Tool System Modular System for Shorter Setup Times

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In order to produce large quantities as economically as possible, contract manufacturer Stork Automatendreherei relies on the Neoswiss modular turning system from Iscar for its Swiss-type lathes.

Stork Automatendreherei in Germany has been a sought-after contract manufacturer for almost 60 years. The 15 employees work in two shifts to produce a large number of different serial turned parts with diameters of between one and 50 millimetres in batch sizes of between 50 and 25,000 parts and annual quantities of 1,000 to 1,000,000 pieces for European customers from the automotive industry, (construction) engineering and hydraulics.

The company mainly processes free-cutting, construction and case-hardening steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals. "Our customers expect fair prices, quality, delivery reliability and flexibility from us," says Managing Director Björn Birkholz.

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Competition is fierce in our industry. That's why we are always open to new solutions that enable us to reduce process, cycle and set-up times. Because - time is money, and at the end of the day, that's where we earn our money.

Björn Birkholz, Managing Director, Stork Automatendreherei

The managing director receives valuable support in his search for valuable seconds: his long-standing tool partner Iscar is on hand with advice, assistance and suitable tool solutions.

During one of my regular visits, the long idle and set-up times for the long-turning machines came up.

Michel Trill, Technical Consulting and Sales at Iscar

Until now, the team led by Production Manager Jonas Ecker used monoblock holders. Replacing them in such a system is not easy, the machine room is narrow and difficult to access, and dripping cooling lubricant makes the tools slippery. In addition, the entire tool had to be removed in order to change the cutting edge and then reinstalled.

"If the worker is not careful when inserting the holders, he can very quickly damage the tool or the material if he hits it," explains Björn Birkholz. "It all took far too long for my taste." Michel Trill had the right solution at hand and quickly introduced Birkholz to Iscar's Neoswiss modular turning system.

This consists of a shank and various interchangeable heads for all typical applications such as turning, parting and grooving as well as thread turning and recessing. The interchangeable heads can be fitted with different Iscar cutting edges, for example with Penta 17 cutting inserts and ISO or DO-Grip indexable inserts. The 3D-printed heads have flow-optimized internal channels that transport the lubricant directly into the cutting zone. This helps with chip removal and increases the service life of the tools. The heads are attached to the shank in a user-friendly way with just one screw. Thanks to the special clamping mechanism and four-point system, they sit firmly and securely. Neoswiss therefore offers the same stability as a monoblock shank tool. "The biggest advantage is that the shank remains in the machine when the cutter or tool is changed," says Michel Trill. "The user only removes the tool head, which they simply reinsert after changing the cutting edge or head. There is no need to calibrate or restart the machine, it is ready for use immediately with virtually no set-up time."

Convincing From a Standing Start

"At first I was a little skeptical as to whether the tool was stable enough. But as it sounded interesting for us overall, I immediately agreed to the tests," says the Managing Director. It quickly became clear that the doubts were unfounded. "The heads of the Neoswiss system can be changed easily, quickly and conveniently," says Jonas Ecker. "The man at the machine can't really do anything wrong, the repeat accuracy and stability are very good." Thanks to the user-friendliness, the set-up time is reduced, which increases productivity.

It took us about 20 minutes to change the cutting edges on the monoblock tools, including calibration and corrections. With the Neoswiss, it's lightning fast and the machine is up and running again after just a few seconds. So there was no question that we should introduce the new system.

Björn Birkholz, Managing Director, Stork Automatendreherei

Stork uses the tool system in shank sizes twelve and 16 millimetres (approx. 0.47 and 0.63 in) with different interchangeable heads for facing, roughing, finishing, grooving and thread turning - the latest achievement is the NEOYSWISS head for grooving and turning on the Y-axis.

Among other things, Stork uses the Neoswiss to produce threaded bushes that a customer installs in machines for the food industry. The machinist produces the parts, which are only a few millimetres in size, from three-meter-long stainless steel rods. Once the holes have been drilled, the Stork team uses the Neoswiss to insert the internal and external threads and tap the bush. A part falls out of the machine every 30 seconds; Stork produces around 100,000 pieces per year. The batch runs in two shifts and with around 10,000 parts per week - a total of ten weeks. "If I can save ten minutes with every tool change, that adds up to a lot," says Björn Birkholz happily.