In 2012, SANDVIK Coromant extended its product portfolio with solutions for form milling cutters. Their new production facility in Schmalkalden, Germany manufactures customized tools as well as newly designed gear cutting and crankshaft cutters. Those hob cutters were the main reason for purchasing a ZOLLER measuring machine for the quality assurance/final inspection department.
SANDVIK COROMANT's requirements for ZOLLER were to accelerate quality assurance "to increase our productivity and to comprehensively document all parameters in accordance with DIN 3968 and provide peace of mind to our customers", states Axel Küpper, Senior Manager Global Sales & Application, Gear Milling Solutions. Especially the "comprehensive documentation of hob cutters with indexable inserts in accordance with DIN 3968" required innovative development work by both companies.
The ZOLLER measuring machine has been in operation since February 2012 and, for the first time, allows measuring and comprehensive documentation of hobbing machines in accordance with DIN 3968 employing image processing technology. The swiveling, CNC-driven optic carrier assures complete measurement of the helical tools.
The newly developed software for the measuring program "also allows measuring of single cutting edges at defined points and incorporating these into the protocol - which is a tremendous time saving", confirms Thomas Jäger, measuring technician at the Schmalkalden facility. SANDVIK Coromant can now provide comprehensive documentation with every delivered machine and thus guarantees security for the end user.
Mario Peter, the local project manager in Schmalkalden, also praised the efficiency increase in their quality assurance: "Errors are easy to detect, and even a single tooth can be checked quickly and easily. This definitely provides an increase in our overall productivty."
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