upcoming IMTS in Chicago.

detlef Streichert, dmG/mori Seiki USa (left), and Craig dimond, Sandvik Coromant US.


wang chuanfu’s byd is leading the development of electric cars.the dream builderWang Chuanfu, 44, has gone from rags to riches in just a few decades. He grew up anything but wealthy on a rice farm in China’s anhui Province and had lost both his parents to illness by the time he was 15.

at 28, he took a loan from a cousin and founded what is today the world’s largest supplier of mobile phone batteries. around the same

time, Wang bought a bankrupt state-owned car company in Shenzhen and gave it the name BYd, which stands for Build Your dreams.

In 2008, BYD put the world’s first plug-in electric car on the China market, and in late 2009 Wang was named China’s richest person.

the company has plans to introduce the car in europe by 2010 and then in North

america. Several models of different sizes have been developed.

“many people have asked me why i bought a car company,” Wang told Automobile Magazine. “i have two reasons. First, the market is huge in China. Second, we have the world’s [leading] battery technology. We believe the age of gasoline will pass and power

will come from new energy sources.”

Speaking about losing his parents early, Wang recently told the Wall Street Journal, “it helped me grow up fast and made me independent. But my older siblings supported me and encouraged me to attend college. When i was in university, i had some scholarships, and i was able to finish my degree.”

richest in china.In November 2009, when Forbes magazine published its ranking of China’s richest people, car and battery maker BYd’s chairman Wang Chuanfu was at the top of the list, with a personal wealth estimated at $5.8 billion.

quick timeTExT: JAN HöKERBERG PHoTo: GETTY IMAGES

technologyTExT: TURKKA KULMALA

summAryIndependent test data verify that Coromant Capto has extreme resistance to both bending and torsion – much better than competing tool-holding systems.

soluTion: get verified test data from an independent survey.

chAllenge: to find the best possible tool-holder system for your needs.

Bending chArAcTerisTicsThe graph shows that Coromant Capto C6 has 1.65 times better interface stiffness than HSK 63. The toppling of the face contact was 2.88 times better. Corresponding figures for Coromant Capto C10 were 1.51 for the interface stiffness and 2.15 for the toppling of the face contact.

seeing is believingthe well-reputed RWTH Aachen University in Germany has recently carried out a new study on Coromant Capto and comparable holding systems. The test series conducted by the university’s machine tool laboratory (WZL) in 2009 compared bending stiffness and torque resistance of Coromant Capto with comparable sizes of other standardized tool-holder systems.

The results were striking: None of the competing tool-holding systems could achieve even close to the same results as the Coromant Capto coupling.

“This is yet another proof that Coromant Capto is the best option for standardization across all machines in the workshop,” says Ronald Schreiber, manager for Coromant Capto at Sandvik Coromant.

Among other things, the study showed that the greater wall thickness of Coromant Capto in comparison to HSK allows for higher clamping forces. These higher clamping forces translate into increased bending stiffness (see left graph below).

Independent comparative data on tooling systems are difficult to come by.

TorsionAl chArAcTerisTicsThe graph shows that Coromant Capto C6 has 2.29 times better torque resistance than HSK 63. The twisting angle was 7.08 times better. Corresponding figures for Coromant Capto C10 were 1.85 for the torque resistance and 4.0 for the twisting angle.

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torque moment (nm)

ISO 40 (15 kN)HSk-a 63 (22 kn)C6 (22 kn)C6 (55 kn)

ISO 40 (15 kN)HSk-a 63 (22 kn)C6 (22 kn)C6 (55 kn)

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To see things with fresh eyes isn’t always possible. First, who would know better than a company’s own staff what is best for the production? Second, would you trust anyone outside your company with your most intimate production details?

But for SwePart Verktyg out of Tyringe, in southern Sweden, a new set of eyes proved to be exactly what was needed.

“It was a big decision, but it came naturally, as Sandvik Coromant had been a long-time partner,” recalls Rolf Mastenstrand, CEO of SwePart Verktyg. And it turned out to be a milestone for his company.

SwePart Verktyg produces deep drawing dies for car manufacturers. The die casts are used to shape sheeted metal into anything from small interior parts to outer body panels. The company was founded in the early 1940s and was acquired by NovaCast, a Swedish contractor of foundry technology in late 2008.

The long tradition of stamping die produc-tion has earned SwePart Verktyg a well-re-garded name, as well as customers such as Volvo and BMW.

The die casts the company ships are made of gray cast iron, nodular cast iron or a composite material – the patented Camito Concept, a combination of tool steel and gray cast iron. There are many ways to manufacture these die blanks and, as it turned out, lots of ways to improve when it comes to milling.

The production at SwePart Verktyg had grown somewhat unattended, and production

a new set of eyesTyringe, sweden. People say much of the car industry was largely unaffected by the recession – mostly because it was already in crisis. for those who managed to tighten their production, however, there was serious money to be saved.

TExT: HENRIK EK

cycle times and man-hours became an issue. So in 2009 SwePart Verktyg decided to finally put its trust in the Sandvik Coromant team’s tooling knowledge. It ended up in an extensive checkup of the whole cycle, from the milling and crafting itself to the tools used and the software features behind it.

“First of all, Sandvik Coromant came to our

shop with their team, not the other way around,” Mastenstrand says. “They used our equipment for us to get the feel of the improvements. They went through everything to see what we used to do and how it could be done differently.”

In addition to a number of technical improve-ments, the team looked at the organization.

focus imts

SwePart verktyg employees check the CnC program. Sandvik Coromant evaluated the company’s entire manufacturing process.


Making a die out of nodular cast iron requires a number of steps.

What the Sandvik Coromant team noticed when looking into SwePart Verktyg was that time consumption in the rough milling and the semi-finish could be improved by, for example, using CoroMill 210, a high-feed milling cutter, for many of the part operations in the punch.

“You don’t usually choose high-speed milling cutters such as CoroMill 210 for this kind of operation, but in this case we were forced, due to very long overhangs, to direct the cutting forces more specifically in the Z direction to avoid tool deflection and vibration problems,” says Wäinö Kaarto, manager at the R&D center in olofström, run by Sandvik Tooling.

Instead of high-speed steel drills, commonly used at SwePart Verktyg, Sandvik Coromant recommended CoroDrill 880 with a 10–15 times productivity increase, compared with the former tooling. The drilling was done in dry conditions, which works particularly well in gray cast iron and in most nodular cast iron grades. This saved some eight to 10 hours of the total lead time.

“We also used photo scanning to get as exact measurements as possible. This decreased the setting times to a minimum. Very often the tools were as close as 20 millimeters [0.8 inch] from the component when changing position in rapid traverse.”

• For each car model there are between 750 and 1,000 dies used, for everything from interior pieces to outer panels such as the hood and the rest of the car body.

• Just the collection of dies to shape sheet metal runs

manufacturers some $160 million per model. Counting dies for other components in plastic, glass, forging, die-casting or rubber, the tally runs to about $270 million.

• The deep drawing die

consists of three main parts: the blank holder, the matrix and the punch. The punch and the matrix form the sheet metal into a 3D shape. The blank holder makes this process possible by holding the sheet metal.

manufacturing of die casts for the car industry

setups minimized

“Before, SwePart Verktyg had three different buyers for tooling,” says Wäinö Kaarto, manager at the R&D center in Olofström, run by Sandvik Tooling. “We got it down to one.”

Among the overall improvements, the project ended up cutting machining time from 211 hours to a 120 hours per part.

