GWS silences the competition

The Situation
GWS Tool Group’s customer was facing tool chatter when milling – so loud it could be heard from the parking lot of the customer’s facility. While the noise was the main concern, there was also an issue with excessive burrs and a poor finish. The burr generated during milling required a secondary deburring process, which created a significant bottleneck in production. The finish was also never quite what the client wanted, requiring post-polishing operations to correct. After extensive trials, this customer had settled upon a large competitor’s tool to complete the job in a Haas VF6. It was the best “off-the-shelf” tool they could find for the application.

Current Process Results
Constant tool chatter
Standard ¾ inch end mill in Haas VF6
Excessive burrs
Additional processes to remove burrs

New GWS Solution
Customized Alumigator AFT 3-flute end mill
Refined edge honing
50% increased feed rate
75% decreased tool chatter
Reduced cycle time by 20%

Conclusion
When GWS’ customer implemented GWS’ customized Alumigator end mill, it was noticeable enough that the entire facility stopped what they were doing, to come and see why and how the machine was so quiet! The deburring process was drastically reduced, eliminating the production bottleneck of parts awaiting deburring, and the finish improved to eliminate manual polishing. While noise reduction was the main objection, GWS also reduced cycle time by 20% and increased the feed rate by 50%. We recognize that the best tool for the job rarely comes off the shelf, hence our commitment to making Custom Come Standard.

Read GWS’ complete case study!