Rickman Tool Focuses On A Niche Market

Rickman Tool, Inc. (Culver, Indiana) Tungsten Carbide Inserts is a job shop specializing in CNC machining. The company runs two shifts and employs more than 30 people. According to Eddie Rickman, president of Rickman Tool, the key to the company's success has been identifying and serving a niche market. In the case of Rickman Tool, the niche market has been the medical industry.

Recently, I interviewed Eddie Rickman to learn a little more about his company.

Why did you decide to begin supplying complex parts to the medical industry?

We had extensive experience in cutting stainless steel and titanium, two materials that are common in the medical industry. We also had experience with small, complex parts, so we were able to handle the types of jobs these companies needed machined. It also helped that we were located very close to three or four large companies in this industry.

How did you get started with your first customer in the medical industry

We actually purchased a business that had done some work with a medical company before. We were fortunate enough to convince the company to give us a try on a very complicated part. We did something right, because we have worked for this company ever since.

What was the first medical part you produced

Our first job was a spinal hook. This is a small, complex part that is implanted into the spine. We machine this part from both titanium and stainless steel, which are the only materials approved for implants in the human body. Obviously, it is critical that such a part be machined accurately. There is no margin for error when it comes to operating on the human spine.

How do you reach new customers in the medical industry

In brief, it's word of mouth. We have been very fortunate because our customers are our best marketers.

How did you overcome the obstacles you initially encountered in machining parts for the medical industry

The medical industry's parts are typically quite small and complex. They are also ordered in low volumes. Therefore, we have to spend a great deal of time developing the best machining processes for these types of parts. To be successful, you have to do as much as possible in one operation or setup. To accomplish this, you need the right machines and must be able to design good fixturing. Also, because of the strict quality requirements in this field, you must be willing to provide ample training to your workforce.

What type of training have you provided to your workforce

We provided a lot of hands-on training so everyone knew how to use everything. At some time, even experienced machinists can use a refresher on the basics. We also spent time showing operators how to organize their work areas and effectively set up the machines.

How have you satisfied the demands of customers in the medical industry

Probably the most difficult demand is for short leadtimes on new products. Perhaps more than any other industry, medical companies must continuously improve their products to meet the demands of consumers. We have added four-axis CNC machines, which allow us to complete parts in fewer operations. These machines have really helped us to satisfy the short leadtime requirements of our customers.

Do you do work for customers in other industries

Presently, we only work for companies in the medical industry. This is the type of work we do well, and we're very busy.

What's in store for Rickman Tools

I think we will expand our business beyond the medical industry eventually. However, we will try to concentrate on small, complex parts as this is really the market niche for us.

Do you have any advice for companies on how they can find a niche market

Become good at doing something that is considered complex, rather than something that most other job shops can do easily. Once you have shown that you can do the things that others can't, word of Carbide Grooving Inserts mouth will carry you from there.

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Understanding the Machine Tool Industry’s Ups and Downs

Boom and bust. Boom and bust. If you have been involved in metalworking and the machine tool industry long enough to have endured and persevered through several of these boom-bust cycles, then you probably have this sense that the difference between the boom and the bust has increased over a time. In other words, the peaks have seemed higher and the dips deeper with each passing cycle.

Well, this is not all in your head or your gut. This impression is real.

I have spent the last 10 years attempting to forecast the metalworking industry, particularly machine tool consumption. It didn’t take me long to understand that metalworking and machine tools are the classic example of a cyclical, boom-bust industry. Although I was armed with that knowledge and had the data to Carbide Aluminum Inserts back it up, I was nonetheless surprised when I took a fresh look at the long-term global machine tool consumption data from Gardner Business Intelligence’s latest World Machine Tool Survey.

Chart 1 in the slideshow at the top of this article shows world machine tool consumption with a theoretical maximum consumption trend. Notice the gray line. It represents global consumption in U.S. dollars, adjusted for inflation. This line indicates that the increase in global consumption over time is caused by more countries becoming industrialized and not the weakening of the U.S. dollar through inflation.

From 1960 to 1970, global machine tool consumption increased in an almost perfectly straight line. To almost anyone in the metalworking industry today, an entire decade of straight-line growth is almost beyond CNC Carbide Tool Insert imagination. However, the boom-bust cycle that seems normal today did not begin until 1971.

Generally, a complete cycle in machine tool consumption has taken 10 years from peak to peak. In recent years, when interest rates were lowered to nearly zero (and in some cases below zero), the cycle periods became less regular.