“Usually each hour runs up an estimated cost of $200 to $280,” Kaarto says. “Do the math and you’ll see that there are substantial savings to be made.”

In the end Sandvik Coromant and SwePart Verktyg also got the company down from 260 insert types, milling cutters, drills and tool holders to 151. The number of suppliers was cut down from 19 to just three (all figures are valid for three machines only).

A new software strategy was implemented, and better-quality inserts made it all a more cost-efficient production.

“For us it was about systemizing and

standardizing our processes to save, both in terms of time and real expenses,” says Mastenstrand.

Even though each die sold to car manufacturers is only a single product, cycle time is crucial, just as it is for companies having products in series production.

“A faster flow through our

system means we can promise faster delivery, which always sits well with our customers,” says Masten-strand. “No one wants to spend money on empty hours.“I wouldn’t say the recession accelerated the decision to do this,” he continues. “We’re in the car industry after all, and there’s always a crisis going on. It’s not so much about the market situation going up or down. Rather it’s a constant demand to be more efficient in order to survive.”

For each new car model as many as 1,000 dies are used.

rough milling of the matrix, one of three parts in a deep drawing die.

Finish milling of the punch.

check out the solution

at imts

rolf mastenstrand

when It coMes to making components for the nuclear power industry, demands are high both for precision and robustness. For shell-and-tube heat exchang-ers that sit at the heart of the power generation process, accuracy in machining is vital if this equipment is to perform safely and efficiently.

Heat exchangers present many production challenges, particularly when it comes to drilling operations. A single steam generator unit in a nuclear power plant can measure some 70 feet in height and weigh up to 800 tons. These heat exchangers accommodate up to 16,000 tubes measuring typically .759 inch in diameter. This translates to the need to drill thousands of holes accurately and with consistent dimensions to close tolerances to accommodate cooling tubes with the tightest possible fit.

the tube sheets are normally made in low-carbon steels and are clad with nickel-alloyed corrosion-resistant steel to a depth of about 0.4 inch and with a total thickness of around 24 inches, so the tooling solution needs to be able to handle

technology

taking the heat

soluTion: employ deep hole machin-ing techniques using tooling solutions from sandvik coromant.

chAllenge: to drill holes to tight tolerances in heat exchanger plates for nuclear power steam generators with consistently accurate results.

these two (from a machining point of view) very different materials without degrading the drilling operation and the final results. Sandvik Materials Technol-ogy, a sister company of Sandvik Coro-mant, is a leading supplier of such tubes,

which means there is considerable knowledge within the group about the material characteristics and machining solutions for this application.

Machining usually takes place on dedicated horizontal three-spindle deep hole

TExT: ELAINE MCCLARENCE

4. Chips are directed with the coolant through the drill tube.

1. the tube sheet is normally made in low-carbon steels clad with nickel-alloyed steel.

2. Coolant is led in between the drill tube and the drilled hole.

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3

demanding drilling operation

3. the drill head has three inserts working together.

4

the single tube deep hole drilling system (sts) is used to perform the demanding drilling operation in the tube sheet.

Clad material


summAryHeat exchangers play a vital part at the heart of nuclear power generation, but they represent a real machining challenge requiring thousands of holes to be drilled consistently and accurately.

Sandvik Coromant has developed specific deep hole drill heads that live up to the demands for repeatable precision machining in difficult materials.

drilling machines using the single-tube system, STS. This drilling system consists of a drill head that is attached to a tube by an external fast lead thread.

the drIll head has three inserts – one peripheral, one intermediate and one central – working together to produce the hole. Usually the drill has optimized carbide grades, often with a PVD coating to suit the material being machined.

The drill tube is smaller in diameter than the drill head, which forms an annular space

between the hole being drilled and the OD of the drill tube or boring bar. This space, in conjunction with a coolant induction unit or a pressure head, directs a high volume of coolant to the drill head cutting edge. The coolant provides lubrication for the drill head and ensures that all of the chips produced by the drill head are directed through the drill tube. The good chip control combined with the drill head design provides a high-quality solution that gives consistent results with precision holes to accurate tolerances.

the role of heat exchangers in nuclear power generationShell-and-tube heat exchangers are typically used for high-pressure applications (with pressures greater than 435 PSI and tempera-tures greater than 500°F). In commercial nuclear power generation such heat exchangers, called steam generators, are used to convert water into steam using the heat produced in the nuclear reactor core. They are used in pressurized water reactors between

the primary and secondary coolant loops. Heat transfer takes place between the

reactor core and the circulating water; the water is then pumped through the primary tube side of the heat exchanger by coolant pumps before returning to the reactor core. This is referred to as the primary loop. The water flowing through heat exchanger tubes boils the nonpressurized water on the shell

side to produce steam in the secondary loop that drives turbines to generate electricity.

These loops also have an important safety role because they constitute one of the primary barriers between the radioactive and nonradioactive sides of the plant. Consequent-ly, the integrity of the tubing and fit in the plate is essential in eliminating water leakage between the two sides of the plant.

one tube sheet plate can accommodate up to 16,000 holes.

tertiarY LooPreaCtor

reactor vessel

Steam generator

the steam generator units can measure some 70 feet in height. It is used to convert water into steam using heat produced in the reactor vessel.

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the tertiary loop picks up cool water and carries it through the condensers to cool and condense the turbine outlet steam.

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The increased use of titanium, along with new alloys and parts made of these materials, is resulting in the need for intricate new operations. This in turn is increasing the demand for deep hole machining (DHM).

The term refers to engineering techniques used to produce holes that are long compared with their diameter (see sidebar).

“DHM requires more specialized equipment than normal machining and is typically used for engineering projects that require deeper and more accurate machin-ing,” says Tony Evans, senior manager, Deep Hole Machining business development, sales and marketing, at Sandvik Coromant UK.

Industries such as aerospace, energy and oil explora-tion have become big DHM users. They use specialized machining to create components ranging from aircraft landing parts to drill collars for oil exploration.

In the aerospace industry, for instance, companies are trying to reduce the weight of planes in order to cut fuel costs. Working with lighter materials such as titanium is more of an engineering challenge and often requires DHM cutting tools.

“Demand for deep hole machining is being driven by the energy industry, amid plans for increased investment in nuclear energy by governments worldwide,” says Evans. “In the nuclear power industry deep hole machining is used to machine heat exchanger plates within nuclear reactors, which can have up to 16,000 holes drilled in them.”

norMal drIllIng can often wander off the center line when producing a hole. Companies that are drilling deeper holes, for example a four-inch drill hole that is more than 30 feet deep, can’t afford the hole to drift or become bigger or smaller. If the drill drifts by, say, two inches, it could result in a company drilling through the side of a jet engine shaft or an oil pipeline.

“Jet engine part manufacturers need special tools that produce a machined transition from internal holes of different sizes in either steel or titanium alloy,” Evans says. “These transitions have to be as smooth as glass to avoid unnecessary friction. Standard machine tools may not be capable of producing the required finish.”

While new methods have to be implemented in order

get the hole piCtureit’s the modest superhero of drilling technologies.

when companies try to make their businesses more efficient, materials and crafting techniques play a key role. for many, deep hole machining has become the answer.

TExT: NICK HUBER, HENRIK EK PHoTo: DAVE YoUNG

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the number of big users of deep hole machining within industries such as aerospace, energy and oil exploration have boomed, thus driving up the demand for better tooling.

