Making the Right Decision...Right from the Start

Today's increasingly sophisticated machines call for a thorough round of pre-purchase research. From advanced controls and software to tremendous application flexibility, it is easy to get lost pondering these expensive new options. Nevertheless, manufacturers should not let the planning and expectations blind them; there is still another very important investment to consider, tooling packages.

With machine tools reaching expensive levels, some are wary to rank pre-planned tool packages high on their list of spending priorities – if the idea even crosses their mind at all. However, upon learning how significantly it can speed up machine payback, improve overall productivity, rationalize tool management, and reduce downtime, a shop owner may rethink his stance.

"If your tooling is an afterthought, you pay the price," says John Israelsson, U.S. president, Sandvik Coromant. "Not only will you miss out on bottom-line benefits, but you will also deal with unnecessary hassle and stress down the road."


Tool Time
What does pre-planned tooling entail? Israelsson says his company's multi-pronged approach involves evaluating a customer's current equipment, processes, and applications – while considering new components they might add to their repertoire down the road; generating time and cost-per-component studies; customizing tooling packages to match individual machining requirements; providing ongoing, on-site application support; and offering training programs to enhance operator performance.

It is an approach yielding big results.

"At first, tooling might seem like a big cost," Israelsson says. "But, when you figure that the right tooling can actually bring your production costs down and increase your return on your machine investment faster, it is another ball game."

Sandvik Coromant estimates that custom-matched tooling programs – when implemented at the time of a machine purchase – can lower costs and increase productivity by up to 20%. In many cases, this type of planning can cut machine-payback time by an entire year. With the average time it takes to pay off a machine hovering somewhere around three to five years, that is as much as a 33% reduction in payback.

Sandvik Coromant calculates payback based on factors including the number of days a year a machine runs, shift length, fixed machine costs, and machining time per component to give customers an idea of how they can benefit from the company's Right from the Start tooling approach.

Israelsson says this payback optimization is due as much to smart planning as it is to tool quality. "Simply put, our tooling systems are more technologically advanced, rigid, and efficient – helping customers get more parts per hour, from the very first shift that new machine runs," he says.

What is more, Sandvik Coromant works closely with leading machine tool suppliers to understand the inner workings of each machine.

"These partnerships underscore our expertise in the market," Israelsson says. "So we are not just talking about tooling without consideration for the nuances of each machine type and brand. To truly improve profitability, you need a tooling partner that understands the total package – and knows exactly how to optimize it."

Sandvik Coromant focuses on an approach they call Green Light Thinking, to increase machine use through less downtime. By constantly keeping the spindle running, and wasting less time on changeovers, customers assure continuing peak performance for their machines. The green light symbolizes an active machine that is in operation and not at a standstill due to resetting or breakdown. Ultimately, the reduced downtime in the machine helps optimize machine processes and increases efficiency, resulting in a boost in profitability.

Sandvik Coromant's specialists play a big role in helping customers identify the right tooling solutions for a given machine or application – and their support does not end after the initial tool planning and package purchase.

"Of course, your tooling needs – and the technology available – will change the life of your machine," Israelsson states. "The idea is to get a solid base of adaptable tools and toolholding solutions before your new machine hits the shopfloor; we partner with you for the long haul, so if and when your tooling needs a shift, we are there."

The flexible toolholding system he references is Coromant Capto, a rigid and efficient system designed to streamline tool management by accommodating off-the-shelf turning and rotating tools. According to Sandvik Coromant, the system can reduce changeover times significantly – typically bringing them down from 10 minutes to just one minute, which can mean a savings of $70,000 a year on a typical CNC lathe.

More Than a Commodity
The Coromant Capto toolholding system is designed to rationalize your tool management process through the use of a single system for both turning and rotating tools.Israelsson says that as technologies advance and competition increases, manufacturers are beginning to see tooling for what it really is: a crucial factor in their machining success and profitability. "In the past, tooling was seen strictly as a commodity," he explains. "Customers made decisions based largely on price comparison."

However, with the increasingly stringent tolerances complex components required of shops in the aerospace industry, customers are taking Sandvik Coromant's own ideology – your success in focus – to heart.

"People now realize, tooling can make or break you," Israelsson explains. "Customers need advanced products from a solutions partner – and the technical confidence and application skills to apply them to their full potential."

Israelsson says that the technology, R&D, and support behind the tooling can be just as important as the tools themselves, and customers are beginning to realize that these value-added services lead to higher productivity and profits.

"We invest heavily in R&D – twice the industry average. Not only do we scrutinize the materials and design of our tooling, but we also look for machining methods that can improve efficiency, increase flexibility, reduce cycle times, and cut costs."

The proof is in the pudding: Sandvik Coromant has developed more than 160 patents in the last four years alone – a quest that Israelsson says helps keep customers on the cutting edge of tooling developments.

"The tooling technology is there, and ready to optimize any manufacturing application," Israelsson says. "It is up to manufacturers to take proactive steps to find the right partner and plan a comprehensive machining strategy."


With a Little Planning, Aerospace Takes Flight
In the challenging and competitive aerospace industry, it can be hard to get off the ground. Obstacles include difficult materials, complex shapes, precise specifications, higher production rates, and tighter timelines – and the hurdles stand to get even higher as technologies progress.

With this in mind, Sandvik Coromant opened its Aerospace Application Center in Fair Lawn, NJ, in 2009. The state-of-the-art center – designed to help aerospace customers navigate this turbulent industry – has been a hit. With a focus on machining strategies for high-temperature and titanium alloys, experts at the application center analyze customers’ manufacturing processes and take a holistic approach to machining optimizations.

“We are extremely invested in the aerospace industry,” Israelsson says. “This industry is growing and evolving at such a fantastic pace, and our customers rely on us to help them keep up.”

A dedicated team of specialists, engineers, and CAM programmers support customer projects and training activities at the Aerospace Application Center, which is fully equipped with the latest machines and technologies.

In addition to the application center, Sandvik Coromant’s Taking Flight event – part of the company’s free, educational Smart Event series – provides technical knowledge and in-depth content specific to titanium machining, including roughing and finishing applications, and best practice methods, for aerospace manufacturers.

The company also dedicates specific sections of its own website, sandvik.coromant.com/us and MyYellowCoat.com to the needs of aerospace customers.

Sandvik Coromant
Fair Lawn, NJ
sandvik.coromant.com/us