PCD is worth it: Maximum tool lives in aluminium

Dörr and Gühring demonstrate how challenges can lead to real progress: by using Gühring’s PCD-Divers, the Sankt Augustin-based company has quadrupled tool lives, reduced tooling costs and taken the surface quality of its components to a new level.

When it comes to demanding machining tasks, Dörr is a sought-after partner. With around 70 employees, this third-generation family-run company stands for a high depth of production and extensive technical expertise, and is committed to the continuous development of its processes and technologies. Its range of services extends from manufacturing of small batches to the machining of complex components. A particular focus is on heavy-duty machining and the manufacture of high-precision, complex components, where the highest requirements are placed on quality, dimensional accuracy and process reliability.

Challenges in aluminium machining

“As our customers’ quality requirements increase, so do our expectations of cutting tools,” explains Nasir Koubaa, Head of Precision Engineering at Dörr. “When performing complex machining operations on components made of non-ferrous metals and aluminium in particular, two key factors are crucial: a high surface finish and low tool wear.” Nasir Koubaa explains the costly consequences that can arise if a tool fails to adequately meet these two criteria, using the example of HFC finishing: in this process, the aluminium component (3.3547) is machined using a solid carbide milling cutter from a competitor. “Without reworking, we would not have met our high standards for surface quality,” recalls Koubaa. Furthermore, the varying tool lives of the solid carbide milling cutter complicate the machining process – and thus also the calculation of tooling costs.

For Dörr, one thing is clear: there is potential for optimisation in this process. “Our aim was not just to use a new tool – but to optimise the entire machining process,” explains Koubaa. “In our search for a sustainable solution, we chose Gühring. We have been working with the tool manufacturer for some time and value their personal and expert advice.” Following a detailed analysis of the component, machine parameters and machining strategy, the solid carbide milling cutter is replaced by a Gühring material specialist: the PCD-Diver.  

Small tool, big impact: four times the tool life with the PCD-Diver

The PCD-Diver is used in a special version with a corner radius of R = 2.5. And it immediately proves its worth when performing machining operations on aluminium components: “The solid carbide milling cutter used previously had reached the end of its tool life after 30 hours. The PCD-Diver achieves four times the tool life with the same cutting data,” reports Peter Kraus, an employee on the CAD-CAM team at Dörr. “The tool simply refuses to become blunt.” “Thanks to the low wear, we were able to significantly reduce tooling costs,” adds Nasir Koubaa enthusiastically. But that’s not all: “We were also able to significantly improve the surface quality of the components. We achieve much higher precision and surface quality.”

Gühring sales representative Marcel Horn explains how the PCD-Diver achieves this: “The ultra-hard PCD tool material ensures maximum tool lives, whereas other carbide inserts would have worn out long ago. The PCD cutting edges have been perfectly embedded in a particularly stable substrate – this enables us to achieve maximum performance during machining.”  Thanks to low power consumption and high stability, the PCD-Diver enables particularly burr-free machining. This allows Dörr to save on further working steps – the reworking previously required is no longer necessary. Nor does Dörr need to worry about process reliability: “The PCD-Diver produces short milling chips that can be easily removed. This makes chip removal considerably easier, particularly when machining aluminium alloys that are long-chipping” says Horn.

Partnership leads to progress

“By using PCD-tools, Dörr is taking an important step towards meeting the quality requirements of the future,” summarises Nasir Koubaa. “The collaboration with Gühring demonstrates that modern tool technology, combined with partnership-based cooperation, is crucial for sustainable manufacturing success.”