Challenge accepted

Previously, inconsistencies in tool dimensions had a significant negative impact on the company's production efficiency and quality. For example, they thought they had purchased a 12.03 mm drill, but the actual tool supplied was 12.05 mm in diameter. This meant that they didn't have enough clearance for finishing and ultimately couldn't use this drill. With the introduction of »smile«, Five Straight was able to identify these dimensional errors in advance and set up the tools accurately. Allowing users to inspect and assess tools has proven to be a huge benefit.

Improved efficiency

Boring bars: Compared to conventional tool set-up processes, the time required for this process has been significantly reduced, resulting in fewer production interruptions. For example, for drilling tools, the condition of the cutting edge (wear status, etc.) can now be accurately checked so that target and actual data can be entered. The average tool life has increased from 100 bores/inserts to between 150 and 200 bores/inserts, which is more than 1.5 times the tool life. This has not only led to a reduction in tool costs, but also to an increase in efficiency as fewer inserts need to be replaced.

The test grinding process for the drilling operation was very inefficient and took up a large part of the working time. With the standard settings, time-consuming lubrication of the drill head is almost completely eliminated as the adjustment range is minimized. If the drill head is not lubricated, its service life is shortened. Another major advantage is that only a minimum number of drill rods need to be kept in stock, as adjustments can now be made easily and precisely. Previously, this company had to buy a drill rod for each size, despite only slightly different diameters.

Complex tools

»smile« can be applied to complex tool configurations, especially when setting up multi-blade tools. This has reduced the number of instances where rework was required due to set-up errors and increased overall productivity.

Complete success

Before the introduction of ZOLLER »smile«, no tool presetter was used, which meant that the machine was sometimes idle for a very long time, resulting in a considerable waste of resources. Now, machine utilization has been significantly increased. The high accuracy of the tool presetter has also significantly improved the efficiency of the CNC machine. We have seen direct increases in productivity, improvements in quality assurance and cost reductions through accurate tool settings, as well as a reduction in the burden of inefficiencies and non-conforming parts. So ZOLLER has had a direct impact on productivity at Five Straight.