Unique designs, high-quality materials and faultless finishing are important factors not only in car manufacturing, but also in many other industrial sectors. A good example is the production of eyewear by the innovative ic! Berlin company. As a specialist in the machining of plastics, LMT Belin is able to contribute special expertise in this field.
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Production planners constantly have to choose between different alternatives: Which technological application secures a competitive edge in the respective production situation? Which provides the optimum combination of efficiency and quality? This is illustrated rather well by a recent example at LMT Onsrud in the USA. One of its customers decided to use Onsrud cutters for machining aluminium sheet in the production of military vehicles after having previously used lasers for the job.

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Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is increasingly being used in the automotive industry. Overall it makes for lighter and therefore more fuel-efficient vehicles. Even complex components like side panel frames, for example, are now made of CFRP. But how can you guarantee the efficient and high-quality mass production of these elements?

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Nowhere is the search for new materials more intense than in the field of aircraft construction. The materials must withstand particularly high stresses – in the turbines, for instance, extremely heat-resistant grades of steel are used. At the same time, however, it is important to lower the total weight of the aircraft and so minimize fuel consumption. Taken together, this makes titanium an extremely desirable material.

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From initial consultation to reconditioning, in practically no other industrial sector are support services more important than in the use of precision tools. Take hob cutters, for example: their performance over their entire life cycle depends decisively on the quality of reconditioning. What that means for tool service in practice can be seen by taking a closer look at the example of the Kownatzki company in Wehr, southern Germany.

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The construction of prosthetic vertebrae is not easy. They must withstand very high stresses and must continue to function faultlessly for a long time. A large number of these high-tech implants are created at Ulrich Medical. The medical technology experts rely on TER collet chucks from LMT's alliance partner Bilz for the necessary machining of the extremely strong titanium alloy Ti6Al4V.

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Every year, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, some 250 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide. There are reasons for the fact that polycarbonate accounts for only roughly 1.3% of that total. Nevertheless, although it costs more than other plastics, it retains its shape better and offers higher optical clarity, which is why it is used when a plastic material has to meet certain requirements. A good example of this is the visor of a pilot’s helmet.

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Large automobile companies are presently planning to make even load-bearing structural parts for cars out of composite materials. A variety of applications in the automobile field illustrate why this is already a challenge for tool makers in particular. Tools from LMT Onsrud are, for example, are being used in the USA to machine a front spoiler for racing cars.

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Chipless thread fabrication using a thread rolling head has a full range of advantages: the finished surfaces are smooth and have increased strength, and the material fibers remain unbroken. An English example illustrates how the highly reliable process offered by this method is important, in particular, for small businesses. 

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Machining stainless steel is always a challenge because it subjects tools to extreme stress and strain. At the company ABZ Terodde in Bocholt large numbers of machine components are made out of the alloy. LMT experts recently achieved significantly shorter machining times using LMT Fette face milling cutters.

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The Leiber Group in Emmingen has specialized in the drop-forging of aluminium. The manufacture of die molds includes indexable insert tools from LMT Kieninger. The die and mold making experts at LMT were able to offer their customers a special service for optimizing cutting strategies.

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The trend in the construction of motor vehicle engines has held constant for years. "Downsizing" is surely the word: the engine capacity may be getting smaller, but more power is being delivered – and fuel consumption is falling at the same time. The efficient, high-precision machining of turbocharger casings is therefore something in which designers are increasingly interested.

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Motor vehicle production in the Czech Republic must, of course, react to the international crisis by reducing production. Deliveries by Czech component and part manufacturers are also falling. As a manufacturer of pulleys, E.C.J. is well aware of the difficult situation – and has already reacted successfully: application of the Pentatec indexable insert from LMT's alliance partner Boehlerit has significantly reduced production costs.

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With the help of more efficient production processes, manufacturers and suppliers in the aircraft construction sector hope to create a competitive advantage in a difficult market environment. Process improvements are focusing on tooling benefits due to tool cost and efficiency drivers. Longer tool life and faster cutting speeds have a direct effect on the efficiency of the entire production system.

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Cooperating with LMT UK, Brinksway Tool, a British supplier of tools and moulds for the aerospace industry, has examined the milling strategies it applies to the production of moulds for making components out of composite materials. As a result, machining times have been reduced to five or six hours. In the past, a cycle of this sort took up to five days. 

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Roughly 1.2 million engines are produced every year at the VW Salzgitter plant, where every process and production phase is under constant scrutiny. There was an acute need for improvement in the use of thread-tapping chucks suitable for minimal quantity lubrication and dry machining. VW turned for help to the experts at LMT and its alliance partner Bilz.

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When it comes to the number of application fields, aluminum is the true factotum of the metals. It has long been indispensable as a structural material for making cars and planes. Aluminum offers low weight and high strength here. Due to its high electrical conductivity, it is valued by electrical engineers as a material for antennas and for conductive cast components. Against this background, one thing is clear: machining it with cutting tools presents a varying challenge.

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