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Improving Smiles Around the World —The ENG-K Success Story

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IMTS Updates

It’s that time of year again… IMTS 2024 is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to seeing you there! This year, we’ll have a total of eight clients exhibiting, hosting either Media Days or Press Conferences exclusively for editors. 

ANCA – well-known manufacturer of CNC grinding machines will be showcasing the MicroX Ultra, an innovative six-axis grinding machine, is meticulously designed for volume production of nano and micro cutting tools down to 0.03mm. It offers a superior solution for manufacturing high-quality, high-performance micro cutting tools.   The ANCA edge preparation machine, EPX-SF, features unmatched automation, resource optimization, machine learning capabilities, traceability and predictable precision. The annual Tool of the Year award invites creative cutting tool makers to submit their designs in the #MadeonANCA and/or Most Innovative Tool Design category.  The company’s Female Machinist of the Year Award celebrates female machinists actively working with ANCA technology in the tool and cutter grinding industry. Winners for both will be announced at IMTS.  ANCA will also continue the celebration of its 50^th anniversary in business. 

Booth 237406, North Building, Level 3

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Zimmermann – the leading manufacturer of high-tech portal milling machines will display its FZU22 gantry milling machine in monoblock structure for machining a variety of workpiece shapes and sizes. Their strong suit includes aluminum, wood, plastics and the finishing of CFRP parts (carbon fiber and composites). The top-moving gantry also ensures high precision in the production of models and molded parts, while the standard version includes the tool changer for 12 tools and a control of the latest generation (Siemens or Heidenhain). The specially developed 5-axis milling head with 15 kW spindle is also suitable for machining hard-to-reach workpiece locations due to its geometry.

Booth 339336, South Building, Level 3

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E-Z LOK – a manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood, will display  E-Z Sonic™ inserts with threaded insert assortment kits. Inserts are designed for post-molding installation in thermoplastic materials such as acrylic, polypropylene, and PVC. Machined out of high-quality brass and available with both inch and metric threads, these inserts are durable enough for the toughest environments and versatile enough to meet the needs of any application. The Heat Staking threaded insert assortment kits quickly add machine threads to 3D printed parts and prototypes.  E-Z LOK will exhibit in tandem with its sister company, TCI Precision, a supplier of metal materials and near net shapes to speed production for the busy job shop.

Booth 432123, West Building, Level 3

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FISCHER USA – world leader in the manufacture of high precision spindles, service and repair, will display its branded spindles and formally introduce the expansion of its repair services and exchange programs for non-FISCHER spindle brands to the North American market.  The company will target Kessler spindles, commonly found on large format SW machines and typically used in the automotive market for high-production work, as well as MAG3 Makino spindles used in the aerospace sector. FISCHER will also target a repair and exchange program for Voumard multi-spindle, ID high-speed grinding machines.

 Booth 237470, North Building, Level 3

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Platinum Tooling – the importer and master distributor of live tools, angle heads, marking tools, Swiss tools, speed multipliers and multi-spindle tools manufactured by various global suppliers, will display its QUICK knurling and marking tools from Hommel + Keller. The QUICK product spectrum offers solutions for both form knurling and cut knurling, while marking tools make it possible to mark workpieces in seconds on a variety of surfaces and part geometries.  Platinum will also display its new line of broaching tools. 

Booth 432245, West Building, Level 3

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Nidec Machine Tool America – will unveil its LAMDA500 Powder DED Metal 3D Printer. The LAMDA500 boasts a generous build volume of 500mm x 500mm x 500mm and five-axis functionality, ideal for producing complex industrial metal parts.  It complements Nidec’s existing LAMDA series, featuring the LAMDA200 and LAMDA2000 models. Features include highly advanced local shield, AI-powered anomaly detection and two material gradient printing. Federal Broach & Machine, a division of Nidec Machine Tool Corporation, will exhibit their Vertical Rising Table Broach Machine (VRT). Permitting the fully automatic broaching of internal spur splines, the machine can be built with five to 20 tons of force for a wide range of applications. Capable of hard broaching, the VRT has a small footprint and is suitable for mass production as well as job shop installations. The company’s award-winning CF26A cut chamfer machine is used to machine the chamfered portions of gears. The machine is designed to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency machining, and it is particularly well-suited for the machining of gears for electric vehicles. It features a tool design simulation that designs the desired chamfer shape before machining, a  unique circuit configuration that reduces the time required to align the workpiece groove and the dedicated tool blade and a  dry-cut method that does not use coolant, reducing the environmental load.