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to stay competitive, not all companies feel they can afford the testing and the education needed for the workforce in the current economic situation.

Sandvik Coromant, which has just opened up a new Application Center in the U.K, hopes to relieve some of the pressure manufacturers are under. Centers for deep hole machining are not new, but other centers typically only design cutting tools for customers on paper. At Sandvik Coromant UK (formerly BTA Heller, the British company that Sandvik Coromant acquired last year), customers can get their DHM processes put to the test.

The new Application Center provides specialist training and support for customers in the engineering

group. In addition, the center is developing new products for fast-growing markets such as nuclear energy.

The new Application Center can build and test cutting tools, giving manufacturers the peace of mind that the tools will work when they are delivered and that the manufacturers will receive expert support in the field from Sandvik Coromant engineers.

“The skills in our Application Center do not exist in the open market,” says Evans. “We can use our center for testing products and developing them for custom-ers.”

For example, an aerospace company that receives a big order to produce landing legs in titanium can use the Application Center’s tooling and staff expertise to develop the new DHM processes quickly and cost-

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Deep hole machining (DHM) is used for deep hole drilling work, roughly defined as holes that have a depth of between six and 300 times their diameter. DHM also refers to a type of cutting tool and the machinery used to operate the tool, such as deep hole borers, turning centers and machining centers. A DHM tool is capable of drilling deeper holes than normal cutting tools.

To improve the accuracy of cutting tools, DHM uses self-piloting technology to keep them on center. Normal drills are not self-piloting, and using the wrong type of drill can cause it to break or cause damage to expensive machines parts. Deep hole cutting tools also need to be pumped with a high volume of cutting fluid to help flush out metal chips that are created during drilling, which can damage the drill part if allowed to build up.

“ We can offer training for our customers to help them develop their own engineering skills.”

tony evans at Sandvik Coromant Uk sees a bright future for deep hole machining.

Setting up the deep hole machine for an operation.

deep hole machining is used for holes that have a depth between six and 300 times their diameter.

deep holemachining

tonY evanS, Sandvik Coromant, Uk


A high-tech machineThe special-purpose deep hole boring machine in the Sandvik Coromant Deep Hole Machining Application Center in the U.K. has been refurbished by PTG Heavy Industries to Sandvik Coromant specifications. The machine has an eight-foot drilling capacity and can drill holes ranging from 0.4 to 6 inches in diameter and has a thrust of 9,900 pounds.

It is used for testing and developing DHM products, services and support. Its features include a full-length digital scale on a Z axis, four video cameras and real-time video and data streaming to allow customers to view tests on the Web, as well as data capture of all machining information to allow analysis of cutting data.

effectively. The center can build the DHM tools and test them to guarantee their performance.

Manufacturers at the center can even watch live footage of the machine drilling through four video cameras, which are attached to a deep hole bore with an eight-foot drilling capacity (see box).

thanks to the vIdeo systeM and the Sandvik Coromant network, you can now see the machining process whether you are in Singapore, Australia, the United States or Russia.

The Application Center can work out a way to design the tool and demonstrate it.

The video footage option is also useful for companies that want to see how a tool is used. Even large compa-nies may need external support for big and technically challenging engineering projects.

“Companies may have the specialist engineering capability but may not have the time to train staff in a new skill,” Evans explains. “We can offer training for our customers to help them develop their own engineer-ing skills.”

Despite the global economic gloom, he says, the short- to medium-term outlook for deep hole machining is bright.

the special-purpose dHm machine can drill holes ranging from 0.4 to 6 inches in diameter.

technologytext: christer richttechnology

summAryWith the introduction of a new generation of indexable insert tools for gear milling, the cost per machined gear wheel can be reduced considerably. Such was the case with an external planetary gear, module 7. By switching from an HSS solid to an indexable insert hob, the cutting time was reduced by 50 percent and the tool life was more than doubled. The company in question was able to release more than 7,000 hours of machine time.

soluTion: use new cutting tool developments to benefit the milling of gear wheels.

chAllenge: to provide gear cutting with a lift in performance.

a new mesh between milling tools and gearssoMe 90 percent of gear wheel manufac-turing involves metalcutting, so there is a huge potential for improvement in productivity, production security and quality consistency.

With this potential as a background, there are a number of trends driving gear milling:• A move from solid to indexable insert

cutters • Higher cutting data and less use of coolant • A shift to disc cutters and hobs with

indexable inserts • Increased use of duplex-type milling cutters• One cut instead of two cuts.

Until recently, solid cutters have dominated much of gear cutting. Their downside is that machining rates and tool life are limited. They are also heavily reliant on the use of coolant.

Cemented carbide has a very advanta-geous combination of wear resistance and toughness, a combination that has been dramatically improved upon through the development of coated indexable inserts. During the past few years a completely new insert generation has been introduced for milling operations. This is the result of substantial new developments in insert substrates, coating materials, coating manufacturing and post processes, which also benefit gear milling.

Gear milling cutters usually have large diameters, equipped with many teeth, and are used in different alloy steels of varying degrees of hardness and where gear-tooth profiles vary. Above all, this requires

combinations of different toughness types complemented by suitable levels of wear resistance in the insert grade.

The development of gear-milling machinery toward higher spindle speeds and thus higher cutting speeds and greater stability has also emphasized the need for better tool technology.

Sandvik Coromant has developed new high-performance gear-milling tools. For gear hobbing, solid cutter bodies with a full-profile insert along with segment hobs that have a new tangentially mounted insert are providing the means for higher metal-removal rates with longer tool life. As the finishing capability of indexable insert tooling continues to improve, gear cutting is heading for new levels of productivity.

Gear milling with a new generation of indexable insert milling cutters.



TExT: ToMAS LUNDIN PHoTo: CHRISToPH PAPSCH

ß

gloBAl cooPerATion. germany’s siemens is one of the world’s most successful companies in its fields.

this is the story of how the production of record-large turbines could be emulated to produce other components in facilities around the world.

a giant leapsPecial rePort: global solutions

manufacturing a part of a turbine housing at a vertical turning machine in Siemens energy’s Berlin plant.


ß

Daylight streams in through the century-old floor-to-ceiling windows at the Siemens Energy plant in Berlin. The plant was founded in 1904 by German electrical company AEG, which once manufactured some of the world’s largest steam turbines. Today the plant makes the largest gas turbines ever built – giants that weigh a whopping 485 tons. The power output of just one of these turbines equals that of 13 jumbo jet engines, and it cuts the production of carbon dioxide emissions by 47,400 tons annually, compared with conventional technologies.

The plant stretches more than 65,000 feet in length. From the second floor, 65 feet above the ground, you can see half-finished turbine housings, portal cranes, milling machines and fine twirled pieces of scrap metal.

at one end of the plant is a sand-filled construction site where workers are casting foundations for two of the massive new machine tools that will be used to manufac-ture the giant turbines. The machines are scheduled to be up and running this winter.

“They’ll be two of the largest machines we’ve ever had here and therefore need a strong foundation,” says Markus Zapke, head of technological development for the rotor manufacturing section and one of the forces behind the company’s new $17 million investment.

The Siemens plant employs some 2,800 people and is located in the middle of the

German capital, a city of 3.5 million people. From here the massive turbines must be transported through the small alleys of the city down to the west harbor and the river Spree, where they journey out to the world at large via rail or barge.

During the economic boom the facility shipped some 50 turbines a year. Siemens used to build 70 to 80 turbines a year, including the output of the Canadian plant in Hamilton, Ontario. Since the early 1970s it

has delivered more than 650 turbines to customers in more than 60 countries.

