Page 31 - MetalForming July 2017

To bring preheattreated-machining capabilities inhouse, Feintool has invested in addi- tional VMCs. The result, according to company officials: quicker turnaround for cus- tomers and higher-quality milling.
lead times, and extended the life of our tools by as much as 40 percent.”
Maximizing Investments with Process Optimization
Feintool’s success in adopting high- precision hardmilling capabilities has been based not only on its acquisition of new machine technology but also on the knowledge and experience of the company’s engineers who have become more innovative in their pro- cessing techniques. As part of the com- pany’s continuous-improvement ini- tiative, engineers recently took aim at maximizing machine-utilization rates by increasing annual cutting hours on each V33i from 4500 to 6000/yr. By increasing cutting time on the V33i machines by 1500 hours annually, the company was able to achieve necessary production capacity without investing in a fourth VMC.
According to Andres, Feintool engi- neers are continuously evaluating new process optimizations to get the most out of machine investments, including programming refinements, cutting- tool selection and improved workhold- ing solutions. One example is the recent adoption of magnetic worksholding. With previous clamping methods, Fein- tool was limited in the number of tools that it could machine in a single setup.
By switching to magnetic workholding, engineers now can maximize space within the work envelope to optimize productivity.
“Once we adopted magnetic work- holding and began performing longer runtime setups, we were able to get even more value and return from our V33i machines,” says Castle. “It enabled us to fully take advantage of the machines’ rigidity, thermal-control fea- tures, broken-tool sensors and expand- ed tool changers. Today, we reliably run setups for upward of 12 hr. of con- tinuous cutting with small-diameter endmills, maintaining 10-micron repeatability throughout.”
Additional Investment
Cuts Costs and Lead Times
In addition to its advancements in hardmilling processes, Feintool also has made significant investments in its preheattreated-machining capabil- ities through the acquisition of three Makino PS95 VMCs in 2014.
Prior to these investments, Feintool had been outsourcing most of its pre- heattreated machining processes. Some preheattreated machining had been processed inhouse on a set of older mills that struggled to handle the forces necessary to perform heavier cutting operations. To reduce lead

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