KAISER Precision Tooling, a leader in premium high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the automotive, mil/aero, energy, medical and watch-making industries, today announced its latest digital boring tools, which improve efficiency compared to the analog heads they can replace. The digital heads are also typically 20 per cent quicker to set than analog equivalents.

KAISER’s digital boring tools dramatically increase accuracy and process reliability in the machine tools industry. This is because setting errors by handling are virtually eliminated due to the large, easy to read digital display, which delivers ultra-precise accuracy of 0.001mm in diameter. Reducing errors saves time and reduces the amount of waste produced and therefore reduces costs.

Specially built to run on small machines, the EWD 2-32 features a concentric insert holder and a wide range of accessories for an optimized tool set up within a diameter range of 2 to 32mm. The EWD 2-32 has a tool body diameter of 50mm.

With a tool body diameter of 38mm, the EWD 41 is the world’s smallest digital precision boring head with an integrated digital display. The EWD 41 provides laterally-loaded cutting for a range of diameters from 41 to 53mm.

KAISER developed the electronics itself, having set up an in-house electronics lab. This means it retains control of this key part of the boring tools, and it is able to ensure the highest quality product for customers.

To ensure compatibility with customers’ existing equipment, all insert holders and boring bars of KAISER analogue tools can easily be used with the new digital versions. The complete KAISER range of digital boring tools covers diameters from 2 to 3000mm, including tools with centered and side insert holders. All digital boring heads belong to the modular KAISER system, which means they can be plugged in any shank with a standard CK connection, and thus used in a huge range of machine tools.

“Digital is the future – digital boring delivers precision and consistency, saving time and money by dramatically reducing operator errors,” says Peter Elmer, CEO of KAISER Precision Tooling. “With the compatibility offered by KAISER, it’s simple for customers to get these benefits by replacing their existing analogue heads with new digital models – and our electronics lab ensures that the digital heads are high quality products, which maintain KAISER’s excellent reputation.”

The tools are individually tested by KAISER at its factory to ensure reliability, and have a long lasting battery life of more than 5000 diameter adjustment cycles. Standard batteries are used, so replacements can easily be purchased at any electronics store. IP69K-rated protection, highest possible, ensures the tools are resistant to the ingress of dust and water, even under high pressure and in extreme environments.

KAISER Precision Tooling, a leader in premium high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the automotive, mil/aero, energy, medical and watch-making industries, recently announced its new EWBD precision boring head. The new head is self-balancing and ultra-light, thanks to an innovative aluminium construction.

The EWBD is ideal for deep bores which require long tool combinations. It delivers excellent precision due to its internal self-balancing mechanism. This makes it well-suited to boring for machine pedestals, gearbox housing, cranes, hydraulic manifold and vehicle manufacturing.

The new head includes the world’s first PSC interface made entirely of aluminium. This means it is 55% lighter than standard steel boring heads. To give the most choice to customers, the EWBD is also available in steel.

A large, clear digital display provides a resolution of Ø 0.001 mm. The display is easy to read, improving usability, and practically eliminates operator errors.

To enable high cutting speeds of up to 2000m/min, the EWBD is equipped with a highly accurate self-balancing mechanism on its full adjustment range. Due to the light weight of the tool, handling is easy and complications with ATC are minimized.

“With the EWBD, KAISER has applied truly innovative technology to create an industry-leading tool,” says Peter Elmer, CEO of KAISER Precision Tooling. “Light, accurate and rigid, the boring head delivers excellent results while being easy to use – a perfect match.”

There are two variants of the EWBD high performance boring head: the EWBD 100 AL aluminium version, and the EWBD 68 in steel. Both are available now.

Rough boring with a tool that allows different cutting methods without the need for length adjustments or additional accessory components – this was the challenge for the design of a new twin cutter boring head.

The solution is simple and with a touch of genius:
A tool body with supports for insert holders of different heights, and insert holders of different lengths permit the adjustment of the cutting edges to the same length or to different lengths, just by a transposed mounting of the insert holders.

