Starrag Wins Award for Its Tool Manufacturing Service

Starrag provides a full range of manufacturing solutions, utilising its own in-house components as well as specialised tools.

The high-quality Starrag machines developed and manufactured in Rorschacherberg, Switzerland, are undisputed. However, the machines represent just one facet of a diverse portfolio that encompasses technology, software, clamping concepts, and carbide tools, which are also manufactured in-house and are often vital to success. Starrag’s headquarters in Rorschacherberg specialises in creating high-performance machining centres for aircraft and turbine manufacturing. Nonetheless, the company offers a broader range of solutions. Years of accumulated expertise from various projects is evident in the numerous components developed internally: from carbide tools and RCS CAM software for blades to clamping technology, fixture construction, automation solutions, and host computer technologies.

“This ‘full package’ sets us apart from other suppliers,” says Sofian Regaz, Starrag Sales Manager for Aerospace & Turbine Technology. “We don’t see ourselves purely as a machine manufacturer, but as a solution provider for production processes in the aerospace and turbine sector. This ranges from standalone machines to flexible manufacturing systems, which customers can obtain from us as a one-stop shop.”

Gaining a competitive edge from tools tailored to the process

Sofian Regaz is primarily responsible for product management and sales of Starrag tools. “Here in Rorschacherberg, we have spent many years developing and grinding carbide milling cutters for aircraft and turbine components made from difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, Inconel or high-alloy steels.”

Though Starrag offers a small range of standard tools, over 90% of the company’s tools are custom-made products. These tools are tailored to specific machining processes that fully embrace the component, the machine, the material, and other considerations. “It makes a huge difference whether I adapt my NC program to a catalogue milling cutter or design the tool in terms of the cutting edge length, corner radius, flank angle and coating. This enables us to deliver the optimum machining process. Our customers enjoy great success with this,” says Sofian Regaz.

Always available to serve customer needs

Starrag sells most of its machines as part of a manufacturing solution for a specific component or component family, so the corresponding specialist tools are usually supplied with them. This incorporates an explanation of why the tools are designed in a particular way and the expertise on which they are based. The Product Manager adds: “The customer needs to know how their tools differ from catalogue tools and the impact these differences have. They also need to understand that the advantages of our tools cannot be found with other suppliers.”

This expertise is no coincidence. Starrag maintains a very close, partnership-based relationship with its customers and supports them throughout the production process and beyond the warranty period. “This means that if, for example, a component is due to be changed and the machine needs to be set up for a new process, we are still by our customer’s side to offer new customised tools as necessary,” assures Regaz.

Starrag has a distinct advantage over traditional tool manufacturers. Tools are both developed and ground at the Rorschacherberg plant, which also houses the Aerospace and Turbine Competence Centre (ATCC). The 2,000m² centre is equipped with all the latest 5-axis machining centres from the Starrag NB, LX, and STC series. Sofian Regaz explains: “We use these machines for a wide range of our own trials and trials for our customers, as well as for developing and optimising processes and, of course, for our analyses and tool tests. We even take on small series production on behalf of customers.”

For the tool team, this means they can reproduce the customer’s processes 1:1 on original machines and optimise the tools before delivery. Time and again, customers confirm that this saves numerous transport routes and, in turn, a significant amount of time and money. “If corrections to the tool are still necessary, we can react and adopt changes very quickly because we have our own grinding shop,” says Sofian Regaz. “We achieve incredibly quick response times, sometimes just in half a day.”

Tool expertise for better machining results

The ATCC is an important meeting place where Starrag technologists, machine operators, automation specialists, tool specialists, and customers come together. Starrag offers comprehensive support in programming the machines, managing processes, and optimising subsequent processes. For the tool team, this is a valuable source of expertise. “This is where we find out how the market is evolving, how materials are changing, what the blanks of the future will look like and what requirements components will have to meet. This allows us to get ahead of the game with our tool developments and offer our customers solutions early on.”

Starrag is also well-positioned worldwide in tool servicing. Starrag has partnered with Oerlikon Balzers to save customers time and money by providing on-site regrinding and recoating services for Starrag in America and Asia. This is an important factor for Sofian Regaz: “We offer a similar service in-house as well, but customers can save themselves the long journeys from overseas by using our partner offer.”

“Customer feedback on our tools is consistently positive,” mentions Sofian Regaz. He received a special confirmation of success from Honeywell Aerospace Ireland, where Starrag had the chance to work as a tool problem solver. The starting basis was that tool wear was very high when machining a titanium turbine blade. No more than ten components could be machined with the existing milling cutter. That’s when the engine manufacturer invited important tool manufacturers to get a handle on the problem. The best supplier managed to increase the service life to 20 components. And Starrag? “Our special tools produce 40 components,” reports Sofian Regaz. “Honeywell considered this worthy of not only a contract, but also an award. In June 2024, we were awarded the ‘Kaizen of the Month’ prize.”

Success leads to growth

The tool business has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. This success is not solely due to stories like the Honeywell contract. The expanded product range has also played a significant role in this. While Starrag used to produce only end mills, torus mills, and conical ball nose mills, today the company also grinds cylindrical and barrel ball nose mills, lollipop mills, barrel cutters, and chamfer milling cutters. Additionally, there is a range of high-feed, plunge, and various form milling cutters that can be applied to turbine blade roots.

To generate further growth, Starrag will offer special tools for machining aluminium alongside tools for more challenging materials. Sofian Regaz’s team is also strengthening its business development: “Our process expertise in aircraft and turbine construction is so extensive that we can also enjoy great success with our tools on third-party machines. And we are already in talks with other Starrag sites. In the future, we want to utilise their machining centres and their expertise to produce special tools for other industries.”