Toolmaker meets tool material, tolerance challenges with CNC technology

摘要

Bridge Tool & Die, Buckley, Mich., was experiencing industry pressure to increase die life and to lower costs. The company had been increasingly using carbide grades and ceramics and tighter tolerances to meet this demand. However, this shift of materials and tighter tolerances created the need to improve its machining techniques. Carbide is an extremely hard material to grind. It requires diamond grinding wheels and more finesse in terms of speeds, feeds, and material removal rates.