SGS tooling superior to PCD or carbide in carbon composites cutting, claims company
1 min read
An exhaustive 'real life' research study and continuous product development by SGS Carbide Tool with an aerospace client, has elevated SGS to the forefront of tooling technology in the machining of carbon composite materials, claims the company. The company will be at Aero Engineering 2011, NEC, Birmingham, from 9 to 10 November, stand 824, to underline its message.
SGS Carbide Tool (UK) claims it was first to the market with a dedicated carbon composite router (Series 20 CCR) in 2008, and consolidated its revolutionary development through field trails with major clients and usage of the tooling globally via its international client base.
The SGS Series-20 CCR has proved to deliver significant performance and cost-saving benefits over conventional PCD and solid carbide tooling more frequently used in composite machining. The patented even-helix flute form and chip-breaking geometry reduces cutting forces and eliminates the risk of fibre break-out and delamination, providing a superior product finish.
SGS customer case studies involving extensive back-to-back cutting trials, on a range of carbon fibre weaves, showed that the Series-20 CCR maintains performance over a significantly longer period than PCD tooling, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
And Airbus trails have enabled SGS to develop its carbon composite router design through real-life test analysis, as UK projects manager Wesley Tonks explains: "The Airbus collaboration has significantly accelerated the tool's development, and we have been developing special derivatives of the tools to test, which will benefit all of our customers' in time. The results have been extremely beneficial both to us and to Airbus in generating a greater understanding of the most effective methods of machining CFRP composites."
The initial cost of the SGS tooling offers a saving of approximately 80% in comparison to PCD, while there's a comprehensive re-grind service.
The uncoated CCR routers are designed to cut dry or with flood coolant to remove the fine dust abraded from the carbon composite component. Available with and without end cut for edge trimming or plunge machining, the Series-20 CCR range is available in both metric and Imperial sizes.
Continuous product development includes long reach and ball end variants, all of which will be on show on the stand.