Siemens is the world’s second-larg-est gas turbine maker, and like similar companies in the sector it has suffered from the recession. Customers have canceled or postponed orders for financial reasons, reducing the production volume.

despIte the ups and downs of trade cycles, however, Siemens is generally favored by global mega trends. Demographers project that there will be an additional 1 billion people in the world by 2020, bringing the global population to 7.5 billion. With such a population increase comes an inevitable increase in energy consumption, estimated at 5.2 percent a year in

developing countries and 1.4 percent in industrialized countries.

According to Siemens’ own projection, fossil fuels will continue to dominate for the foreseeable future. By 2030, renewable energy sources (excluding hydro power) will provide only 14 percent of the global energy consumption, while fossil fuels will account for 60 percent of the market. This is why the use of natural gas is advancing at the expense of coal and oil, both of which produce more CO2 emissions than gas.

markus Zapke is the head of technological development for the rotor manufacturing section, Siemens energy, Berlin.

Berlin, germAny. the largest gas turbine in the world has a power output equal to that of 13 jumbo jet engines.

to manufacture the giant, siemens energy in berlin invested in new machine tool technology. now the world awaits.

the world awaits

sPecial rePort: global solutions


one of the giant parts of the turbine on the move.


machine operator ralf Wenghöfer processing the outer casing of a turbine on a milling machine.

Siemens was founded in 1847 in Berlin by Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske. Today it is a global industrial giant, with 405,000 employees and revenues of $91.74 billion in 2009. The company has three primary segments: • Industrial, ranging from automatization

to osram’s light systems. This segment accounts for 45 percent of the company’s sales.

• Energy, including renewable energy sources as well as oil, gas and fossil energy generation. This segment accounts for 33 percent of sales.

• Health care, comprising products within the IT segment as well as machines such as x-ray units. This segment accounts for 15 percent of sales.

Solutions that involve overlapping segments account for the remaining 7 percent.

Siemens’ largest market are Europe, Africa, Middle East and the CIS states, which represent 41.5 percent of the company’s business. North and South America trail with 27 percent, followed by Asia with 16.5 percent. Germany accounts for 15 percent of the business.

ABouT siemens




Instead of performing its own project analysis, Siemens decided to outsource a study to external experts. In a fierce competi-tion Sandvik Coromant was awarded the contract for the study. Sandvik Coromant recommended that Siemens switch from the usual production process to a combined turn-milling technology.

on paper the project looked flawless. However, before Siemens signed the multimillion-dollar deal it wanted to see something in reality. So in December 2009 the giant turbine housing was loaded onto a truck and driven 375 miles south to the Leipert Maschinenbau factory north of Stuttgart. There the production process could be fully tested, using a Waldrich Coburg PowerTurn –

the same unit Siemens was considering for its Berlin plant.

“Reality exceeded expectations,” recalls Zapke. “The Sandvik Coromant method increased the efficiency and made the whole investment plausible.”

The turning process of the two-piece turbine housing, including machining the grooves for the vane rings, would go from six to 4.7 days when fully implemented, according to Sven Giebeler, the Sandvik Coromant project engineer who was the brain behind the idea and who delivered the calculations.

Zapke at Siemens says he’s satisfied, but he underscored the fact that more can still be done.

“There is room for more improvements in

In addition, gas can help advance the development of renewable energy sources. Used as the backup power supply, these plants can be connected to the grid quickly when wind or sun power is insufficient, whereas coal and nuclear plants are less flexible and therefore not as suitable to compensate for the variable supplies of clean energy.

The trend also points towards bigger and more effective gas turbines, which in combined-cycle power plants generate a 60 percent efficiency. Siemens’ latest gas turbine, the SGT5-8000H, installed in a combined-cycle gas-and-steam power plant, reduces emissions of carbon dioxide by 47,400 tons compared with conventional plants. The turbine is expected to go into series production in the turbine hall in Berlin by year end.

“We have known for a while that the trend leans towards larger turbines,” says Michael Silber, responsible for tool technology of the rotor manufacturing. “The problem was that they couldn’t be built in an optimized fashion with today’s machine equipment and the limits in capacity we have here in Berlin.”

ß ” The Sandvik Coromant method increased the efficiency and made the whole investment plausible.”

machine operator thomas drzyzga.

one of the massive turbines on the move through Berlin.


Gas-fired power stations like this one in the United States produce less Co2 than those that use coal and oil.

turning the grooves for the vane rings in the turbine housing.the entire turning process for the housing has gone from six to 4.7 days.

markUS ZaPke, SiemenS enerGY, BerLin.

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ages

siem

ens


the processes that aren’t linked to the machine and the technology,” he says.

Zapke points out that Siemens isn’t looking for a tool supplier per se (the contract was for the study only), but rather a “process opti- mizer.” For that, he adds, Sandvik Coromant “is in the absolute top group among companies and has the greatest potential to succeed.”

The Sandvik Coromant way of fulfilling such high expectations is through its Produc-tivity Improvement Program, in which experts at Sandvik Coromant widen the perspective beyond just machine and tooling optimization. At Siemens in Berlin, such efforts are taking place in the departments that produce rotor and turbine housing components.

“We started off by looking into what was going on to the right and to the left of the machine itself,” says Olaf Zahn, Berlin section chief at Sandvik Coromant. “After a proper analysis we found more processes that could be optimized. And that is what Siemens continues to search for.”

“Sandvik Coromant is clearly on the right path,” says purchasing manager Silber. “Their tools are cost-efficient, but we are paying also for strong technology, comprehensive service and real system knowledge.”

The rotor manufacturing department of the Siemens Energy facility in Berlin handles turbine housings for gas turbines. Large diameter disc milling cutters are usually used to cut the big grooves.

To speed up the manufac-turing process, the company purchased two giant machine tools, to be started up this winter. one of the two machine tools is built by German Waldrich Coburg, since 2005 a subsidiary of China’s Beijing No. 1 Machine Tool Plant. It combines milling and turning and has a ram with an interface for turning and rotating tools.

When Siemens Energy

invested in a Waldrich Coburg PowerTurn it opened the door to new opportunities for machining the two main pieces of the turbine housing as well as providing grooves for the vane rings and preparing them with a stream-lined finish.

Sandvik Coromant and its department of Machine Investments developed a production process where grooves can be cut in a combined turn-milling process.

“For each individual groove we designed a customized tool that creates a finer-tuned process and more precise measurements in the end,” says Christian Lendowski,

senior key account manager at Sandvik Coromant.

Since each tool can be adjusted to each cutting process, Siemens has improved productivity by up to 40 to 50 percent compared with a side and face milling cutter.

Another upside of the smoother process is that the tools are simpler to use. Compared with a disc milling cutter, the individual milling tools are lighter, which also makes them easier to switch in the machine.

“Altogether our method of processing grooves increases efficiency by some 20 percent,” Lendowski says.

Production time cut by half TechnicAl insighTs

From left to right: Markus Zapke (Siemens), Christian Lendowski (Sandvik Coromant), michael Silber (Siemens), Sven Giebeler (Sandvik Coromant), olaf Zahn (Sandvik Coromant).


going globalsiemens has used sandvik coromant to speed up production in three german factories. now it’s time to do the same for its chinese plant, which serves the country’s expansive wind power market.

