To fully automate the turning of stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, and various special materials to zero in the production of medical technology products, Armbruster GmbH was looking for the right tool. The contract manufacturer found what they needed at ISCAR: With a TANGFGRIP turning tool and the JETCROWN, the Armbruster team can turn reliably, quickly, and economically.
Armbruster GmbH in Steinach, Baden, is a medium-sized family business with 30 years of machining experience. The specialty of this sought-after contract manufacturer is complex individual parts and assemblies in batch sizes from 1 to small series of 500 pieces for customers in the medical and precision engineering sectors around the globe. High production depth, a modern, mostly automated machine park, and 160 well-trained employees ensure high-quality and reliable products. Armbruster operates every day in three shifts, including ghost shifts on weekends.
"Our customers expect high surface qualities, precision, delivery reliability, and a short response time. When the order comes in, the patient is almost already on the operating table waiting for their implant," says Nicolas Haas, tool management at Armbruster. "Reliable and safe tools are essential throughout the entire process."
Efficient Solution Sought
Marco Meier, setter and CAM programmer at Armbruster, adds: "That’s why we are always very interested in optimizations. There was still room for improvement in process reliability when turning, for example." The Armbruster team struggled with irregular tool breakages when turning and inserting bar material, which led to high costs and compromised quality. Additionally, there were low tool life and long process times.
When the acquisition of a new automated system was on the agenda, the Armbruster team decided to tackle the issue. They were looking for an efficient and stable turning system for the initial equipment. They received support from their long-time tool partner ISCAR.
The Crown in Turning
The wishlist for the tool included a wide range of requirements. They were looking for a tool to reliably and economically turn bar material of all workpiece materials used at Armbruster – from a maximum of 82 millimeters to zero. "That was a tough nut to crack," says Andreas Weizel, Technical Consulting and Sales at ISCAR, and lists: "The tool sought should be robust, perform equally well in aluminum as in titanium Grade 5, offer long tool life, and above all allow for fast and safe processes."
The solution was found in ISCAR's extensive portfolio: Andreas Weizel and Florian Schätzle, Consulting and Sales at ISCAR, put together a package consisting of a LOGIQFGRIP clamping shank, a TANGFGRIP cutting holder for TANGGRIP cutting inserts, and the JETCROWN. "The robust clamping shank enables vibration-free turning on the X-axis," says Florian Schätzle. "This extends the tool life of the cutting inserts and improves surface quality and flatness."
The cutting holder features four insert seats, making the exchange of cutting inserts easier and ensuring short setup times. The necessary flexibility in machining is provided by the TANGGRIP cutting inserts. They are available in numerous geometries and cutting materials, allowing for the machining of different materials.
"With the JETCROWN, we literally crowned the tool," jokes Andreas Weizel. The additively manufactured component features flow-optimized coolant channels and cools the cutting insert directly in the cutting zone from the chip and clearance surfaces. This reduces the heat input into the material, improves chip breaking and chip removal, protects the cutting edge, and further increases tool life. To achieve the required 82 millimeters of turning depth, a special holder was necessary. Since the company had no prior experience with the TANGGRIP system, tests with a standard tool were quickly arranged on-site to thoroughly test the solution. Only then could the go-ahead for the special holder be given.
Passed with Flying Colors
"In the tests, we turned bars of titanium Grade 5 with a diameter of 45 millimeters to zero," says Marco Meier. "With nice, short-breaking chips and, above all, quickly and without problems." The result was convincing, and Armbruster adopted the ISCAR solution with the special holder into production. Since the beginning of 2024, the tool has been running in Steinach and delivering the desired results: "The LOGIQFGRIP with JETCROWN has fully met our expectations," says Nicolas Haas satisfied.
"When turning titanium, we were able to nearly double the tool life, increase the feed from six hundredths to one-tenth of a millimeter, and reduce the processing time from 30 to just 19 seconds by more than a third." The unpredictable tool breakages are now no longer an issue. "We have stable processes in all materials, and only a few tool changes are necessary. These are usually planned and go quickly thanks to the practical holder," says Marco Meier. "With the ISCAR solution, we can also run the system unmanned over the weekend with a clear conscience, as no one needs to keep an eye on it. The robot takes care of loading and unloading."
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