Booth 338948- Metal Removal, South Building, Level 3

Booth 237238, Abrasive Machining/Sawing/Finishing, North Building, Level 3

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Siemens – productivity enhancing solutions and services for the North American machine tool industry. Part of Siemens Xcelerator, the open digital business platform that includes a portfolio of software and IoT-enabled hardware, Machinum analyzes and optimizes machine tools and manufacturing areas virtually and in real production. The first digital native CNC, SINUMERIK ONE, works with software to create the machine controller and the associated digital twin from one engineering system, thus contributing to the seamless integration of hardware and software. The generative AI-powered assistant, Siemens Industrial Copilot, is connected to plant via the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal, enabling teams to find a given topic and to generate a basic visualization and code faster for programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The Copilot functions to reduce workloads, take on repetitive tasks and reduce errors when engineering complex tasks.  Cloud-based SINEC Security Guard offers automated vulnerability mapping and security management optimized for industrial operators in OT environments. The software can automatically assign known cybersecurity vulnerabilities to the production assets of industrial companies, allowing industrial operators and automation experts to identify cybersecurity risks among their OT assets on the shop floor and receive a risk- based threat analysis.

Booth 133249- Software, East Building, Level 3

Booth 433028- Additive Manufacturing, West Building, Level 3

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DON’T MAKE THESE MARCOM MISTAKES!

Part of our role as a full-service agency is to counsel you in the formation, implementation and execution of your marcom program.

Below are three classic mistakes being made by companies today…

1. Using social media and PR as advertising on the cheap. Self-explanatory but it has several aspects. Social media is still in its infancy, many key people in your world don’t use it and its sex appeal, being cheap, is diverting much of your time and effort to preach to the choir. Ever notice how many comments and likes are from your own team? Our strategy is quite different, being the pros from Dover, as we begin with a list of your customers and prospects and build from there. Acting as you, we follow them and get them to follow us. Likewise, as a great PR agency, we get you coverage in all the right places. Problem is, magazines don’t charge for running PR, though some are beginning to mirror the tactics used by foreign books forever, namely, to charge for PR. This actually goes back to the early days of printing in Europe, where the “publishers” reasoned that every line in their magazines, leaflets and broadsides (look that one up!) had value. Call me if you want the full history. American magazines largely rely on ad revenue or member dues to cover the cost to produce and circulate their magazines. Lastly, the impact of an ad placement is quantitatively and qualitatively different from PR and articles. Again, holler if you want the full scoop. Yes, Tim loves ice cream. Pistachio almond fudge was my fav but can’t find it. Wrote to the prez at BR when they dropped it and he sent me a gallon, saying nobody bought it anymore. Who can guess the most popular ice cream flavor?
   
2. Neglecting the trade show, as well as trade magazines. Some of you, including one new client, have asked me about the value of trade shows. I direct everyone to the study we did with a major trade association, years ago, when we asked engineers how they get information to do their jobs. The kids at the agency (and many of you reading this) thought it would be social media, blasts, influencers and online media outlets. Wrong! Trade magazines and trade shows were the runaway winners and still are today. We maintain ongoing surveying to validate this fact. Funny sidebar, a client’s former president always spoke derisively of “trade rags”, yet his last act was to have us run ads in same to find the guy who runs the sales and marketing at that company to this day. It worked. Magazines and trade shows draw the industry to your message, be it an ad or a booth. Think of it as one giant sales call. At a recent show I attended (at the really cool Mohegan Sun complex in CT), a client signed a machine deal with a company he’d contacted for TEN YEARS. I still go to trade shows to listen. Makes me and my team better copywriters…and we’re great!
   
3. Lastly and this was borne out during Covid, big time, the lack of personal sales calling caused people to rely on other forms of marcom to generate interest, precisely because shows and even some magazines went away or foolishly went digital only (another column). Do NOT apply that same mindset to today’s sales and marcom landscape, you will regret it, despite the short-term cost savings. I can guarantee your competitors are not doing so. The old maxim, “They can’t buy from you if they don’t know you,” exemplified by the classic “man in the chair” ad, still holds true today. See attached. True then, true today.

