Over 25 years of machining experience has allowed our team
to refine our machining and production practices at ALNO Product Services.
This refinement in the machining process has resulted in reducing
production costs over time, looking back over time the refinements that contributed
to the company’s longevity.
- Overpowered Machine tools combined
with setups with maximum rigidity.
- Work holding systems that also
maximum rigidity
- Tool overhang should be minimized
and extra support used when necessary.
- Sharp tools be it high speed tool
steels or carbide, tools require sharpening at regular intervals rather than
only when necessary.
- A good lubricant is required,
such as compounded sulfurchlorinated mineral oil plus fatty oil for high-speed
tools, and heavy duty emulsifiable oil for carbide tools.
- The use of positive cuts and care should be exercised to avoid dwelling so as not to work harden the material.
In many cases the material selection at the engineering or
design stage of the product deveploment process can assist or retard the efficiency
of the machining process in terms of both dollars and time.
In general terms, free machining steels are carbon steels
that have sulfur, lead, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, or phosphorus added.
Sulfur forms the compound manganese sulfide, which is soft
and acts as a chip-breaking discontinuity. It also acts as a dry lubricant to
prevent a built up edge on the cutting tool.
SAE Steel types Resulfurized –
1117, 1118 1119
Lead works in a similar way to sulfur.
SAE Steel types Leaded – 12L13,
12L14
Bismuth achieves a free machining steel by melting into a
thin film of liquid for a fraction of a microsecond to lubricate the cut. Other
advantages to bismuth include: more uniformly distributed because of its
similar density to iron; more environmentally friendly, as compared to lead; yet
still weldable.
Alloys of Bismuth – Cerrosafe,
Rose Metal, Woods Metal
With vast experience in both machining and the selection of
materials the team at ALNO Product Services offer efficient and yet effective
machining practices, particularly with today’s competitive economic conditions combined
with the strength in Australian Dollar offers a challenging environment for
manufacturing in Australia.
For more information on efficient and yet effective
machining practices contact ALNO Product Services today
