An Extreme Part-Off Demo Returns to IMTS 2014

Nothing beats a wild, live cutting demo on the floor of a trade show. Iscar will deliver this IMTS in Booth W-1800 by bringing back an extreme, attention-getting part-off operation it first featured at IMTS 1994. Plus, it has added a second one that’s just as impressive, as you’ll see (and hear) in the videos above.

In 1976, Iscar released its Self-Grip part-off system and followed that up in 1993 with the upgraded Do-Grip system. The company says the Do-Grip featured a proprietary twisted design and was the first to enable a depth of cut deeper than the length of the insert. At IMTS 1994, the company demonstrated how this part-off system could perform under extreme conditions by chucking a railroad rail in a lathe and parting off slices of it throughout the show. The rail material is challenging to cut because it work hardens, the interruption is severe and the workpiece cross-sectional area varies, creating difficult cutting conditions that would cause most tools to fail. The Do-Grip tooling showed little sign of wear or damage.

Iscar revisits this live demo at this year’s IMTS, using its latest Tang-Grip part-off system. The company says Tang-Grip is a single-sided insert with a unique shape and pocketing technology to further improve insert security and tool rigidity yet maintain simplicity of use. In addition to the rail demo, this system also performs another challenging part-off demo using a sledge hammer head as the workpiece (this operation is performed at 350 SFM/0.004 IPR). Like the rail, the sledge hammer head material work hardens and the cut is interrupted. Plus, its hardness varies from 30 to 50 HRc.

These hourly demos are viewable on the large LED monitors in Iscar’s “Machining Intelligently” booth in the West Hall. Be sure to check out these impressive part-off operations for yourself if you’re coming to the show.