An adjust screw with a defined pitch permits individual diameter setting in both directions for each insert holders. Accordingly both cutting edges can be set to the same diameter for rotationally symmetrical roughing (RSS) or in diameter and length displaced, for double offset roughing (DVS). The selection of the roughing method is made according to the stock to be removed. With the RSS method approx. 10 % of the final diameter and with the DVS method approx. 20% of the final diameter can be removed in one cut.

Ground serrations on the mating surfaces of both tool body and insert holder permit a rigid connection and an accurate tool length. A diameter scale on the insert holders allows diameter adjustment without presetter. Tool body and insert holders are completely protected against corrosion by a high quality coating.

The new twin cutter tool program consists of 8 boring heads for roughing in the diameter range from Ø 20 – 203 mm. The boring heads with the KAISER connections CK1 to CK7 are equal in length and adjustment range to the KAISER precision boring heads EWN and EWB.

Kennametal’s new asymmetric line-boring solution increases machining robustness, process speeds, and bore quality, and reduces tool maintenance and handling.

Precision boring is a vital process in manufacturing many critical components. The accuracy and finish of a multi-journal crank bore in an engine block relates directly to power and fuel efficiency, and the time it takes relates directly to the engine company’s profits. Precision bores in numerous engineered components are essential to critical performance metrics. Such bores must meet critical tolerances; but the downside is that precision boring can be costly and time-consuming, with a small mistake or error resulting in the scrapping of expensive parts. The response from Kennametal is a geometric and asymmetric line boring bar solution being termed a revolution in the process by delighted users.

By definition, boring, as opposed to drilling, is a machining process in which internal diameters are made in true relation to the spindle centerline. This process is most commonly performed with the workpiece held stationary and the cutting tool both rotating and advancing into the workpiece, although boring is also done with the cutting tool and the workpiece being adjustable.

Common applications for boring include the enlarging or finishing of cored, pierced, or drilled holes and contoured internal surfaces. Related operations sometimes performed simultaneously with boring include turning, facing, chamfering, grooving, and threading.

How It’s Done
Envision a small engine block with five in-line journals requiring crank bores. Conventional thinking for a multi-journal finishing assignment, for example, involves a multi-blade guidepad reamer with the following suggested process (here designated as Option 1.0):

• A pilot reamer finishes the first journal
• The multi-blade reamer is fed in and semi- and final-finishes journals 2 through 5.
• The reamer is then retracted.

The advantage of such a process is that it lends itself to use on CNC horizontal or multi-axis machining centers and does not require a dedicated boring machine with dedicated fixtures. However, depending on the size of the workpiece, the machine tool must be of sufficient rigidity or quality can fall off dramatically. Also, feed-in and feed-out of the reaming tool over finished bores must be done slowly and precisely or retraction marks and/or damage to the cutting edges will occur.

Another general option for machining this kind of bore is line boring (Option 2.0). The basic issue to be solved at this option is how can the cutting blades and the tool’s guide pads pass through unfinished journals with smaller hole diameters?

CNC machine tool builders have responded to this quandary with using conventional line boring bars and “counter-bearing” capabilities on their equipment. The process looks like the following:

• The workpiece area of the machine tool lifts the cylinder block up
• The line boring bar is fed through the component into a bearing at the opposite end
• The cylinder block is adjusted down and clamped
• Crank bores are semi- and final-finished
• The cylinder block is lifted up and the boring bar retracted

The process speeds up feed-in and feed-out, and because the tool is supported on both ends; the geometric quality of the finished bore is improved compared to reaming option 1.0. On the downside, lift functions require special fixturing and CNC control, and the required counter-bearing on the fixture makes any additional back-side machining impossible.

Multi-axis machine tools with tilting worktables and/or tilting spindles together with more evolved boring bars contribute to Line Boring Option 2.1 with expandable guide pads, where the process evolves to the following:

• A pilot reamer is fed in and finishes journal 5
• The component (or machine table) gets rotated 180 degrees
• The machining center X-Y axis is adjusted to feed the boring bar in off-center
• The boring bar with guide pads is centered into journal 5
• Guide pads are expanded
• Journals 1 through 4 are semi- and final-finished
• Guide pads are fed back in
• The boring bar is retracted off-center

Option 2.1 uses the multi-axis adjustability of the machine tool. It retains the advantages of Option 1.0 by eliminating the need for any lift function or counterbearing and Option 2.0 with support on both ends of the tool. The disadvantages are that the complex internal mechanics of this type of boring bar are costly and can be difficult to handle. Insufficient lubrication use can damage sensitive internal mechanics, and if not monitored exactly, the tool can jam or hook in the workpiece and cause damage to the machine, fixture, tool, and part.