In fact, the height of peak consumption in those cycles increased over time, even though the periodicity (peak-to-peak time) did not. The dotted blue line in this chart represents a theoretical maximum consumption of machine tools. It is based on the straight-line growth of recorded machine tool consumption from 1960 to 1970. In other words, we can suppose that the straight-line growth during this period was the natural or “organic” pattern for machine tool consumption and that the forces behind it were normal and steady (at least in theory). Given this assumption, machine tool consumption can be theorized to “max out” at points on this line in the period after 1970 as a logical supposition. This theoretical maximum gives us a useful reference for examining the actual consumption results. 

In fact, the peaks of machine tool consumption generally fall on that line. We had no such peak in the late 1990s (thank you, dot-com bubble), and we dramatically overshot the theoretical maximum machine tool consumption in 2008 and 2011-2012 (more on that later).

This theoretical maximum can be compared to the bottom of each machine tool cycle. For example, in 1971, the theoretical maximum machine tool consumption was slightly more than $30.3 billion, but actual machine tool consumption was only $26.7 billion. So, at the trough of the cycle, consumption fell short of the theoretical maximum by $3.6 billion, or 12 percent. History shows that, cycle after cycle, this shortfall has widened.

Table 1 in the slideshow at the top of this article shows that the cycles were indeed getting worse, both in terms of the absolute distance from theoretical maximum and the percentage below the theoretical maximum. Note that, even though the size of the shortfall gap grew in 2002, the shortfall represented a slightly smaller percentage of the theoretical maximum than in 1994. Then, in 2009, the shortfall decreased significantly, and with it, the percentage of the theoretical maximum naturally decreased as well.

The fact that the last two dips in machine tool consumption have not been as severe and the fact that machine tool consumption dramatically overshot the theoretical maximum in 2008 and 2011-2012 are related. Both developments were caused by China’s influence on the global market.

The gray line in Chart 2 shows world machine tool consumption, while the blue line shows world machine tool consumption with figures from China dropped from the calculation. Notice that, until the mid 2000s, there was not a significant difference between the two lines. That’s because China only accounted for no more than 15 percent of global consumption before that period. By 2011, China’s machine tool consumption accounted for 40 percent of the global total.

Therefore, it seems clear that the influence of China’s suddenly huge appetite for machine tools is the reason the troughs have been less severe and the peaks have been higher than expected. Chart 3 shows world machine tool consumption and the theoretical maximum machine tool consumption without including numbers from China. Through 1990, the peaks continued to hit the line while China still represented a small percent of global consumption. Then, in 2008, instead of dramatically overshooting the theoretical maximum, as might be expected, peak consumption fell well short of this line. Missing this level had never happened before. Likewise in 2009, the trough is much deeper both in an absolute sense and in comparison to the theoretical maximum. Instead of the expected $19.9 billion shortfall, the shortfall in global machine tool consumption widened to $41.1 billion, a figure much larger than in 1994 and 2002. And, without the numbers from China, the percent shortfall increased to 51 percent from 25 percent.

All of the factors that help explain why China’s surge in machine tool consumption had this effect may be impossible to identify. However, I believe that two known factors provide a reasonable explanation.

First, extremely low interest rates enabled global manufacturing companies to build new factories anywhere in the world in order to exploit low labor costs. Near-zero interest rates meant that financing new capital equipment was virtually free. So why not put that new capital equipment where labor costs were relatively low compared to Western manufacturing countries? As a result, low global interest rates magnified China’s machine tool consumption over that from any other country.

Second, more than any other country in the world, China represents a distinctly two-sided, yet lop-sided, machine tool market. High-end manufacturing with high-end machine tools is one side. Much of this capability is concentrated in the electronics and automotive sectors. In contrast, the other side of the market consists of low-end, even manual, machine tools. This side of the market is much larger than the high-end side, and it is this lopsided low end of the market that made it appear that the troughs in global machine tool consumption were less severe. It also is this low end of the market that made it appear that global machine tool consumption was overshooting its theoretical maximum.

This is not the end of the story. Simply taking China’s machine tool consumption from the calculations does not lead to an entirely accurate analysis. The high-end manufacturing taking place in China represents a growing percentage of the Chinese metalworking and machine tool industry. One way to capture the size of this high-end industry is to focus on Chinese imports of machine tools. It stands to reason that these imports are more sophisticated machines being installed by global manufacturers and high-end Chinese job shops.

Chart 4 has insights to offer here. The gray line shows global machine tool consumption with only Chinese machine tool imports included in the data. It is significant that this method of analysis shows that global machine tool consumption falls almost exactly as expected on the line of the theoretical maximum. Therefore, true global machine tool consumption falls somewhere between the gray and blue lines of chart 2.

