LMT Fette invests £3.5 million in hob production

The installation of three machining centres and the turning centre is central to the single-cycle production strategies being adopted that will increase quality and tool batch consistency, and significantly reduce production lead times. As a result, LMT UK will be able to provide a faster response between order and delivery of hobbing cutters. The investment follows new PVD and CVD coating equipment installed during 2008 that led to the development of the patented Nanosphere multi-layered coating for hobs and the Twist-Free, multi-functional combination hobbing and deburring tooling system. The Nanosphere coating acts as a heat shield but reacts elastically to protect the cutting tool from high thermal and mechanical stress. As a result, LMT Fette gear hobbing cutters can be run without coolant and achieve an increase in production life over normal coated hobs. The Twist-Free combination hobbing and deburring system enables the functions of a roughing hob, the in-cycle deburring of top and bottom flanks of each tooth, and the finishing of the gear, to be achieved in a single high productivity cycle.