Tools for aluminium machining - Power-Tools

AluminiumAluminium - a material that has a futureParticularly in the field of transportengineering massive application oflight weight materials representsthe order of the day. The goal ofsaving fuel and other energy formscan mainly be achieved through thereduction of vehicle weights.Apart from various syntheticmaterials, the classical light metalaluminium offers the bestprerequisites for reaching thisobjective.In other application fields, too, itsnumerous favourable propertiesmake aluminium an appreciatedconstruction material for engineers.[ mill. tons]Aluminium in the automobile19992009(Prognosis EAA)Trends in the field of machiningInnovative machining strategies arecharacterised by maximum cuttingspeeds and feed rates in order toobtain the highest possible metalremoval rates.Refraining from massive use ofcooling lubricant represents animportantdemand with reference tothe environmental impact.Process safety and an increase inproductivity are the prerequisitesfor a favourable market positionand thus competitiveness.The machining properties ofaluminium are perfectly suitable forputting modern machiningconcepts into practice.Machining time [in h]conventionalHPC – High Performance CuttingTime saving withHPC machiningmachine down timesroughingfinishingHPCmachiningPrerequisites forHPC machiningHSC spindle(> 25,000 rev./min)high feed rates(> 40 m/min)high acceleration(> 2.5 – 3.0 m/sec)fast CNC controls(processing speed < 3.0 ms)balanced toolsadequate cutting materialsSource: Heidelberger Druck2