How does this understanding shape our outlook for the future of world machine consumption?

Chart 4 shows that global machine tool consumption in 2016 was $30.1 billion, or 33 percent below the theoretical maximum. This shows that the global manufacturing industry has not yet recovered from the great recession of 2008 to the extent expected. I forecast that global consumption will increase in 2017, even though many major national economies are still working through significant debt issues.

“The Fourth Turning,” an excellent book on long-term cyclical forecasting by William Strauss and Neil Howe, describes a theory that I believe applies to machine tool boom-bust cycles. Based on this book’s theory, the current cycle in our industry should bottom out between 2020 and 2025. Accordingly, we should see a dip in global machine tool consumption during those years.

Ultimately though, this dip may not be much deeper than current global machine tool consumption. In the last few cycles, the troughs in machine tool sales have been bottoming out at about 40 percent below the theoretical maximum. Based on a theoretical maximum consumption of $95.3 billion in 2020, the low point of global consumption would be about $57.2 billion.

Once a cycle bottoms out, machine tool consumption tends to grow for six or seven years. If we hit bottom in 2020, then we should hit the next peak between 2025 and 2030. Based on the trend that began in 1960, we can expect machine tool consumption to peak somewhere near $100 billion between 2025 and 2030.

Of course, these expectations are speculative. Many unforeseeable events may alter the situation. Nevertheless, insights into the long-term growth trend in machine tool consumption, the cyclical nature of the industry and what is happening in China can help us understand these shifts and their implications as they occur.

About the Survey

This is the 51st edition of an independent annual survey that collects statistics from machine tool consuming and producing countries and compares them in real U.S. dollars. It is conducted through the research department of Gardner Business Media Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio) by Steve Kline, director of market intelligence. Data for this report comes from research conducted by Gardner Business Intelligence.

Traditionally, Gardner collected actual or estimated data on production, exports and imports from 26 countries. However, beginning with the 2015 survey, actual import and export data were included for every country that imported at least $100 million of machine tools in at least one year since 2001. This change added 34 more countries to the overall survey. For these additional countries, production was estimated, although in a few instances actual production data was found on government websites.

Consumption is calculated by adding imports to and subtracting exports from production figures. The data typically are reported in local currencies, then converted to U.S. dollars. After this conversion, all of the data in this latest survey also were adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index for capital equipment. This adjustment promotes a more accurate historical comparison.

Sources of Data

Special assistance came from the 15-member CECIMO consortium (Brussels, Belgium) and AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, Virginia). Also, for countries that did not report, import and export data was gathered from the International Trade Centre (intracen.org).

Definitions

A machine tool is usually defined as a power-driven machine, not portable by hand and powered by an external source of energy. It is designed specifically for metalworking either by cutting, forming, physical-chemical processing or a combination of these techniques.

Machine tools are traditionally broken down into two categories: metalcutting and metal forming. Metalcutting machines typically cut away chips or swarf and include (but are not limited to) broaching machines, drilling machines, electrical-discharge machines, lasers, gear-cutting machines, grinders, machining centers, milling machines, transfer machines and turning machines such as lathes. Metal-forming machines typically squeeze metal into shape and include (but are not limited to) bending machines, cold-heading machines, presses, shears, coil slitters and stamping machines.

Data presented in the World Machine Tool Survey are solicited for metalcutting machines (codes 8456-8461 under the Harmonized Tariff System) and for metal-forming machines (8462-8463), and are solicited for complete machines only, not including parts or rebuilt machines.

Exchange Rates

All data reported in domestic currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using the average daily exchange rate for the year (not the end-of-year rate) as reported at Moody’s Analytics. All analysis is done in real U.S. dollars.

Shipments vs. Orders

In addition to contributing statistics to this survey, many countries also track orders for new machine tools. These are, by their nature, different sets of numbers, and they may or may not be related. This survey is based on actual shipments of new machine tools from the factories in which they are produced. In contrast, the various order compilations in individual countries around the world are based on bookings for machines that will be shipped in the future. The time lag between these two events can vary greatly. An in-stock lathe might be shipped one day after the order is placed, whereas a complex engine-machining line might take a year to be delivered after the order has been received. On average in the U.S., orders lead shipments by four to five months. That is likely a common lead time for other countries as well.

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Tool Lifetime Management Software Supports Multi Functional Tools

TDM Systems has released version 4.8 of its TDM software designed to optimize tool lifecycle management (TLM) as part of Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things initiatives. Version 4.8 includes a number of enhancements for multi-tool support, data import, wireless barcode scanner connection, and the ability to more easily and quickly generate solid models for tool assemblies, the company says.

