| |
Drill Bits
Cutting tools are the largest market for the process, including drill bits, endmills, slitter knives, punches and dies.
Cryo processing also is used to treat TiN coated tooling, HSS (high-speed steel) saw blades –
bandsaws, circular saws, jig saws, M-series blades – and carbide-tipped saws (C-2, C-3 and C-4). In the 1995 ASM heat treater's guide, 67 out of 77 tool steels listed have cryogenic stabilizing specified as the only method to increase dimensional stability after heat treat.
Cryo processing also is used to stabilize aluminum and titanium, since they are often hard to handle during machining. In aerospace applications, cryogenic tempering conditions the metal in aluminum optical benches, so that large temperature variations can be tolerated with minimal distortion. Once a part has been cryo treated, additional cryogenic processing will not usually make any difference. When a tooling manufacturer has included cryogenic treatment as part of the process, additional treatment by the end user will usually have no effect.
VIDEO ON RIGHT: These $18,000 each punches went from 7000 punches before to 40,000 punches after being cryogenically frozen at 300° below zero. We help lower everybody’s operating and maintenance cost and increase productivity.
| |
 Consistent Results for a Wide Range of Applications
Calsonic Yorozu Corporation, a Tennessee subsidiary of Isuzu, uses a large HSS twist drill to manufacture chassis. The drill is about 1' long by 7/8" diameter and costs about $80. Two drills are mounted on a robotic arm in an assembly line and usually last for only 100 holes. Cryo treating the drills costs about $10 and increases the tool's life between 20% and 50%. Production is now getting between 120 and 150 holes from a single drill with less downtime. Hexell is said to be the world's largest manufacturer of composite materials. The company has been Cryo treated the tooling used to cut Kevlar, titanium and aluminum during production. They are a large tool buyer, and the 300% increase in tool life from cryogenic tempering saved them about $1/2 million in tooling cost during 1197. The treated tooling includes ¼” and ½” endmills, about half of which are coated, and a scissors shear.
The teeth of the backhoes (called “frosties”) used to dig frozen perma-frost in Alaska were wearing out too quickly. After cryo treating, the life of the teeth increased from about four hours to 16 hours. In another heavy-duty application, a paving equipment manufacturer builds and supports paving equipment to mix asphalt. The company uses 12 flute endmills, called “slugger bits,” to cut stainless steel. The bits, some of which are coated, cost $20 to $50 each. After cryo processing the tooling life increased by two to three times. |
Gears in heavy equipment or transmissions, cast iron or forged items also can benefit from processing. When the military tested cryo treating helicopter gears in the 70’s, they found that the process improved durability and reduced noise, which turned out to solve several problems in combat. Noisy working environments are improved through cryo treatment by providing greater longevity and safety for gears and moving parts.
|
|
|
| |