An Asymmetric Solution
In collaboration with a major automotive manufacturer’s engine block operations, Kennametal engineering staff has advanced the boring function with Option3.0, asymmetric line boring. This is a geometric leap forward that accentuates the advantages of reaming and line boring while virtually eliminating the disadvantages of both.

As with most advanced solutions, the principle at the foundation is quite basic. Normal guide diameters are of full material or build of 3 or more guide pads, providing no degree of freedom from the bore wall while feeding in and out. The Kennametal solution supports on guide pads in a setup similar to a typical guide pad reamer, but the guide pad, normally located 180° to the cutting edge, was rotated so the resulting design provides freedom to enter and exit the guide part even passing through the raw bores. This geometry allows feeding the bar through raw bores on an eccentric path. The process, then, looks like this:

• A pilot reamer is fed in and finishes journal 5
• The component (or machine table) gets rotated 180 degrees
• The asymmetric boring bar is fed in off-center using the machining center’s X-Y axis
• The tool is moved to the center and finishes journals 1 through 4 simultaneously
• The tool is retracted off-center with fast feed out.

Such asymmetric line boring retains all the advantages of previous line boring efforts — high-quality precision bores, support on both ends of the tool, while no expensive lift functions, obstructive counter bearings or critical mechanisms inside the tool are needed. It also adds the fact that complete feed-in and feed-out moves can be done at increased feed rates on conventional machining centers, adding efficiency to the process.

Naturally, being a Kennametal solution, the indexable inserts offered with this eccentric boring bar solution are also advanced. High-precision RI8 inserts have eight cutting edges with pre-defined back taper, which allows for high feed rates. Diameter can be adjusted to the precision of 1 micron. The high clamping force provided by the conical clamp screw avoids any settling effects.

Both inserts and the asymmetric boring bar are designed so the inserts clamp directly into the boring bar body. This eliminates the need for cartridges and the additional tolerances and space they require.

In short, this asymmetric line-boring solution increases machining robustness, process speeds, and reduces tool maintenance and handling, all while being compatible with CNC machining centers – a solution any manufacturer in search of process improvements will find anything but boring.

Please highlight the latest innovations at KAISER?
We work on innovation of new products and solutions throughout the year. This year we are planning to launch six new innovations. We recently launched a complete range (from 0.4mm to 3 meter) of digital boring head that is available on the digital space. We are the only ones coming up with such reliable digital tools with 0.001 mm/Ø resolution and IP69K protection, tools for daily usage and not only for nice show.

Please elaborate…
Available digitally means, the incremental adjustments will be displayed digitally and user friendly for operators. In a digital tooling solution the operator does not have to look at numbers and align the Vernier accordingly, but the change will be visualised in a digital way. This will help companies achieve greater speed and productivity, as it will eliminate inaccurate of the Vernier. It will actually remove the human error and cut down on cycle time and scraps percentages. Since it will help companies avoid human errors and enhance the speed, the return of investment will also be high. According to me, this is the future of the tooling industry.

Apart from this we have launched a very precise damper bar, which is ideal for both milling and boring applications. We can say it is one of the best options available in the market as our tools have 60-65% higher cutting feed than our competitors. We are also working on some new technologies for the damper bar and that will be one of our premier launches this year.

A few months ago, we launched a boring head with hydraulic clamping that provides extra speed and precision. Another recently launched tool is the digital head with PSC (Polygonal shank connection) mono block made of aluminium and we are the first to do so. All the above developments happened in the last 6-8 months. Therefore, yes there is a lot more to look forward to this year.