The legendary (in my biz) Leo Burnett called advertising salesmanship in print. True then, true today. The psych guys in my biz call it pre-disposition to a predetermined outcome.

Be happy to discuss the above in detail, anytime.

Tim Daro
President
Bernard & Company
847-934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
www.bernardandcompany.com

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Blow Molding Dies by Guill

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ANCA’s EPX-SF processes up to 1,900 tools in 24 hours while achieving nano-smooth surfaces

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Zimmerman adds to its portal milling line

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MicroX ULTRA: Industry-first micro tool grinding using nanometer resolution down to D0.03mm

ANCA’s newest ULTRA machine makes micro tool grinding easier, more precise and more productive as the only nano-level resolution micro tool grinder

ANCA CNC Machines, a leading manufacturer of precision grinding machines, have launched the highly anticipated MicroX ULTRA.

This innovative six-axes grinding machine is meticulously designed for volume production of nano and micro cutting tools down to D0.03mm. Offering a superior solution for manufacturing high-quality, high-performance micro cutting tools, the MicroX ULTRA introduces groundbreaking technologies exclusive to the cutting tool industry.

The brain behind the machine is Pat McCluskey, a passionate machine tool designer, who is this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of ANCA, the company he co-founded with Pat Boland in 1974.

Pat McCluskey remarked, “I have been designing ANCA machines for 50 years – always with the goal of making machines better, more efficient, and user-friendly. It is a trademark of ANCA that you just have to do it differently, and the latest machine, the MicroX ULTRA, is the only micro tool grinder with nanometer resolution. This nano-level precision is a significant advancement in the field, utilizing the very best of ANCA’s technology developed over five decades to offer superior micro tool production.”

Key features of the MicroX ULTRA:

• Nanometer resolution and nanometer control on all axes

With nanometer resolution and control over the tool grinding path, the MicroX ULTRA delivers a high level of surface and edge quality. This achievement is made possible through intelligent algorithms that operate collaboratively and in synchrony.

• Optimized axes travel to grind tools to micrometer sizes

The C-axis refers to the wheel swivel axis centerline, which is aligned with the wheel’s 9 o’clock grind point. This specific design is critical in the grinding of ballnose, corner radius and profile tools. In the case of a ballnose tool, the X and Y interpolations during the grinding process will be nearly equal to the radius of the ballnose tool.

• ANCA Machine Intelligence

Advanced algorithms ensure precise nanometer-level control of tool grinding paths, guaranteeing superior surface and edge quality. These algorithms collaborate and synchronize to reject disturbances swiftly, enhancing axis stiffness and robustness. They actively mitigate disturbances from spindle speed variations caused by imbalanced or runout grinding wheels. Encoder subdivision error compensation automatically detects and corrects inherent encoder errors on both linear and rotary encoders.

• In-process measurement in volume production

The LaserUltra takes process stability to an even higher level by closely controlling tolerances and incorporating in-process compensation mechanisms. This advanced system adapts to factors like wheel wear, resulting in superior precision and reliability.

• AIMS ready

Seamless integration with ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS) facilitates effortless transition to automated, lights-out production, enhancing operational efficiency and productivity.

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For more information, visit https://machines.anca.com/MicroX

For further information, please contact:
Amanda Bakun
Marketing & Communications Manager – Americas
248-497-1168
amanda.bakun@anca.com

ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.

ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.

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E-Z LOK Receives ISO Certification

E-Z LOK, a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood, just announced it has received ISO 9001 certification. The announcement was made by Kyle Lindsly-Roach, Director of Sales & Marketing at the company’s Gardena, California headquarters.

With a quality management system that confirms to ISO 9001 standards in place, the company can now meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to their products.

The company started the certification process in January of this year because they saw the need for ISO certification to better support current and future customers. To do so, E-Z LOK partnered with a consulting company to design and build out their quality management system (QMS).  Then, they implemented the QMS within their company. Lastly, the QMS was audited by an external company, thus verifying that the QMS was in place and effective.

Commenting on the benefits of the certification, Lindsly-Roach said, “This gives us the potential to work with OEMs and distributors who need a robust quality system in place for their vendors. It opens up additional business opportunities for us with those customers who require an ISO certification for their suppliers.”

