MTD magazine recently spoke with Ryan McClure of 5X Technologies, an expert programming and manufacturing consultancy with a 5-axis machine shop in Larne, Northern Ireland. 5X Technologies has carved a niche for supporting manufacturers with both the programming and production of, particularly challenging projects. As a keen advocate for cutting tools from Quickgrind, Ryan gives us his perspective on selecting the right tool for the job.
As a programmer and CNC machinist, I am constantly reminded of the basics of my task. I am presented daily with mouth-watering catalogues from tooling suppliers, the choice is endless and each has its own purported ‘special purpose’ with lots of choices such as diameters, lengths and coatings. Sometimes, I think ‘Oh, can I have some of those and a few of those and maybe some of those’. I am thinking about the purposes that I can put these tools to work at, and the promised performance and manufacturing advantages they offer.
But let us backtrack a little and cut to the basics, what are we as ‘engineers’ or ‘CNC machinists’? We have basic tasks to perform, but the cutting tools are at our ‘sharp edge’ so to speak. We take cutting tools for granted – many times over. We compromise our processes and methods to make the tooling that we have or can get from the standard range brochure, fit the purpose and the job that we have to complete.
Making compromises in manufacturing and machining concerning tooling usually takes the shape of ‘Hmm hold on, that tool is only 80mm long and I need to reach 68mm. It’s not going to provide a great grip in the holder, and it might vibrate. That’s ok I will compromise, I will reduce the depth of cut, I will slow it down, I will make it do, I’ll hold on to the shank of the tool and even mark the workpiece, I will compromise and standoff a little’. This is a common scenario and one that is repeated endlessly in manufacturing workshops in all disciplines all over the UK and Ireland. Such compromises have a cost, both financially but also in time, stress and frustration. All of these compromises add up and it’s something we are up against every day.
There is another path away from the constant compromises. Don’t think ‘standard’ and think about what suits you and your processes. Customise your tooling to your processes. Just think back to basics – wouldn’t it be great if everyone wore the same size jeans, wouldn’t it? But we don’t, so why do we think about standard tooling all the time? After all, our manufacturing processes are all a little more complex than jeans, aren’t they?
Within 5X Technologies the decision was taken during the infancy of our business that the tooling we use would be to our specification, and not to what someone else thinks should ‘do the job’. Doing the job is one thing, but it doesn’t ‘cut it’ for our applications and business. By selecting the correct tools for the job, we have reduced costs, time and frustration whilst increasing our capabilities and output. We work closely with Tewkesbury based Quickgrind and our tooling is ground to our specification. Nothing is standard and this correlates with the Quickgrind’s ethos of ‘Infinite Possibilities’. Whether its diameters, lengths, reach, corner radii, neck reliefs, variable helix or chip breakers – you name it and the list of options from Quickgrind is endless.
The common statement that arises is that a special cutter has a higher price and takes time to get, my answer is that the cost of getting the right custom tool reduces the number of compromises and reduces the overall costs and frustration. This certainly balances out the argument. It can also lead to surprising results. I am not a tooling guru, but as a machinist, programmer and business owner, I do understand what it does. However, the best way to get logical advice is to talk to someone that can provide all of the available options for your machine shop and above all, someone that ‘speaks your tooling language’.