This version of the software includes multi-tool data records that combine tool assembly data with a bill of materials to accommodate multi-functional tools with cutting edges for different machining purposes. Each respective cutting edge is assigned and linked as a single data record within the multi-tool record. When searching for tools, users can now see the search criteria corresponding to partial records as well as the full multi-tool data record.

Tool data can be imported from the tungsten carbide inserts MachiningCloud Internet-based tool database. This feature automatically assigns the ISO tool parameters from MachiningCloud to the TDM class/group structure parameters. A new menu tab in the tool assembly management shows the CAM programmer the required tool parameters. Depending on the CAM tool class, the programmer sees the associated TDM tool class with the relative graphic parameters and TDM parameter description.

Existing features have also been enhanced. Available since version 4.6, the Revolve Generator for generating 3D models from contours of rotationally symmetric items now works at the tool assembly level. The interface to the Casio DT-200 scanner has been extended in version 4.8 so that it can be connected to the system wirelessly. All issuing processes are made without caching, and offline transmissions via a gravity turning inserts base station are transmitted quickly to the system.

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System Combines Machining, Laser Cutting

The Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Laser Systems L2000 is designed for combining conventional machining and laser cutting on a single machine platform, reducing part handling and ensuring improved part accuracies.

The 10-micron fiber optic system is interfaced to the machine control gravity turning inserts with the cutting path and offsets fully stored and edited within the control. As a modular system not designed for a specific machine, a single system can be purchased and moved to other Cincom systems. It can also be retrofitted to some older Cincom models.

The unit can mount on the B-axis tool position for laser cutting at various angles for components that require angular laser cut features. The laser head assembly, which mounts on the gang tool slide of the machine, is liquid tight so that it can operate while high pressure coolant is flooding the workpiece during the machining process. Internal air pressure protects the lens and internal components.

An integrated camera for optical viewing and alignment is included for X-Y beam alignment to the nozzle. The live camera is visible on the included touch monitor.rod peeling inserts

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Well known characteristics and application of thread milling

Well-known characteristics and application of thread milling

Thread milling features and applications:

With the popularity of CNC machine tools, thread milling technology is increasingly used in machinery manufacturing. Thread milling is a three-axis linkage of a CNC machine tool. The thread milling cutter is used for helical interpolation milling to form a thread. The tool moves in a circular motion every horizontal plane, and moves a pitch in a vertical plane. Thread milling has many advantages such as high machining efficiency, high thread quality, good tool versatility and good process safety. There are many types of thread milling tools currently used. This paper analyzes seven common thread milling cutters from application characteristics, tool structure and machining technology.

 

1.ordinary machine clamp thread milling cutter

Machine-clamp thread milling cutters are the most common and inexpensive tool in thread milling. They are similar in construction to conventional machine-clamping cutters and consist of reusable toolholders and easily replaceable blades. If you need to machine the taper thread, you can also use the special arbor and blade for machining the taper thread. This blade has a plurality of thread cutting teeth. The surface milling cutters tool can process a plurality of thread teeth once a week along the spiral line. A milling cutter with five 2mm thread cutting teeth can machine five thread threads with a thread depth of 10 mm by machining one cycle along the helix. In order to further improve the processing efficiency, a multi-blade machine-type thread milling cutter can be selected.

By increasing the number of cutting edges, the feed rate can be significantly increased, but the radial and axial positioning errors between each of the blades distributed over the circumference can affect the accuracy of the threading. If the thread precision of the multi-blade machine thread milling cutter is not satisfied, you can also try to install only one blade for processing. When selecting a machine-type thread milling cutter, the diameter of the cutter bar and the fast feed milling inserts appropriate blade material should be selected as much as possible according to the diameter, depth and workpiece material of the thread to be machined. The threading depth of the machine-type thread milling cutter is determined by the effective cutting depth of the toolholder. Since the length of the blade is less than the effective depth of cut of the shank, layering is required when the depth of the machined thread is greater than the length of the blade.

2.the ordinary integral thread milling cutter

Integral thread milling cutters are mostly made of solid carbide materials, and some are also coated. The integral thread milling cutter is compact and suitable for machining medium and small diameter threads. It also has an integral thread milling cutter for machining taper threads. These tools have good rigidity, especially the integral thread milling cutter with spiral groove, which can effectively reduce the cutting load and improve the processing efficiency when processing high hardness materials. The cutting edge of the integral thread milling cutter is covered with threaded teeth, and the whole thread processing can be completed by machining one thread along the spiral line. It does not need to be layered like a machine tool, so the processing efficiency is high, but the price is relatively expensive.

