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RING-FREE MACHINING™
Case story
RING-FREE MACHINING™ of spool bore holes
The challenge of the rings
Machining spool bore holes in hydraulic valve bodies, hydraulic pumps
etc. in cast iron often involves a number of challenges in the machin-
ing process. One of the most common problems is that the bore by the
rough pass reamer creates rings that get stuck in the component. The
following manual removal of these rings prior to finishing/assembly is a
timeconsuming and costly process.
At one of the worlds largest manufacturers of hydraulic valve bodies,
KYOCERA UNIMERCO introduced a patented process strategy and tech-
nology which eliminate the rings, thus resulting in considerable savings.
Optimisation
The company in question produces 126,000 components of this type
per year. The optimisation comprised all machining processes for this
particular component focusing on hole quality and process optimiza-
tion. After in-depth analyses, all tools were replaced by better-perform-
ing solutions reducing the total maching time considerably.
Machining cast iron spool bore holes
An example from the total tooling package is the three pass solution for
the spool bore including the following tools:
In addition to the C7 PLUS™ coating prolonging the tool life time, tool
features include reinforced core diameter and extra guide pads. The
result is a straight hole free of rings and excellent hole size consistency
achieved at less than half the cycle time.
Considerable savings due to reduced process time
By implementing the optimised tool solution, the company
saves 761 hours per year equaling savings of USD 67,537,-
Unequaled savings thanks to RING-FREE MACHINING™
However, the above figures do not include the most impor-
tant results of the optimization efforts. Using the new solu-
tion, the chips are pushed out automatically while drilling,
and no rings are produced by the rough pass reamer.
Get rid of the rings and cut down the cycle time
Contact us to learn how systematic optimization of produc-
tion can reduce your unit costs.
SPOOL BORE HOLE
Optimisation result Before optimisation After optimisation
Total processing time 38.9 sec. 17.3 sec.
Machine costs/component USD 0,97 USD 0,42
Machine costs/year* USD 121,496 USD 53,959
* Hourly factor €67