Advanced Grinding Technology: Why It Should Matter to Woodworking Tool Manufacturers
Is the production of a great woodworking cutting tool an art, or a craft? While the answer to that question is certainly “both,” long-term success depends on the ability to respond to customer requirements that may be quite different from when a shop first came on line. As lumber supply catches up with current demand, a potential boom is in the offing for industrial wood processors – and that calls for an updated perspective on how to respond with maximum flexibility to whatever arrives at your door. But what is the path forward?
Nothing has changed about customers needing performance reliability and extended service life for the tools on their machines. What has changed for the companies entrusted with manufacturing those tools is how the materials being cut and the circumstances of production have been evolving:
- Wood and wood-like materials are getting more exotic and are using composites unheard of in the past, incorporate performance laminates, and have new finish and surface treatments.
- Desired design features require complex tool geometries and cleaner cuts.
- Customers want to go from tool concept to production in increasingly short time frames.
- Manufacturing efficiency must keep pace with the above.
- All the while, there’s been a downturn in available skilled machinists.
This is a lot to contend with. With these factors in play, woodworking cutting tool manufacturers need more from their machines than they ever have. In a perfect world, tool manufacturers would be able to produce a design, program the machine, simulate a prototype and make a cutting tool in one seamless undertaking. Fortunately, they can do all of these things now, with advanced grinding technology by UNITED GRINDING and the hands-on expertise that cutting tool machine manufacturers can bring to the table.
It’s all possible with automated CNC tool grinding and eroding machines capable of producing extremely complex geometries in one clamping. When processing edges and tips with PCD, grinding and eroding functions can even be combined in the same machine, and with available part loading and tool changing automation options, there is potential to take your cutting tool production to unprecedented levels.
Unlike in the metalworking industry, woodworking cutting tools are generally application-specific, so the variations among them can be endless, especially with the advent of so many mixed materials. Programmable machines take hours of guesswork, costly material wastage and other risks out of the equation whether the material is MDM, melamine, laminated particle board, or plywood with rubber laminated in the middle of it. Did you know that before a blank is ever put in a chuck, WALTER Tool Studio design software makes it possible to simulate the grinding wheel grinding carbide or eroding PCD (or other super-hard materials) from the blank to produce the unique tool? And then, your WALTER tool grinding machine by UNITED GRINDING can be programmed to start the grinding process closer to the part and utilize in-process probing, further reducing cycle times for faster productivity.
A favorite of our customers and of our customers’ customers, the simple ability to 3D-simulate the tool being ground, set up a compression router bit (as an example), and program the wheels, with no runout or breakage, is a game-changer in the truest sense of the word. Your customers, having a full preview of what they’re getting and how it will perform, are already on the road to satisfaction – and a future with no downtime – before the tool even sees the light of day.
Not to be ignored is the continuing reduction in workers already trained for a tool cutting environment. The people you do have must be used wisely. With automated machine tending added into the mix of an operation, the economics start to look different, even in low-volume, high-mix facilities. Plus, UNITED GRINDING offers our customers the professional training needed for the most basic to the most advanced skill levels within a facility. Courses range from general grinding, operation, and programming to customized training. This service can be provided at your production facility on your own machine, or at UNITED GRINDING North America’s headquarters in Miamisburg, Ohio.
Do any of the above challenges describe your situation? Pain points that woodworking cutting tool manufacturers face today can be converted to competitive advantages tomorrow. We’d love to talk with you about how UNITED GRINDING North America can help you push the limits of your capabilities to best serve your trendsetting customers – and still be poised for the developments that you haven’t even thought about yet.