3.Overall thread milling cutter with chamfering function

The overall thread milling cutter with chamfering structure is similar to a conventional integral thread milling cutter, but with a special chamfering edge at the root of the cutting edge, the thread end chamfer can be machined while machining the thread. There are three ways to machine the chamfer. When the tool diameter is large enough, the chamfering blade can be used directly to chamfer the chamfer. This method is limited to machining the internal threaded hole chamfer. When the tool diameter is small, the chamfering blade can be used to machine the chamfer by circular motion. However, when chamfering is performed using the chamfering edge of the cutting edge, it should be noted that there should be a certain gap between the cutting portion of the cutter thread and the thread to avoid interference. If the thread depth of the machining is less than the effective cutting length of the tool, the tool will not be able to achieve the chamfering function, so the tool should be selected to match the effective cutting length and the thread depth.

4.thread drilling and milling cutter

The thread drilling and milling cutter is made of solid carbide and is a high-efficiency machining tool for medium and small diameter internal threads. The thread drilling cutter can complete the drilling of the bottom hole, the hole chamfering and the internal thread machining at one time, reducing the number of tools used. However, the disadvantage of this type of tool is its poor versatility and its high price. The tool consists of a drilled portion of the head, a threaded portion in the middle, and a chamfered blade at the root of the cutting edge. The diameter of the drilled part is the bottom diameter of the thread that the tool can machine. Due to the limitation of the diameter of the drilled part, a thread drilling and milling cutter can only process one thread of internal thread. When selecting a thread drilling and milling cutter, not only the threaded hole size to be machined, but also the effective machining length of the tool and the depth of the machined hole should be considered. Otherwise, the chamfering function cannot be realized.

5.thread auger milling cutter

Threaded auger milling cutters are also solid carbide tools for efficient internal threading. They can also be used to machine bottom holes and threads at one time. The tool end has a cutting edge like an end mill. Since the spiral angle of the thread is not large, when the tool makes the helical motion machining thread, the end cutting edge first cuts the workpiece material to machine the bottom hole, and then the thread is machined from the back of the tool. Some threaded auger milling cutters also have chamfered edges that allow for the chamfering of the holes at the same time. The tool has high processing efficiency and is more versatile than the thread drilling and milling cutter. The internal thread diameter of the tool can be processed from d to 2d (d is the diameter of the cutter body).

6.milling deep thread cutter

The milled deep thread cutter is a single tooth thread milling cutter. A general thread milling cutter has a plurality

of threaded teeth on the cutting edge, the tool has a large contact area with the workpiece, and the cutting force is also large, and the diameter of the tool must be smaller than the threaded aperture when machining the internal thread. Due to the limitation of the diameter of the cutter body, the rigidity of the tool is affected, and the tool is unilaterally stressed when milling the thread. When the deep thread is milled, the knife phenomenon is easy to occur and the thread machining accuracy is affected. Therefore, the effective cutting depth of the general thread milling cutter is about 2 times the diameter of the body. The use of single-toothed deep-threaded tools can better overcome the above shortcomings. Due to the reduced cutting force, the thread machining depth can be greatly increased, and the effective cutting depth of the tool can reach 3 to 4 times the diameter of the cutter body.

7．thread milling tool system

Generality and high efficiency are a prominent contradiction of thread milling cutters. Some tools with composite functions have high processing efficiency but poor versatility, while versatile tool efficiency is often not high. To solve this problem, many tool manufacturers have developed modular thread milling tool systems. The tool is generally composed of a shank, a boring chamfering edge, and a universal thread milling cutter. Different types of boring chamfering edges and thread milling cutters can be selected according to the processing requirements. This tool system has good versatility and high processing efficiency, but the tool cost is high.

The above outlines the functions and features of several common thread milling tools. Cooling is also important when milling threads, and it is

recommended to use machines and tools with internal cooling. When the tool rotates at a high speed, the external coolant is not easily introduced by the centrifugal force. In addition to the excellent cooling of the tool, the internal cooling method is more important when the blind hole thread is used to facilitate chip removal. When machining the small diameter internally threaded hole, a higher internal cooling pressure is required. Ensure that the chip removal is smooth. In addition, when selecting thread milling tools, we should also consider the specific processing requirements, such as?production batch, number of screw holes, workpiece material, thread precision, size specifications, and other factors, and comprehensive selection of tools.

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