As most shops know, cast iron has many characteristics that make it tricky for part processing despite its relative machinability. The abrasive, rough surface and porous composition are especially tough on cutting tools and create miniscule interruptions that increase runout, particularly in holemaking applications. Any effective toolholding system for cast iron needs to address these issues and, for many shops, that system is powRgrip®.
For industries ranging from automotive to heavy machinery, effective toolholding ensures straight holes and secure processes for cast iron parts. With sufficient rigidity and precision, the true machinability of cast iron can be unleashed. At one cylinder head manufacturing facility, for example, application experts from REGO-FIX were able to achieve a 40% increase in productivity over shrink-fit holders with the powRgrip system.
With rigid, vibration-damping toolholding, shops can achieve significantly better tool life as well. A low total indicated runout (TIR) does more than boost tool life, however. By minimizing vibrations, tool wear occurs more evenly along cutting edges for more productive regrinding and resharpening operations across the life of a tool. For one automotive manufacturer, the powRgrip system’s superior TIR allowed machinists to manage 22,250 parts per tool following four regrinds, whereas only two regrinding operations were possible with hydraulic holders for a total of 7,875 parts.
Every cast iron application is different – and for many manufacturers, nothing is proven until it’s cut on their own machines. For these shops, finding the perfect toolholding solution can be a process of trial and error unless they partner with an OEM like REGO-FIX that can demonstrate a toolholding system using the shop’s own applications. As part of this process, shops can get more than the raw numbers, with figures showing expected returns on investment (ROI) and other validation information to help them make decisions.
Interested in learning more? Download our “powRgrip for Cast Iron Manufacturing” booklet for an overview of the powRgrip system, case studies about its efficacy in cast iron and more details about how REGO-FIX can help put you on the path to cast iron machining success.