Self-rotation as the key to greater process reliability
Matthias Mause, Martin Mittelberg and Markus Reuter (left to right): “The enormous fluctuations in the material used to be a real challenge. But thanks to SPINWORX®, we now have everything under control and have gained significantly in terms of process reliability.”
The name BORBET is immediately associated with sophisticated design and the aerodynamic benefits of premium alloy wheels. For the workers in the company’s tool shop, however, the everyday challenges are somewhat more banal. When milling the moulds, it was in the past necessary to turn the inserts at regular intervals due to extreme fluctuations in the toughness and machinability of the material (1.2367 ESU, tempered). Under such circumstances, unmanned machining was practically impossible. Tests with indexable inserts from other manufacturers failed to bring improvement.
SPINWORX® offers the solution
In mid-2015, the SPINWORX® tooling system with self-rotating inserts was tried out for the first time. This system had not previously been available with the required insert diameter, and the BORBET technologists also viewed the concept with a certain degree of scepticism. But SPINWORX® quickly convinced even the last doubters with low wear and enhanced process reliability. In the meantime, BORBET is able to machine with a reduced infeed, but high feed rates, so as to be able to traverse very close to the machined surface after roughing.
The machining time for a mould amounts to approx. three hours, depending on its size (15 … 21″ rims) and geometry.
In addition to the smoother traversing of the tool, further benefits are seen in the fact that it is no longer necessary to interrupt the manufacturing process. The time required for the roughing of a moulded workpiece varies between approximately three and five hours, depending on the size and geometry. In the past, a break of 10 minutes was necessary each time to turn the inserts. The improved process reliability can thus be underpinned with an additional 10 per cent time saving, and it is furthermore no longer necessary to keep as many replacement tools at hand.
In this way, POKOLM has once again offered impressive proof that the concept of rotating inserts is a winner. When process reliability is boosted to the extent experienced by BORBET, it is soon accepted that there is no reason why a tool insert must be fixed.
Spotlight on BORBET GmbH
The family-run company BORBET, with headquarters in the Sauerland region, is considered one of the leading manufacturers of alloy wheels and today counts 4,600 employees at nine locations. Some 960 of this number are based at the Hochsauerland location, where 25 employees work in the tool shop. The company also provides vocational training to 100 commercial and industrial trainees at its locations in Germany and Austria. For further information, visit www.borbet.de.
