On one titanium medical component, 13 O-ring grooves per component are machined with a 0.6mm diameter cutter at a depth of 0.6mm. These were proving to be a problem, says Brian Ronald, manufacturing engineer at Walker Precision. “We were machining the titanium parts and after machining 14 rings the cutter would break – that was the equivalent to one cutter per complete part.”

A further problem was that of knowing when a tool had broken, a common issue with small tools, as the broken cutter would continue its cycle long after breaking, wasting valuable production time. Following consultation with tooling specialist ITC, Walker started using Hanita Vision slot cutters. These have allowed it to reduce production time on the part from 4.5 hours to just over 2 hours. This remarkable saving of over 60% on this new job is set to have a considerable impact upon Walker Precision as the company currently produces 40 parts per week, with plans for 200 per month when it builds up to full-scale production.

Brian Ronald continues: “The ITC Vision cutter has been amazing on this application. It has virtually eliminated tool breakages by improving tool life beyond all expectations. Besides this, the cutter is running at faster speeds and feeds and taking deeper cuts to deliver exceptional productivity gains.“

Established in 1979 and now employing over 150 skilled personnel over three sites, Walker Precision manufactures RF/microwave assemblies, radar wave guide products, aircraft turbines and blades, valve bearings and compressors, as well as titanium parts and diagnostic equipment. It works with some of the most prestigious names in industry, including Motorola and the MIRRI space project, the successor to the Hubble.