ITC tooling resolve subcontractor's deep machining issues

The Lancing-based company specialises in the 5-axis machining of aluminium and resin board mould tools producing mould tooling, 3D modelling and complex components for a diverse range of industry sectors, A visit to the ITC stand at MACH 2008 solved these tooling problems facing Finecut's Advanced Engineering Division. With an overall reach from 100 mm up to 200 mm, ITC's 2001 and 2131 Cyber Series of long reach carbide cutters proved ideal for mould cavities. For deeper cavities, Finecut combines the cutters with Schunk Tribos tool holder extensions. This enables the 5-axis head of the machine tool to conduct complex machining forms in cavities beyond 250 mm deep. As Finecut's CAD/CAM Manager, Mr Danny Welsh comments: "We initially tried the ITC long series tools on jobs where we had tool reach and surface finish issues. Immediately the surface finish improved and it drastically reduced our hand finishing. From this point we tried additional ITC cutters and they all performed remarkably well." Despite the ITC cutters improving productivity times on complex forms, the priority for Finecut is product quality, as Mr Welsh continues: "The majority of our jobs are one off tools, so shaving a few minutes off a job is of no consequence to us. We have a 3.6 m bed on our 5-axis machine and we often machine large aluminium billets above 200 kg, with such large jobs production times can be days, so saving a few minutes is of little relevance." Finecut serves virtually all industry sectors and this is highlighted by some of its recent projects that include mould tools for mechanical diggers, a kayak, Hi-Fi speakers, medical X-ray machines, jerry cans and toys for a children's charity.