Custom WX-ST-PNC thread milling cutter enables one pass threading and triples tool life in steel plier production
Ander García | OSG Ibérica
Established in 2005, SNA Europe Industries Iberia S.A. (SNA Europe Industries Iberia) designs and produces hand tools tailored to the most demanding professionals. The company provides products to an array of industries, including sectors such as construction, automotive, aviation, metal cutting, and more.
Established in 2005, SNA Europe Industries Iberia S.A. designs and produces hand tools tailored to the most demanding professionals.
Tool manufacturing is a combination of raw, basic elements and modern technology. According to SNA Europe, hand tools exist since 2.5 million years ago and some of them have not changed much to the eye over the past century. However, with ongoing developments in materials and manufacturing processes, SNA Europe leads by focusing on innovation, ergonomics and performance. SNA Europe Industries Iberia is a part of the SNA Europe Group, which was founded in 1850 in Eskilstuna, Sweden. SNA Europe Industries Iberia conducts business mainly in Europe.
SNA Europe Industries Iberia’s manufacturing plant in Irun, Gipuzkoa, Spain has an estimate land area of 29,000-square-meter and employs 140 staff. Recently, SNA Europe Industries Iberia was looking to improve tool life and cost per unit on its plier production, which the company has been manufacturing for about 15 to 20 years. The annual production volume is estimated to be around 300,000 pieces. Each plier requires the threading of one through hole at a depth of 7 mm with a tap tolerance of 6H. The pliers have three difference thread sizes – M5.5 x 0.5, M6.5 x 0.5 and M6 x 0.5. The parts are machined using a Mazak HTC-400 horizontal machining center.
Pliers made of 47CrV steel with a hardness of 45 to 47 HRC are positioned inside the machining center.
The pliers are made of 47CrV steel with a hardness of 45 to 47 HRC. Common drawbacks of conventional thread milling tools by helical interpolation in high-temperature and hardened materials are tool deflection and poor thread finish. SNA Europe Industries Iberia originally used a competitor custom thread milling cutter that was implemented many years ago. The competitor cutter was designed mostly based on the part drawing. The tool life of the competitor tool averaged 480 pieces and each tool would be reground twice.
Each plier requires the threading of one through hole at a depth of 7 mm with a tap tolerance of 6H.
During a visit to SNA Europe Industries Iberia’s facility, OSG Ibérica Sales Engineer Ander García learned of the company’s search for tool life improvement and requested for an opportunity to conduct a tool trial. Upon a detail evaluation of the application, García recommended a custom version of the WX-ST-PNC carbide thread mill cutter in sizes of M6 x 0.5 and M6.5 x 0.5.
A standard WX-ST-PNC carbide thread mill cutter coated with OSG’s WX coating. The WX-ST-PNC’s low helix flute form improves tool rigidity, making it ideal for machining steel applications up to 50 HRC.
The WX-ST-PNC is a carbide thread mill cutter coated with OSG’s WX coating. The WX-ST-PNC’s low helix flute form improves tool rigidity, making it ideal for machining steel applications up to 50 HRC. By employing OSG’s toughest premium carbide, the WX-ST-PNC is able to excel with superior durability. To further enhance performance, OSG tailored the WX-ST-PNC based on the actual machining environment, hardness of the material, among other specifications. In particular, to solve the problems of tool deflection and chipping in high-hardness steel machining, a special specification was adopted to stabilize the machining accuracy and improve tool life.
A custom WX-ST-PNC carbide thread mill cutter is used for the application.
In SNA Europe Industries Iberia’s plier production, many workpieces are attached to the tombstone by hand. Although large quantity can be processed with one set-up, a lot of time is required for the initial configuration. Additionally, since the machine operators oversee many machines, as long as stable machining is possible, the staff can concentrate on setup. Therefore, the one trouble SNA Europe Industries Iberia wants to avoid at all costs is having to stop the machine due to a machining defect. According to SNA Europe Industries Iberia, machining efficiency is not a bottleneck. Rather, the company’s key objective is to prolong tool life to enable minimum manned operation.
With a unique cutting geometry, OSG’s custom WX-ST-PNC is able to process a thread in a single pass and achieve three times longer tool life versus the competitor tool.
From left, SNA Europe Industries Iberia Production Manager Iker Udabe and OSG Ibérica Sales Engineer Ander García pose for a photograph inside SNA Europe Industries Iberia’s manufacturing facility in Irun, Gipuzkoa, Spain.
“After knowing the limitations of this application, our goal is to get as much life out of the tool as possible,” said SNA Europe Industries Iberia Production Manager Iker Udabe. “By switching to OSG’s custom thread mill, we are able to make three times more threads versus the previous tool without having to stop the machine and prolong uninterrupted processing.”
For more information on OSG’s thread milling solutions, OSG Ibérica and SNA Europe Industries Iberia S.A.