Video: Redesigned Milling Cutter Demonstrates Possibilities of Additive Manufacturing
Topology optimization, 3D printing and a material change for this milling cutter resulted in an 80 percent reduction in mass.
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Sandvik Additive Manufacturing has assisted sister company and cutting tool maker Sandvik Coromant in the redesign of a milling cutter to be made through additive manufacturing (AM). Making the tool additively allows for substantially lighter weight, and light weight will lead to more productive milling because the lighter cutter can be run at higher spindle speeds without vibration. The new milling cutter is 80 percent lighter than the original tool made conventionally.
In this video filmed at Formnext 2018, I talk through some of the steps Sandvik took toward realizing that weight reduction, from lattices to topology optimization to a change in material. The last of these steps is perhaps the most striking. Titanium is not typically thought of as a material for making cutting tool bodies, but it was the right material for making this tool additively. AM not only enables these radical design changes, it also enables the exploration of these changes by making iteration easy.
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Sister publication Additive Manufacturing explores how manufacturers are applying 3D printing to make tooling, molds, functional prototypes and end-use parts. Subscribe.
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