- Setup time is a killer and quick-change tooling is one of the best ways to avoid it. This begins with an organized approach to workholding, using zero-point or ball-lock clamping systems, or a quick-change chuck on a lathe.
- Quick-change toolholders are also important, especially on CNC lathes, where easily five minutes per turret position can be spent changing tools. Quick-change holders turn minutes into seconds.
- Another way to reduce setup time and in-process disruption due to tool replacement is with offline presetting. Break out your crystal ball and be sure to purchase a system that addresses future needs as well as the current ones.
- Shrink-fit tooling is one of the best ways to hold solid carbide drills and end mills.
- Hydraulic toolholders and mechanical milling chucks are a good alternative to shrink fit, but are somewhat less "balanceable" than shrink fit.
- Did someone mention balance? Balanced toolholders aren't just for high-speed machining. In fact, most industry experts suggest spindle speeds greater than 8,000 rpm require balancing the entire toolholder assembly.
- Never buy bargain toolholders, and always go for the best retention knobs you can find.
- If the majority of your turned parts are under a couple inches in diameter and can fit through the lathe spindle, invest in a bar feeder. If you routinely have thousands of these parts to make, invest in a magazine-style bar feeder.
- Robots are good for lots more than deep space navigation on starships. They're also great at loading and unloading parts from machine tools.
- As with a bar-fed lathe, a palletized machining center suffers less downtime and is far more flexible than the traditional, "two-vises bolted to the table" approach taken in many shops.
- The next time your tooling rep buddy drops in with some carbide inserts or a new toolholder for you to try, consider how these additions will fit into your overall tooling strategy. Standardization is key to a manageable tool crib.
- Don't have a tool crib? Better set one up. Tooling is expensive and downtime even more so, and without an establish tool crib and tooling policy, you're wasting money.
- Now that your tool crib is in place, it's time for a maintenance plan. Tooling should be routinely disassembled, cleaned, and checked for wear.