Sandvik Coromant and Siemens have long worked together, but about four years ago the partnership reached a new level. Hard financial negotiations were about to hit a dead end when Heinz-Josef van der Sande, Siemens’ global commodity manager special tools, challenged Sandvik Coromant with the question: “What crucial advantages can Sandvik Coromant offer its customers compared with other companies?”

Sandvik Coromant took the challenge and, working with Siemens, wrote up the targeted savings in the already existing productivity agreement. On top of that the company arranged workshops at Siemens’ plant for mechanical and electrical power transmission equipment in Bocholt. The cooperation resulted in six-figure cost reductions, says procurement manager Jörg Niessing.

Daniel Bergerfurth, production manager business unit parts manufacturing, envisages new projects in the future: “Our long-term partner’s courage to question traditional processes through new technology will enable us to reach our common goals.”

Workshops were also arranged at other locations (see sidebars), and new methods were developed and tested for further savings.

durIng the fIrst two years the partnership generated $1.4 million in savings in total for Siemens, van der Sande says.

The cooperation is continuing now with common projects such as preventive optimiza-tion of workpieces and best possible machin-ing as well as projects ranging from logistics to training of personnel.

“The positive experiences seen in the area of productivity workshops, partly presented by staffers from other Siemens plants, is generally

met with great interest from participating production and tooling managers,” says van der Sande. “It’s ‘best practice’ that runs the smoothest.”

Two years ago the time had come for China. At that time, Christian Lendowski, senior key account manager at Sandvik Coromant, visited numerous Siemens plants in China with van der Sande.

“We were trying to transfer the work philosophy used in Europe to the workshops in China,” says Lendowski. Lendowski will

report on the partnership to Siemens execu-tives in Germany this fall.

the sIeMens plant in Tianjin, 60 miles southeast of Beijing, was built in 1996 by Germany’s Flender, the world’s leading maker of gearboxes and transmission technology for power transmission. Siemens acquired Flender in 2005 and has continued to make large investments in the plant. The facility is now Asia’s largest assembly hall for this specific product line, with an area of 300,000 square


Heinz-Josef van der Sande, global commodity manager special tools at Siemens, challenged Sandvik Coromant.

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feet. Further investments totaling 500 million renminbi ($73 million) were announced in 2009, and within the next three to five years the facility will add a further 375,000 square feet.

productIon In tIanjIn ranges from wind power solutions to mechanical components in escalators, elevators, cranes, steel and concrete plants in which Siemens, through Flender, is now well positioned in China. Other politically prioritized markets that are growing right now are high-speed trains, subways and wind power. According to Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of Siemens Energy, China will soon be “the world’s largest market for wind power.”

Sandvik Coromant has worked intensively with Siemens in Tianjin for the past 10 years and has long experience in introducing new tools, better productivity solutions and training for employees.

In early 2009 Siemens invested in two new horizontal milling centers from Mori Seiki, and Sandvik Coromant provided most of the

The Siemens plant in Wittgensdorf, Germany, is producing transmission components such as planetary gears for wind power rigs. The German wind power market has increased steadily in the past few years. It employs some 90,000 people and has a world market share of 30 percent of delivered wind power plants.

To meet the massive demand, the plant in Wittgensdorf and Sandvik Coromant started a Productivity Improvement Program to make better use of the plant’s capacity, which ended up with new optimized processes for each of the four vertical turning machines.

Beyond putting in specially made tools for the roughing process, Sandvik Coromant developed new methods for faster access to the tools. The result was impressive: a 17 percent time reduction and annual savings of $430,000.

“The decision to optimize the production process along with a tooling producer was the right move,” says Ulrich Steinbach, head of the foundry in Wittgensdorf.

Siemens Energy in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, produces turbines similar to the ones in the company’s Berlin plant, but for steam instead of gas. With a staff of 4,600, including 1,100 engineers, the plant plays a key role in Siemens Energy’s global network of production plants and development centers.

Under the technology partnership agreement between Siemens Energy and Sandvik Coromant, a recent research and development project was introduced to optimize the milling process of the steam

turbines. The project was planned and executed in the plant in Mülheim, although extensive testing was done by Sandvik Coromant in Sandviken, Sweden. The result was a cost-reduction strategy that increased both quality and productivity.

“The genuine and close cooperation, along with competent partners on both sides, was crucial to the success of this project,” says Stefan Güllenstern, section chief for industrial engineering at Siemens in Mülheim an der Ruhr.

siemens wittgensdorf:FAsTer Access To Tools

Productive solutions — everywhere

From Germany the cooperation between Siemens energy and Sandvik Coromant was expanded to include a plant in China.

siemens mülheim:PlAying A key role

tooling for the new machines.“Sandvik Coromant helps us minimize risks

in production when it comes to tooling performance, production quality and delivery,” says Zhao Pu, steel machining manager at the plant in Tianjin.

Especially important is the day-to-day closeness in the partnership.

“The Sandvik Coromant engineers’ productivity improvement efforts contribute to our company’s reduction in production costs,” Zhao says.

Zhao Pu, steel machining manager at Siemens’ tianjin plant, got help in minimizing risks in production.

wa

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The next time you are relaxing in front of your vibrant new LED screen TV or listening to your digital music player or using any one of a thousand other cutting-edge electronic devices that depend upon integrated circuits, spare a thought for those compa-nies that bring these gadgets into being. One such company is VDL Enabling Technologies Group in Singapore.

VDL ETG’s customers are Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) based primarily in the United States and Europe; VDL supplies them with precision machined components – assembled and tested modules and systems that make integrated circuits that are used in the finished products in electronic devices all over the world.

“We are the unsung heroes really,” says Wu Yong Lin, general manager of VDL ETG Singapore’s plant. “The machines may have someone else’s brands on them, but its great to know that we contribute a high percentage of the work in them.”

He continues: “It’s exciting to be involved in producing the latest energy-efficient and green-energy products. Currently LED lights used in flat panels for TVs are the new big thing, and we have recently gained a major new customer in this field. Solar energy is also upcoming.”

Wu explains that the LED and solar sectors account for 60 to 70 percent of the company’s business in Singapore; the remainder is in the semiconductor sector. “Since January,” he says, “we have been recruiting

singapore. without equipment contract manufacturers, many of the world’s billions of technical consumer devices would be nothing more than nice ideas on paper.

unSung heroeS

TExT AND PHoTo: SIMoN DE TREY-WHITE



unSung heroeS

VDL Enabling Technologies Group in Singapore has a history that goes back 40 years, to when the company was known as Philips Machine Factory and later Philips Enabling Technologies. It became part of the VDL Group in 2006.

Under the Philips flag the company developed into a worldwide supplier of advanced mechanical components, modules and complete systems. Inclusion in the VDL Group has offered it even faster growth and more opportuni-ties to be one of the leading contract manufacturers in the semiconductor, LED and solar capital equipment markets.

ABouT Vdl

Wu Yong Lin, general manager of vdL etG’s plant in Singapore. the company works closely with well-known consumer brands of technical devices.


more staff and ramping up production, and things are very upbeat for 2010 and 2011.”

The OEM sector is highly competitive, Wu says, “not just domestically but also worldwide, so you need to have an edge.”

VDL ETG’s edge comes from its four core competen-cies – vacuum chamber high-speed machining, vacuum chamber high-precision welding, assembly of highly

sophisticated modules and integrated systems, and final testing and integration to meet customers’ requirements. “Our depth of knowledge and expertise in these four competencies give us our competitive edge,” he says.

as confIdent as vdl etg is in its own areas of expertise, the company still recognizes the need for partners. “We cannot fight the battle alone,” says Wu. “There’s a lot of back-up infrastructure that we need – for example special process treatment, heat treatment, highly explosive gas support and cutters for machining.”

