For Gearench s mud-pump pinion shaft, a Heliturn tooling system reduces part cycle time from seven hr to 45 min.
Gearench, Clifton, Tex., produces tools and equipment used in oilfield, mining, and industrial applications. Its shop supervisor, Doyle Fehler, had to streamline mud-pump pinion-shaft production to meet growing demand. The company purchased a CNC lathe, which helped shaft-production time drop to seven hr/part using conventional ISO-type tooling, but this was still too long to produce the required number of parts.
To further slash this time, Gearench incorporated Iscar's Heliturn turning system. With this tooling, the shop machined the parts at 290 sfm and 0.038 ipr while using 10% less horsepower than previous tooling. Material removal was 29 in. 3 /min, and feed increased from 1.75 to 5.25 ipm, as did depth of cut from 0.125 to 0.225 in. These improvements reduced part cycle time to 45 min.
Heliturn tooling features double-sided inserts with four cutting edges. Gearench's model tackles cutting depths up to 0.315 in. and facing depths of 0.126 in. at 0.047 ipr. The tooling's helical-shaped cutting edges allow it to take large cuts at high feedrates and low-horsepower requirements. In addition, the double-sided inserts feature narrow curved rakes that clamp into corresponding seats on toolholders. A sturdy, conical-head screw holds inserts in place. This setup also protects toolholders from overload and insert damage while machining. And with insert upper-rake faces mounted at the same level as holder bodies, chips freely flow away from the cutting zone without disturbing tool bodies.
Iscar Metals Inc.
Arlington, Tex.
iscar.com
