Sandvik Coromant Silent Tools Plus Intelligent Tooling at Mazak

MTDCNC recently went along to a Mazak event in Worcester to take an up close look at the new Sandvik Coromant SilentToolsPlus range of products. The SilentTool portfolio has long been available for manufacturers striving for improved machining performance, precision and surface finishes; so what does the new SilentToolPlus have to offer? Joe takes a look….

Taking Joe through the innovation behind the new line, Sandvik Coromant’s Mathias Tjomsland tells Joe: “The Plus signifies that we are in the ‘plus’ environment of Sandvik Coromant and we’ve added sensors to the tools to give added process insight and intelligence. We’re here also talking about a very long bar, which is the ‘Formula 1’ of bars whereby we have optimised every aspect of the boring bar. This ranges from the damping system to the materials used within. We have built on last year’s dynamic development of Silent Tools and understanding the bars better.”

With long length and large diameter bars, setting can be an issue. Discussing this point, Mathias says: “You still need to get the centre line on point, but now we are using the sensors. In the software and via a screen there is a diagram showing the position of the bar. I have entered a target angle of 90 degrees for this particular Mazak machine and during set-up; we just rotated the tool until we got a green light on the screen.” A rapid demonstration by Mathias highlighted the phenomenal ease of setting. 

A Cut Above

With the tool entering a finishing cut with a radial depth of 2mm and a feed of 0.25mm/rev, the Bluetooth sensors provide a visual insight regarding the tool performance and parameters. As Mathias continues: “Firstly, the screen shows that we are ‘in-cut’, which may seem obvious but when you have a long bar inside a large machine with doors closed and coolant splashing, it’s not always the case. The tool load is shown on screen at 26% and the temperature is 22 degrees C with a deflection of 0.23mm. This shows the operator what he has to compensate in the next cut. The tool load gives the operator the option to push the bar harder and increase productivity and load. However, abrupt changes to the load will also show the operator that something is happening inside the bore that may need rectifying.”

With the temperature rising from 22 to 32 degrees C, Joe asks what is the relevance of this data? Mathias continues: “If the temperature continues to increase, we will get some alerts in the software either telling the operator to turn on coolant or let the bar rest to avoid a loss of functionality to the damping system, if something happens.” 

Communicating with the machine… 

This live data is obviously connecting with the operator, but how does it communicate with the machine? Mathias explains: “Sandvik Coromant has developed a data exchange interface that works with the machine control system and allows us to partner with Mazak, for example. We work closely together with machine builders to rapidly share process data between the tool and the machine control system. This enables us to perform timely emergency stops or even adaptive control as we continue to develop the solution.” 

For more insight into this technical overview on the industry’s most innovative boring technology, watch the MTDCNC video…