This is where Sandvik Coromant entered the picture as a tool supplier from VDL ETG’s earliest days. “But our really significant relationship with Sandvik Coromant dates back to 2003,” says Wu. “This was when we got our first big and highly complex 5-axis milling machining centers, and we called in Sandvik Coromant to advise us on improving machining cycle

Ho Lip Wei, a productivity improvement engineer at Sandvik Coromant, has been working closely with VDL Enabling Technologies Group in Singapore since 2007. Recently he helped the company rethink its approach to an existing two-stage project involving machining and grinding a large cast iron column for the solar manufacturing industry.

“Initially we tried CoroMill 490, which VDL ETG already had in its tool inventory,” Ho recalls. “All that was needed was to change the insert grade, and CoroMill 490 straightaway produced a better surface finish and flatness that met the customer’s specifications.” Elimination of the need for the grinding process saved 10 percent of the total

throughput time for the job, as well as the need to outsource the job (VDL ETG did not have the capacity to grind this item in-house). Ho proposed another refinement as well: changing from the CoroMill 490 to the new CoroMill 345.

“I knew that with its 45 degree cutting angle and eight cutting edges it could cut faster than the

CoroMill 490, and in fact it reduced the machining time by a further 30 percent,” Ho says.

Wu Yong Lin, general manager of VDL ETG’s Singapore plant, comments: “This is a clear-cut example of how new cutting technology can improve on traditional approaches and help us finish machining in one setup.”

complete machining in one setup

“ It’s exciting to be involved in producing the latest energy-efficient and green products.”

Ho Lip Wei (right), Sandvik Coromant’s productivity improve-ment engineer, discusses a job with xuan Zhan, a process engineer with vdL etG.

a stainless steel welded chamber face-milled with a CoroMill 490 cutter.

Wu YONG LIN, GENErAL MANAGEr OF VDL ETG, SINGAPOrE.


time.” The collaboration optimized the potential of the 5-axis machine with the adoption of the full range of Sandvik Coromant tools and technical support. “This collaboration increased productivity on the project – in some cases by 80 to 100 percent,” says Wu. “This good partnership in making improvements through use of the latest cutting technology is ongoing in VDL ETG Singapore.”

bob shaw, senIor manager in the Precision Machining Department at VDL ETG, knows all about this partnership. “My process engineers and I work closely with Ho (Ho Lip Wei, Sandvik Coromant productiv-ity improvement engineer) on a regular basis,” he says, “so when we receive a new project we discuss with Ho the best kind of cutters to use on the job and then we do a test. After two or three trials we usually know the result, such as how fast it can cut and the tool life and consistency, and we can decide on the ideal approach.”

Shaw says it’s much more cost-effective to let Sandvik Coromant zoom in quickly to the right solution that produces the highest productivity for a particular job. “Productivity and competitiveness are key in our business,” he says. “All our customers are pushing for cost reductions and lead-time reductions, so our goal is always to cut faster with longer-lasting tools while at least maintaining if not improving quality standards.

In Singapore precision engineering is a crucial enabler for industries as diverse as aerospace, oil and gas, medical devices and electronics. It is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of components ranging from the smallest semiconductor chips to the largest drill bits used in oil exploration. Precision engineering

activities began in Singapore in the 1970s to support the first manufacturing investments and the government’s Economic Development Board. Singapore has been proactively supporting precision engineering from the outset with a range of advantageous incentives such as productivity and

innovation grants that guarantee a dynamic sector. Today there are some 2,700 companies, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multinational corpora-tions. And it’s not just hardware. Singapore also plays host to the headquarters and R&D functions of many of these companies.

crucial enabler for diverse industries

Precision engineering in singAPore

Bob Shaw, senior manager in the Precision machining department at vdL etG’s plant in Singapore.

This will reduce our overall component manufacturing costs and cycle time and make us

more competitive.”Shaw explains how Ho helped VDL ETG choose the

right cutter for machining a cast iron column.“After discussions we adopted the CoroMill 490 and

were able to just mill the component and do away with the previous approach of milling and grinding to achieve our requirements in less time,” he says. Ho suggested substituting the CoroMill 490 with the new CoroMill 345, and that reduced the machining time by 30 percent, Shaw says, adding: “We cannot achieve brilliant things like this alone, looking at a catalog.”

an operator clamps a component before machining it.

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kpHo

to

running red hot

soluTion: develop a balanced overall process that encompasses the machine, tools, geometries and tool materials as well as the machining strategy.

heat-resIstant super alloys (HRSA) are the dominant materials in jet engine compressor and turbine components. The foremost grades used for these applications are the nickel-based types such as Inconel, Waspalloy and Udimet.

The properties of HRSAs vary greatly depending on the composition and produc-tion process. Heat treatment in particular has great significance; a precipitation-hardened – i.e., “aged” – component can show double the hardness of a soft annealed or untreated workpiece.

Ever tighter emission regulations require higher service temperatures from new engine types and call for new materials for the hottest components. Furthermore, the total amount of HRSA in a jet engine compared with other materials is increasing.

The benefits of HRSAs present a manufacturing challenge, however: High-temperature strength leads to high cutting forces. Low thermal conductivity and excellent hardenability result in high cutting temperatures. Work-hardening tendencies give rise to notch wear.

The components – turbine discs, casings, blisks and shafts – make demanding

chAllenge: to efficiently machine aerospace engine components from hrsa.

workpieces, many of them thin walled and all including complex shapes. The safety-critical engine components must comply with stringent quality and dimensional accuracy criteria.

the precondItIons for success include a powerful machine, rigid tools, high-perfor-mance inserts and optimal programming. The prevalent methods vary. Usually disc, ring and shaft components are turned; casings and blisks are often milled.

The machining of HRSA is generally

divided into three stages. During first stage machining (FSM) a cast or forged blank receives its basic shape. The workpiece is usually in a soft condition (typical hardness around 25 HRC), but it often has a rough, uneven skin or scale. The main priority is good productivity and efficient stock removal.

Between the first and the intermediate stage machining (ISM), the workpiece is heat-treated to the much harder aged condition (typically around 36–46 HRC). The component now receives its final shape, except that the stock allowance is left for finishing. The focus is again on productivity, but process security is also important.

the fInal shape and surface finish is created during last stage machining (LSM). The emphasis here is on surface quality, accurate dimensional tolerances and avoiding deformations and excessive residual stress. In critical rotating compo-nents, fatigue properties are the most important criteria and leave no room for surface defects that could initiate crack formation. The reliability of critical parts is guaranteed by applying a proven, certified machining process.

technologyTExT: TURKKA KULMALA

turbine casings are typically made of inconel or Waspalloy.


summAryEfficient machining of jet engine components from HRSA requires a well-balanced overall solution, taking into account factors such as workpiece condition, tool material and the related cutting data recommendations, use of coolant and optimized machining strategies.

General requirements for indexable inserts include good edge toughness and high adhesion between the substrate and the coating. While negative basic shapes are used for high strength and economy, the geometry should be positive.

Coolant should always be applied when machining HRSA, except for milling with ceramic inserts. When turning with ceramic inserts a copious volume of coolant is important, while the accuracy of the stream is essential when turning with cemented carbide.

