Page 35 - MetalForming Magazine October 2022 - FABTECH
P. 35

    Machining
Excellence
Benefits Stamping-Die Performance
           Recent investments in CNC machining capabilities, including adding a new, giant double-column three- cutting-head Okuma machining center, allow Walker Tool & Die to provide metal stampers with optimum die-surface quality, predictable performance in the press and improved part tolerances.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
                  “We rely more than ever before on state-of-the- art machining capabil- ities and accuracy, and less on having our die makers performing a lot of grinding or, otherwise, manual manip- ulating of die surfaces,” stresses Tim Schenck, machining process engineer at stamping-die and mold designer and builder Walker Tool & Die, Grand
Rapids, MI. “We strive to optimize die- surface quality from our CNC machin- ing operations, which results in more predictable performance in the press, improved part accuracy and overall better results for our stamping-com- pany customers.”
That companywide commitment to quality has it investing in new CNC technology, explains company presi- dent Todd Finley.
“We remain committed to upgrad- ing our machining department,” Finley says, noting that the firm recently has added two large CNC machining cen- ters to its shop, both outfitted with automatic tool-length measurement (ATLM) systems—technology incorpo- rated in several of its 14 CNC machines. The newest machine to hit the shop: an Okuma MCR-A5CII double-column high-speed machining center, equipped with a Blum noncontact ATLM system, installed in February 2022.
“The ATLM checks tool length and diameter, and directs any changes needed in the programing to compen- sate,” explains Schenck, “providing absolutely accurate cutting. This means that our operators no longer need to measure a cutting tool before we install it in the machine, and then manually input the offset into the controller. Removing this human interaction reduces errors resulting from acciden- tally inputting the wrong value. And,
because every tool is measured in exactly the same way, all of our blends are more consistent and tool life is improved. Then, after cutting, the ATLM checks that the tool still exists, so that the machine, for example, doesn’t try to tap a hole that hasn’t properly been drilled. And, it helps when running the machine lights out, unattended.
“Every machine used for die pro- duction should have this technology,” Schenck adds. “It speeds the process, ensures accurate tool pickup and helps avoid human error.”
Three Heads
Walker’s new Okuma CNC features compact automatic loading/unloading attachments for true five-sided machining in a compact footprint. Double-column construction ensures rigidity and close machining toler- ances, “and we outfitted it with three cutting heads,” explains Schenck: "a straight head, a 90-deg, head and a B- C positional head that indexes within 1 deg., which has been very beneficial when it comes to efficient setups. We’ve been able to take some jobs that required three or four setups down to just two setups, and on a large machine each setup can take 2 hr. or more.”
Other machine features include through-spindle coolant flow, the use of high-pressure coolant, and a micron scale—"one of the few Okuma machines, we believe, with micron
32 MetalForming/October 2022
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