Kaiser is a renowned brand with its presence in various countries. What kind of customer sales and service do you provide to ensure customers satisfaction?
We have a very unique to guarantee customer satisfaction. The KAISER sales structure always promises to have one person like myself in the field and an internal sales manager for each sales area. The internal sales manager attends to the customer requests in the absence of the field sales manager on an immediate basis. Always co-ordinating with the respective business partner, sales manager, internal process, etc. to assure a quick and accurate reply in shortest time. Furthermore, we have all the tools in stock from 0.4mm to 2 meters, in all the size and models. So every PO, be it any model, will be dispatched in an hours’ time. In India it might take longer because of the customs.

Apart from this, if any customer wants any particular customised solution, we give our best, thanks to our efficient research and development team and deliver a quotation of the same in 24-48 hours.

Can you tell us more about your R&D activities?
We believe in —“Kaiser must be one step ahead”, so 12% of our work force is dedicated to the R&D activities. Not only this, 10% of our overall revenue goes towards R&D/ innovation.

How is the present industry sentiment like, how has the industry evolved over the years?
The last five years have been tough, especially in Europe due to the economic downturn in 2008. It changed the market a lot. Luckily Kaiser, starting from 2008 invested a lot in R&D and company expansion as well as new markets and today we see our growth beating the market expectations.

Today, we see more demand for performance, repeatability, and process stability. Why? Because the market is very challenging, no one has the time to wait and the OEMs give less time to the vendors for the trial.

What is process stability? Everyone says they can provide you 2-micron accuracy, but the real question is how often? Maybe twice, for a week, for a month or for a year or for life? We can guarantee our customers two-micron accuracy for life. We have boring heads running in India since last 30-32 years and still delivering 5-micron accuracy. We still have those tools functioning at HAL, LMW Group, etc. With Kaiser tools the boring process has become an easy task, first cut is the last cut, we reach the desired measure immediately and we maintain the same throughout the lot size, this will reduce drastically the machining time, consequently helping our customer reduce cost per component.

You have been present in India for the last 15 years, how do you see the Indian market?
The Indian market has suffered a lot for the last couple of years. 2014 also was a tough year due to the elections and new government coming into the picture. Market was not good in India. But, what I realise after meeting various industry people at IMTEX is that there is a positive vibe. People have a vision and are optimistic about the change. According to me, in a few months when many projects related to engineering and infrastructure will be implemented there it be a different market. This year end will be a turning point. We see positivity and that’s why we are investing in India, we are absolutely ready to accept whatever challenges we face.

What’s the basic difference between customer preference across the world and India?
Very much different! Dealing with a Swiss is not same as dealing with an Italian and dealing with an Italian is not same as dealing with an Indian. Everyone is different.

What I try to do is provide better quality and tools that fit their requirement.

Let’s talk about Swiss mentality. For them before talking about price, they say let’s talk about solutions and the value that I can get. Because at the end, it does not matter how much the tool cost itself, what matters is the value for money you make out of it. This is the only mentality that wins.

I have customers here in India and they trust us, now they agree on this. Now, they have the same number of machines and output has increased by 30%. So this 30% is money in the pocket and also the advantage. Initially, it’s very difficult to convince Indian buyers as money comes first here, but now we see that demand for good technology is increasing and there is awareness about the benefits of investing in technology.

I met people at IMTEX 2015, who asked questions like cycle time, can you do it and can I achieve it among others. The mentality is changing and this is a good sign.

The “Made-in-India” label has to go global; we see many good technologies coming from India. So it’s a good opportunity for us too, if India plans to export they will need to enhance the quality level and to enhance they need quality tools. It’s a win-win situation.
Industries creating more demand…

Automotive industry is going through a rough patch, but we expect it to bounce back soon. For us aerospace is the main focus area in India apart from the energy and die and mould industry.

Your future plan for the Indian market…
India is one of the most important markets for us and we are looking at doubling our sales force by the end of 2015. So we are looking for good sales engineer to enhance our sales capability. We are also planning to build good relationship with machine builders so that we can offer a package to the customers. This way we will be able to offer complete solution at affordable cost and it will enhance our offerings.