MachInIng paraMeters vary, depending on the conditions and the material. During FSM, good productivity is mainly realized through the use of high feed rates and large depths of cut. In ISM, ceramic inserts are often used for higher speeds. Final stages focus on quality, and the depth of cut is

The assortment of new Sandvik Coromant carbide inserts to be launched in CoroPak 10.2 for intermediate and last stage machining of HRSAs includes sharp, highly positive geometries for finishing and medium machining as well as geometries for operations requiring more toughness. All geometries will be available in both PVD- and CVD-coated grades for superior performance in operations from light roughing to finishing.

coming up

the amount of heat-resistant super alloys in jet engines is increasing.

want to learn more? Visit www.aero-knowledge.com

small. Since a high cutting speed can impair the surface quality, carbide inserts are applied for finishing.

Plastic deformation (PD) and notching are the typical wear mechanisms in carbide inserts, but top slice wear is common in ceramics. Vulnerability to PD decreases by increasing the wear resistance and hot hardness. A positive geometry and a sharp edge are also important in reducing heat generation and cutting forces. Remedies to notch wear on the main cutting edge include a small entering angle, for instance by using a square or a round insert, or a cutting depth that is lower than the nose radius.

PVD-coated inserts are more resistant to notching on the main edge; a CVD-coated insert has a better resistance against notch wear on the trailing edge. In finishing, notch wear on the trailing edge can impair the surface finish.

turbine discs generally feature profiled pockets with various difficult clearance requirements.



SoCial BuSineSS“ corporations cannot be socially responsible,” renowned economist milton friedman stated in a much-repeated quote. “only people can have responsibilities.” but the giant tata group has followed a different approach with spectacular success.

TExT AND PHoTo: SIMoN DE TREY-WHITE

For India’s Tata Group, business success is not in contradiction with its pioneering commitment to social responsibility.


India’s Tata Group, in business for more than a century, is one of the world’s biggest and most success-ful corporations. Tata Steel, its flagship company, has an existing annual crude steel production capacity of around 33 million tons and an employee strength of more than 80,000 across five continents. It is now among the top 10 steel producers in the world. In addition to its exceptional global success, however, Tata Steel is well known for its pioneering and consistent commitment to social responsibility.

Kshetramohan Sardar, a 55-year-old farmer from Jojo Village, knows a thing or two about Tata Steel’s CSR. “I’d never thought to commercialize and modernize my agricultural practices before,” he says. Sardar’s village is in east central India, in Jharkhand, one of India’s least developed states, but it is fortunate to fall within the catchment area of Tata Steel’s monumental social outreach program that radiates out from its base in Jamshedpur to include 800 villages in and around its manufacturing and raw materials operations.

“People from Tata Steel came to our village and offered to show us better, more profitable ways to farm,” Sardar recalls. The people Sardar is referring to were a team from Tata Steel’s Rural Development Society

(TSRDS). “They took me to another village,” Sardar says, “and I saw happy farmers and acres of land covered with green vegetables. It was an eye opener for me. I came back determined to make my land green too.”

wIth the support and guidance of the TSRDS team he revolutionized his working practices, switching to a high-yield rice variety, adopting a transplantation system for rice seedlings and diversifying into growing

Companies have had to think about corporate social responsibility issues since the very beginnings of business. For example, commercial logging operations and laws to protect forests can be traced back almost 5,000 years. In around 1700 BC King Hammurabi of Mesopotamia is known to have introduced a code in which builders, innkeepers and farmers were put to death if their negligence caused the deaths of others or even major inconvenience to local citizens.

With the arrival of industrialization, CSR became more important as the impacts of business on society and the environment increased. As early as the 1920s, discussions about the social responsibilities of business had evolved into what could be recognized as the beginnings of the modern CSR movement. The term itself was not widely adopted until the 1970s, and the concept was not formally expressed until recently. An exact definition is still evolving.

as old as the business idea itself

kshetramohan Sardar, a 55-year- old farmer (left), benefits from tata Group’s social responsibility program.

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vegetable crops all year round. Construction of ponds, irrigation wells and other water-harvesting structures, all paid for by a loan from Tata Steel, helped to improve the land’s productivity.

The results were dramatic. “My rice yields per acre have more than doubled,” Sardar says, “and together with the added value of spring crops this has brought in an additional 30,000 to 35,000 rupees [approximately $600 to $750] a year. I repaid the loan in six months.”

satIsh pIllaI, chIef of Tata Steel’s Corporate Sustainability Services (CSS) at Jamshedpur, is the architect of the scheme that benefited Sardar. “Kshet-ramohan Sardar is one of the progressive farmers who have set an example for fellow villagers of how even a small holding of land can still give a high return,” he says. Pillai describes how CSS came to be so important to Tata Steel: “It began with our founder, J.N. Tata, who believed that in a free enterprise, the community was not just another stakeholder in the business but was in fact the very purpose of its existence.” This vision has been passed down and implemented by successive genera-

tions of Tata Group leaders. “We don’t see our CSS work as conflicting with or detracting from our business activities,” says Pillai. “It’s not a post-profit exercise but rather pre-profit and integral.”

Indeed the record of Tata Steel’s CSR even predates the construction of Jamshedpur in 1908, as J.N. Tata had planned it down to the last detail years before. Rather than merely throwing up a row of workers’ huts, Tata insisted upon building an entire city for his workers, complete with all the attendant comforts and conveniences. “Tata Steel in Jamshedpur has brought the best out of its employees by providing exemplary facilities such as a clean water supply, roads, housing,

In 2010 the Sandvik Group celebrates its 50th year in India. The company is very active with its own CSR activities.

“CSR is an essential part of our historical corporate identity,” says Nitin Pathak, senior executive of marketing communication at Sandvik Coromant India HQ in Pune, India. There is a global Sandvik vision, Pathak explains, but at the local level individual

companies take responsibility for initiatives and their implementa-tion. “This reflects the fact that each community is different, and our involvement with each community must be according to its requirements,” he says.

In the Pune area, Sandvik Asia Private Limited currently has five ongoing projects benefiting both employees and the community. “Sandvik Helping Hand is a

donation drive in partnership with a local NGo where employees can donate items such as clothes, toys, books, etc., for the underprivi-leged,” says Pathak. “Then there is sponsorship of computers in local schools to promote IT literacy, support for underprivileged children’s education, drop-in health clinics in the community and a Family Circle initiative that provides lifestyle training activities for

employees’ families.” The Sandvik Coromant recycling

concept is also in operation in India. “It’s actually a customer-focused CSR initiative,” says Pathak, “whereby we collect used carbide inserts from customers for recycling at the Sandvik Coromant global state-of-the-art recycling plant in Chiplun, Maharashtra. Management of dwindling resources is a duty owed by all manufacturers.”

“ an essential part of our history”sAndVik And csr

Founder J.N. Tata insisted on building an entire city for the company’s workers, complete with all comforts and conveniences.


health care, education and so on,” says Bidyut Chakrabarty, professor of political science at Delhi University and an expert on CSR. “These facilities are either heavily subsidized or free to Tata Steel’s employees.”

chakrabarty sees a profound difference between Tata Steel’s approach and modern CSR. “The Tata model is an example of the Hindu concept of trusteeship enacted in business,” he says. “Although J.N. Tata was a Parsi and not a Hindu, he was heavily influenced by Swami Vivekananda, a highly influential Hindu social reformer of the 19th century. Vivekananda championed the idea of a trusteeship approach to business, and these notions were later taken up by Gandhi and popularized in the 1920s.”

