In 2012, SANDVIK Coromant
extended its product portfolio with solutions for form milling cutters.
Their new production facility in Schmalkalden, Germany manufactures
customized tools as well as newly designed gear cutting and crankshaft
cutters. Those hob cutters were the main reason for purchasing a ZOLLER
measuring machine for the quality assurance/final inspection department.
SANDVIK COROMANT's requirements for ZOLLER
were to accelerate quality assurance "to increase our productivity and
to comprehensively document all parameters in accordance with DIN 3968
and provide peace of mind to our customers", states Axel Küpper, Senior
Manager Global Sales & Application, Gear Milling Solutions.
Especially the "comprehensive documentation of hob cutters with
indexable inserts in accordance with DIN 3968" required innovative
development work by both companies.
The ZOLLER measuring machine has been in
operation since February 2012 and, for the first time, allows measuring
and comprehensive documentation of hobbing machines in accordance with
DIN 3968 employing image processing technology. The swiveling,
CNC-driven optic carrier assures complete measurement of the helical
tools.
The newly developed software for the
measuring program "also allows measuring of single cutting edges at
defined points and incorporating these into the protocol - which is a
tremendous time saving", confirms Thomas Jäger, measuring technician at
the Schmalkalden facility. SANDVIK Coromant can now provide
comprehensive documentation with every delivered machine and thus
guarantees security for the end user.
Mario Peter, the local project manager in
Schmalkalden, also praised the efficiency increase in their quality
assurance: "Errors are easy to detect, and even a single tooth can be
checked quickly and easily. This definitely provides an increase in our
overall productivty."
»smile«