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For more information, please contact:

Kyle Lindsly-Roach, Director of Sales & Marketing
E-Z LOK
240 E. Rosecrans Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
USA
Phone: 310-323-5613 x 221
klindsly@ezlok.com
www.ezlok.com 

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The future of the cutting tool industry

As ANCA celebrates 50 years of advancing tool manufacturing technology, Edmund Boland, General Manager of ANCA CNC Machines, (Bayswater North, Australia), looks ahead 5 to 10 years.

Just a person and a dog?

The old story about the factory of the future being populated by one human and a dog—the human’s role limited to feeding the dog, while the dog is in charge of keeping the person away from the machinery—will be close to reality for tool grinding.

At a minimum, said Boland, the entire production process will be linked digitally, “from the intake of the raw material, to palletizing, laser etching, and blank preparation…to the tool and cutter grinding, edge prep, coating, and right through to shipping the finished goods.” So, for example, when a particular job transitions from OD prep to the 5-axis grinders, the machines will automatically call up the correct program to finish grinding the tools. Everything will also be linked to a company’s ERP and MES system, providing “very good data analytics, to help make the right decisions and improve your processes.”

It’s already the case that individual processes, such as OD grinding or stream finishing, are often highly automated once they’re setup. So, what will differ among thriving companies, as Boland sees it, is the degree to which those processes have been automated and the degree to which the transfer of material between stations has also been automated.

“A small to medium shop will probably have a person who’s physically moving and scanning let’s say, a pallet from the OD machine to the five-axis machine. But digitally, the five-axis machine receives a file that says it’s getting these blanks, and it’s all tied in with the ERP system. The same thing would happen if they’re subcontracting the coating. Digitally, they’re sending that information to the coater, but somebody is manually moving tools from the five-axis to the shipping department. Whereas in a large shop, a robotized cart would make the physical moves.” That’s the case with ANCA’s Integrated Manufacturing Systems (AIMS).

Improving setups and quality

The more automation a shop achieves, says Boland, the more consistent its output quality and the more its workers can concentrate on solving isolated problems and improving the entire process, aided by AI. “Invariably, there will be tools that are out of tolerance. And someone will need to ask ‘Why? What do we need to tweak? Is there an issue with one of the production steps? Is the program wrong?’”

Competitive companies will therefore rely on a relatively small number of highly skilled problem solvers. These people will in turn rely on the kind of advanced training available at the ANCA Academy.

Boland also envisions a continuing role for skilled people to set up machines, though changes are coming there too. “As an example, technology like steadyrests will have sensors and the ability to make automatic adjustments.”

Automatic compensation to correct errors detected in-process is already a reality, and this capability will only improve, Boland adds. For example, with today’s technology, if the machine loads a blank askew, the probe detects the error and the grinding problem automatically adjusts to produce a satisfactory tool. But, “you still need to manually check the first piece, especially if it’s a new type of tool. After that, the system can take over. ‘First tool right’ is already our big mantra. You should be able to measure the first tool, and if wrong, be able to compensate.”

One contributing factor is the ever increasing capability of internal measurement devices. Boland observes that their new generation lasers can measure in the presence of coolant mist and even some residual oil on the tool itself. Vision systems still require manual placement and removal after use, but “that will change. Camera systems require better ventilation than lasers, but there are solutions. A robot can blow out the debris from the environment within the machine right after grinding. Or you could use a robot to bring the camera into the machine from an external location.”

At the same time, the list of features that can be measured internally and automatically compensated will grow. Today it’s “things like OD, tool profile, and flute depth. In a short time we’ll be able to do more. The threads within a thread mill or a tap, as an example. A K-land. Or the gash. As long as it can be measured within the system, it can be compensated.”

Boland doesn’t think we’ll eliminate the need for stand-alone measuring machines like the ZOLLER Genius, especially when it comes to measuring complex features. But he foresees improvements in the interplay between such systems and tool grinders.

The key, he explains, in the establishment of standardized measurement protocols for specific geometric features. “Until these measurement protocols are created, no tool grinder can compensate for a measured deviation. At the moment, ANCA has a standard set of measurements available for simpler end mills and drills. But as we install AIMS throughout our customer base, we’re also working with these customers to expand the range of measurements we can compensate. We’re getting into quite complex profile tools, and complex end mills, for example.”

Sub-micron tolerances

It’s no secret that tolerances are getting tighter. Boland says achieving micron, and even sub-micron, levels of precision will be the key to capturing many future applications. Demand for such accuracy “will grow, because of the benefits of these cutting tools. Whether it’s the surface finish of the workpiece that’s being machined, tool life, or other factors. Removing all the small inaccuracies within the cutting tool lifts its performance significantly.”

