For customers facing frequent tools changes, a German supplier said it has developed an end mill able to realise five operations: drilling, ramping, slotting, roughing and finishing.

Motor spindles are an essential part of machining centres. The correct spindle enables users to master a wide range of applications, from delicate finishing operations to heavy-duty roughing. Last year, Swiss spindle-manufacturer Step-Tec has presented its product portfolio at EMO 2017 in Hanover.

At the EMO trade fair in Hanover, LMT Tools is expanding its product portfolio with a number of innovations for milling, threading and gear cutting. Users from the automotive, aerospace, energy technology, ­mechanical engineering, medical technology and mould and die-making industries receive new solutions to increase productivity in their individual machining applications.

MHT GmbH Merz & Haag from Schramberg in the Black Forest offers a self-developed medium distributor that is said to make milling faster, better and cheaper.

The SX-50 drilling machine from Sarix targets a range of applications, including micro-moulds, according to the supplier.

They say only a poor workman blames his tools, but selecting the proper ones isn’t always that easy. Cutting tool suppler Seco Tools (UK) Ltd offers a few tips for die and mould shops.

In contrast to high-speed milling, electrical discharge machining (EDM) is nowadays often considered a complementary technology for mould making. ILMA Plastica, an Italian manufacturer of injection tools, is using both techniques to improve its efficiency.

The medium-sized Knarr Group, located in Helmbrechts, Germany, is a tool and mould-maker that manufactures and supplies all standard parts through to complete mould bases according to customer requirements. In addition to the company’s highly motivated employees, its modern machine tools and its CAM system provide the basis for the company’s steadily growing business success.

They know it’s corny, but Terry Smith and his partner Steve Browning, owners of Hightown Engineering, like their company motto: “If spindles aren’t turning, we’re not earning." Smith says it keeps them focused every day on what’s most important. That is what they have done for 12 years now: kept spindles turning.

Germany – For users with constantly changing tool requirements and high demands on machining flexibility, Gühring has developed a new end mill that covers five operations with one tool: the RF 100 Diver can perform drilling, ramping, slotting, roughing and finishing operations, the supplier said.