Questions with Steve Vanderink

1. What’s essential when considering quick change tooling systems?

2. How can tooling affect production time?

Critical factors impacting production time are chip control and tool life. The product lines included in the NEO Swiss system are ISO Turn (which has a Y-axis option), Penta17, Swiss Cut, and Do Grip (parting). These technologies have the chip formers, grades, and coatings for small-diameter, high-temp alloy parts. ISCAR’s sub-micron substrates maintain strength in inserts with sharp chip formers and the small corner radii needed to produce parts on Swiss machines. These factors increase tool life and improve chip quality to reduce insert changes and time spent clearing chips from the work area.

3. What trends or changes are impacting tooling?

Lately the lot sizes of jobs in mass production Swiss shops have gotten smaller due to customer just-in-time demands, making change-over a bigger factor in profitability. Flexible tooling that performs many different tasks with holders that accurately transition from head-to-head is needed. Projection lengths for the various NEO Swiss geometries are (20mm) ISO Turn heads, (21mm) Penta17 heads, and (22mm to 24mm) Swiss Cut heads. The geometries in the ISO Turn products (80º, 55º, and 35º), and flexibility of the Penta17 and Swiss Cut are key. Transitioning from turning, parting, grooving, groove and turn, back turn, and threading can all be done simply by changing insert geometry or changing the NEO Swiss head.

4. What other factors are critical for these types of tools?

In all industries coolant-through is essential. The materials cut in Swiss shops make this mandatory and critical to part quality, tool life, and chip control. ISCAR incorporates this technology everywhere; even when high pressure isn’t available, introducing coolant at the cutting edge makes a huge difference. NEO Swiss heads have coolant holes strategically placed (in some cases at the top of the insert and underneath the insert edge) for efficient coolant introduction. No bulky tool head is needed, eliminating the possibility of chips hanging on coolant nozzles.

5. What additional NEO Swiss line features would benefit Swiss shops?

Available in the ISO Turn NEO Swiss heads is a Y-axis option, which can add rigidity to turning operations by inverting the insert from X-axis to Y-axis orientation. This changes the cut forces from radial (perpendicular to the shank) to axial (parallel to the shank). This orientation improves chip evacuation in tough chipping materials by positioning the insert inverted, taking advantage of gravity to project chips into the conveyor.

The NEO Swiss line comes in 0.500", 12mm, and 16mm shanks with planned expansions.