WNT (UK) updates university workshop machinists and apprentices

While part of the university campus, the Physics and Astronomy machine shop is run as a commercial venture and has manufactured components for several prestigious aerospace and scientific projects. Included among these were components for satellites, the Large Hadron Collider, and for Jodrell Bank observatory. However, the arrival of the new machine tools highlighted that the workshop's cutting tools were now 'mature products' and a move to latest generation cutting tool technology was required. In order to make the transition, they made use of a full, intense day of updates at WNT (UK)'s Tooling Academy in Sheffield. "In arranging these customer training days, the key goal is to ensure that participants maximise the time available and ensure that each of them finishes the day with some information and technique that they could usefully apply in their day-to-day work," says Adrian Fitts, WNT (UK)'s business development manager. "Therefore, we work closely with the organisation to ensure that they gain genuine benefits from them, normally splitting the day into a morning theory session, followed after lunch by practical, on-machine demonstrations in the WNT Tooling Academy in Sheffield." For the team from Manchester University, the detailed classroom session covered facts and figures on carbide production and an insight into the characteristics of carbide tools and geometries, along with the benefits to be gained from good tool design and tool coatings. Throughout the morning session, every area of metalcutting was covered, including drilling, tapping, milling and turning, with explanations of how to maximise the performance of each type of cutting tool. The practical demonstrations concentrated on the drilling and milling of prismatic parts, using the Tooling Academy's own XYZ 710 VMC machining centre. "The team from Manchester University was particularly interested in solid and indexable insert drilling, as well as solid and indexable milling. Therefore, we tailored the demonstrations around our ranges of High Feed Drills, SCR and MCR solid carbide milling cutters, the ranges of High Feed Cutters (HFC) indexable insert cutters. These were used to demonstrate the productivity and performance gains that can be made with the latest geometries and tool coatings on machining strategies such as face milling, end milling, helical milling, pocket milling, slot milling and trochoidal milling," Mr Fitts adds. WNT (UK) is happy to arrange such training days for colleges and universities, as well as industrial customers who may feel that their employees would benefit from gaining a greater understanding of cutting tool development and deployment. From the positive reactions and the level of questioning that WNT is receiving from these events, they are of genuine value to those attending. The WNT Tooling Academy is fully equipped with the latest CNC turning and machining centres, as well as NC controlled turret mills, suppled by its partner, XYZ Machine Tools. In addition, it has full classroom facilities, with the latest AV systems, to maximise the benefit of a day's training course. Any organisation wanting to discuss a bespoke cutting tool training day at WNT (UK)'s Tooling Academy should contact WNT, either by telephone, on 0800 073 2 073, or by e-mail, at orders@wnt.com, and request their local Technical Sales Engineer contact them to discuss their requirements.