Until one of AMEC's German distributors, stepped in at specialist hydraulic systems manufacturer, Bolenz & Schäfer GmbH, the company had subcontracted work where holes larger than 90mm diameter were required due to the additional demands placed on its machine tools.
Following an exploratory visit to the Biedenkopf based manufacturer by AMEC distributor Stahl Werkzeugtechnik (SWT), it became clear that AMEC tooling technology could provide an effective solution that not only helped Bolenz & Schäfer drill the large diameter holes in-house, but also produce them considerably quicker than their existing subcontracted solution as they were using HSS twist drills.
The particular component that SWT focussed on required a 94mm diameter hole to be drilled 335 mm deep in ST52-3 grade structural steel on a Webo horizontal boring mill with an internal coolant supply. As a result of an intensive tool testing and application engineering analysis, SWT developed a solution using AMEC T-A® holders and high performance AM200® coated HSS inserts.
To provide a starting guide for the full depth drill, SWT used a short length holder and T-A insert to drill to a depth the same as the tools diameter, 94 mm, which was then followed by the same insert grade in a longer reach, straight fluted holder to complete the required depth of 335 mm. As it was vital to work within the effective parameters of the boring machine, the AMEC drills operated at 80 rev/min and a feed rate of 0.2 mm/rev, which produced a consistent and smooth solution with a very good tool life.
SWT's application engineer, Stefan Stahl, explained: "The issue here was for Bolenz & Schäfer to gain direct control over the production of these components by producing them in-house, which they believed to be limited by the capacity of its machinery. We not only helped them achieve this goal, but by using the advanced tooling from AMEC, they no longer have to wait so long for the sub-contractor and the component can be produced flexibly and to the shortest possible delivery times."