This is also why the market is moving more toward solid round tools, versus indexable cutters. “Customers want the rigidity of a solid round tool and the advantages of being able to push the tool while also achieving an excellent surface finish,” reports Boland.

Maintaining higher levels of precision will take more than the highly functioning automation, in-process measuring, and closed-loop compensation functions covered earlier. “Simple, though expensive, things like air conditioning,” lists Boland. “The coolant systems. The types of wheels you buy… It’s not just the tool and cutter grinder. It’s the whole system around it.

“Eliminating vibration is going to be absolutely critical. No longer will you be able to attach a mist extractor directly under the canopy. The air conditioning unit within a machine tool will become very important. Because if it vibrates, it will cause problems.” Thus, a central coolant system and central mist extraction become requirements.

Although Boland predicts a growing demand for even more accurate tools, he also thinks there will continue to be demand for lower cost tools. That, plus the inherent cost and difficulty of meeting the tightest tolerances, will limit the adoption of the improvements just discussed.

Material trends

Carbide continues to be the dominant cutting tool material, but PCD use is growing faster, according to Boland. Thus, PCD may reach 30% of the market in 10 years or so. Ceramics are also getting more interest, but remain a small part.

Likewise, the need for material removal technologies other than grinding will grow. Wire and rotary EDM are now predominant for PCD, but laser ablation bears watching, says Boland. “It is definitely an emerging technology. Customers with early machines are using them not only for PCD, but also for carbide. In particular, micro tools are now seen as a potential for laser ablation, and tool makers are getting interesting results.

“In terms of PCD, laser ablation definitely has its advantages over erosion. It doesn’t require coolant or consumable copper electrodes.” So, though the machines might remain 40-50% more expensive than competing technology, they might save money over time due to lower consumable costs. Laser ablation also has the ability to produce shapes that can’t be created with erosion, including surface features. Conversely, it doesn’t make sense for fluting larger diameter tools. Boland therefore remains uncertain of laser ablation’s near term future being more than a niche solution.

Similarly, additive machining is not likely to replace more than a few material removal applications in industry. And its applicability to the production of cutting tools appears to be limited. “I don’t see it becoming efficient enough in ten years. But potentially, it has a place in producing special tools, with otherwise impossible internal coolant channels and those kinds of things. It might also have a role in creating big, expensive, cutting tools. But even if it does take off, I don’t believe it will be accurate enough to eliminate the need for finish grinding.”

Other market considerations

Given the production efficiencies Boland envisions, you might expect regrinding to die. But not only will the automation solutions discussed earlier also apply to regrinding, Boland surmises that sustainability concerns will continue to make it a viable business.

At the same time, the greater efficiencies achieved by forward leaning tool producers will create expectations in the market for faster turnaround times, even for small quantities of special tools. As Boland put it, “the ability to easily produce optimized special tools for a specific job is what will be important to our customers.”

Unsurprisingly, the move to electric vehicles is reducing cutting tool demand in the automotive sector by as much as 50%. This varies around the globe, with the U.S. lagging in EV adoption. There are also “growing applications outside of the EV area which might be compensating,” Boland states, though the total impact of EVs will undeniably be large.

“And then there’s the question of where the technology will land. But it’s almost a philosophical discussion rather than a factual one. Will hydrogen take over? Will ultra clean fuel come back and give the combustion engine another lease on life? Who knows?”

Changes to service & support

Boland predicts that AI will “be a huge productivity improvement mechanism for the future,” in part because it contributes to accurately warning of component failures in advance. It can even automatically order the replacement part. Thus, preventative maintenance becomes targeted and efficient while ensuring nearly seamless uptime.

Conversely, Boland points out that multi-machine automation makes any downtime intolerable. “Customers can live without a single machine for a day or two. But if a fully automated system is not up within a couple of hours, that’s a big problem. So, being able to respond rapidly and around the clock is going to be important. There will be different technologies to allow that.” This includes remote and predictive diagnostics, “to reduce the necessity of having a service person on site.”

Whatever the future holds, it’s sure to be interesting. And if Boland turns out to be wrong about anything, you can always count on your dog.

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For more information, visit https://machines.anca.com.

ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.

ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.

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E-Z LOK Threaded Inserts and Kits for Softwood

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