Today, says Chakrabarty, CSR takes many forms, not all of which are equal. “Some CSR can simply be a sugar-coating designed to conceal a company’s real

agenda, so CSR activities must be critically evaluated and not taken at face value,” he warns.

But CSR is here to stay, Chakrabarty says. These days the business model that is concerned only with maximizing shareholder returns has fallen from favor due to the changes in society and in people’s expecta-tions and awareness. “The CSR business model is now almost universally adopted as companies face pressure to present the right image for commercial advantage in the wider scenario of global capitalism that came to the fore after the collapse of the former Soviet Union,” he says.

When it comes down to either maximizing profits or adhering to CSR standards, Chakrabarty is unequivocal. “There is no conflict,” he says. “Both business models will achieve the same results, but having CSR policies is a better, more tactful and contemporary approach. If you look after your potential customers, there is more chance of them buying your product or services.”

tata Steel is the tata Group’s flagship company. it produces around 33 million tons of steel per year.

the city of Jamshed-pur, situated in northeastern india, was planned in detail for tata workers.

Satish Pillai, chief of tata Steel’s Corporate Sustainability Services in the city of Jamshedpur.


outlook

Training for the futureeduCation. Sandvik Coromant South Africa is supplying the cutting tools and technology for a new training center that was opened in January 2010 at Hi-Tech Machine Tools premises near Johannesburg.

Hi-Tech Machine Tools, the exclusive South African agent for Mazak CNC, built the facility to bring more well-qualified workers

into the workforce in South Africa, the continent’s largest economy.

The average age of properly quali-fied turners and toolmakers in South Africa who trained as apprentices is 62. Although apprentice training in the engineering and machining sector is not common, well-trained, skilled workers continue to be highly sought after.

Milling. Japanese company Nippon Roballo, part of ThyssenKrupp, is a leading manufacturer of large-diameter slewing rings used in wind power generators, tower cranes and ship-deck cranes.

Sandvik Coromant has supplied the company with tools for drilling and turning for many years. In 2008, a Productiv-ity Improvement Program led to the development of a whole new gear-milling cutter concept that yielded many advantages.

Two slewing rings could be

machined where the existing cutter could only machine one. Because of its unique design, the cutting force could be reduced, yielding diminished power needs. In addition, the machining noise was lower. As a corollary, the cutting data could be increased.

“Based on this experience, I trust Sandvik Coromant to bring innovative solutions that are different from those of other manufacturers,” says Kiyotoshi Fuchigami, director of manufacturing at Nippon Roballo.

A new cutter for slewing rings

produCtS. More than 15,000 Sandvik Coromant machining products are now available through Grainger’s catalog and website (www.grainger.com) or by visiting one of the company’s 460 U.S. branch locations following a new partnership between the two companies.

Grainger distributes more than

900,000 industrial products and has 1.8 million customers in 153 countries around the world. With 18,000 employees, Grainger works closely with customers to provide cost-saving solutions.

For years Grainger has earned a place on Fortune magazine’s roster of “most admired companies.” In 2009 it posted sales of $6.2 billion.

sandvik coromant us partners with grainger

power generation. A new generation of nuclear reactors is being developed that can burn through more fuel than is possible with reactors today. The new reactors, predicted to be a reality by 2040, will offer opportunities to recycle nuclear waste that now is being buried deep inside mountains, according to the Swedish National Council for Nuclear Waste.

Today’s reactors use only 5 percent

of the energy contained in uranium 235. The rest of the material in the nuclear fuel rods, in the form of uranium 238, plutonium 239 and curium, cannot be used and must be disposed of. This nuclear waste takes more than 100,000 years to break down.

With the new hybrid fourth generation reactors, however, higher energy means that these waste elements can become fissile.

recycling nuclear waste

Kiyotoshi Fuchigami

new nuclear reactors can burn what is today considered nuclear waste.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ……almost 1.5 million hip replacements are

performed every year.

Media. YouTube, the No. 1 source for video clips on the Internet, is the second-largest search engine next to Google. Many manufacturers actually use it to search for information about tools, technical solutions and applications. Now, as of May 2010, YouTube is also a source for information about the latest solutions from Sandvik Coromant.

At www.youtube.com/sandvikcoromant, you will find valuable application knowledge for different kinds of machining, as well as movies from events, new products and everything in between.

find the latest updates on youtube

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Power generation. a windmill has many tons of steel and cast iron components, all of which need to be milled, drilled, bored and turned. here is a look at some of them.

what’s in a windmill?

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MaIn shaftthe main shaft starts out as a 24-ton block of forged steel. over time, through turning, drilling and deep-hole drilling, this is whittled down to a 15-ton high-tolerance component.

Manpoweralways on hand, specialists in yellow coats have the know-how to suggest production improve-ments.

this nodular cast iron component is part of the gearbox. accuracy in manufacturing is of utmost importance.

hub as the name suggests, this vital and huge (up to 13 feet in diameter) component connects the windmill rotor blades to the shaft. optimized cutting tools help remove a ton of chips from the casting to obtain the final shape.

MaIn fraMethe nodular cast iron main frame is the foundation of the nacelle. its shape is complex to machine, requiring milling, drilling and boring.

Turn the page to learn more about windmill manufacturing. >>>

slewIng rIngthe slewing ring connects the tower to the turbine nacelle to allow it to rotate towards the wind. The forged ring can be 10 to 30 feet in diameter. The entire ring is produced by turning, drilling and gear milling.

planetary carrIer

greAT sOlUTIONsfOr A reAl gIANTdouble-digit growth in the wind power industry means that component manufacturers have to ramp up their own production. here is a look at some of the time-saving cutting tools used in manufacturing a windmill hub – a component more than 13 feet in diameter that connects the rotor blades to the main shaft.

the solutionTExT: ALExANDER FARNSWoRTH ILLUSTRATIoN: KJELL ERIKSSoN

coromill 490a shoulder to lean onA CoroMill 490 cutting tool is an excellent choice for machining features where a shoulder is required. This milling cutter has high metal-removal rates at low power requirements and represents the latest in shoulder milling technology.

coromill 390face timeThe CoroMill 390 Long Edge is a robust cutter that in combination with Coromant Capto offers maximum stability. This is an excellent combination for milling walls.

coromill 331inside jobThe CoroMill 331 is a highly efficient tool with an eight-edge insert for back-facing the inside of the hub.


want to learn more? Visit www.sandvik.coromant.com/us/wind

corobore 825finishing the jobIn combination with Coromant Capto, the CoroBore 825 puts the final touches on the high-precision bores on the hub.

corodrill 880drilling The CoroDrill 880 with step and chamfer is particularly efficient for hole-making operations on the hub.

coromill 345on the face of itMilling the face of the hub where it attaches to the main shaft requires a CoroMill 345 milling cutter that has light cutting action to avoid vibration and to increase productivity.


Proven solutions. Documented results.High standards, exacting specifications, difficult materials and time restraints – aerospace components require the best in both tooling and know-how. Mistakes are more than expensive, they’re unacceptable.

You need proven solutions that combine the right programming techniques, optimized tools, simulations and lab tests to get the most out of your production. Not only can Sandvik Coromant ensure the quality you demand, but we can also optimize your cutting process and reduce your noncutting time. And we can even take your solution one step further in our Aerospace Application Centers around the world.

Want to know more? Visit www.aero-knowledge.com

Think smart | Work smart | Earn smart

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Metal Working World 2010 #2