Research and development engineers at Sandvik Coromant's facility in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC, Sheffield, U.K.), told CompositesWorld on March 29 that they are developing a database to help composites processors choose the best drilling/machining tool based on the characteristics of the composite material to be drilled/cut.
Eleanor Merson, R&D manager at the facility, says her team is testing carbide and PCD machine tools manufactured by Sandvik Coromant and partner firm Precorp (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) on a variety of resin and fiber combinations, as well as material stack configurations (aluminum and/or titanium), to determine which tooling material, geometry and speed is best suited for the application. As part of testing, Sandvik Coromant also hopes to predict anticipated tool life in the application.
Merson says that once the database is up to date, Sandvik Coromant will continue to add to it as new resin and fiber types are introduced to the market. The company also will integrate feedback from customers.
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