ANCA's Overall PCD Milling Machines Bring New Development Opportunities to Increase Productivity

Diamond (or PCD-polycrystalline diamond) tools have a service life of 20 times that of the same carbide tool in the right application. Excitingly, the next generation of whole PCD end mills and drill bits manufactured on ANCA's EDGe grinders will further expand this advantage.

Diamond (or PCD-polycrystalline diamond) tools have a service life of 20 times that of the same carbide tool in the right application. Excitingly, the next generation of whole PCD end mills and drill bits manufactured on ANCA's EDGe grinders will further expand this advantage. In 3C (electronics) and aerospace manufacturing, there is a huge demand for tools that provide higher productivity and quality.

Carbide brazing is at the top of the PCD and is used to make spiral knives.

As a 5-axis CNC machine, ANCA EDGe is ideal for manufacturing complex 3D cutting tools with rotary spark machining processes. "ANCA has a tradition of software development, using ToolRoom software to design and manufacture complex geometry on rotating tools. In addition to the helix bits, our newly released software supports our customers in manufacturing spiral end mills (right angles, fillets, and ball heads). Duncan Thompson, product manager for ANCA EDGe and Diamond Cutters, said.

EDGe is used to make the overall PCD top ball head end mill and drill bit real.

This feature is just the right time for PCD cutting tool manufacturers, as market demand and technological developments go hand in hand, making cutting tools with PCD's top edge both economical and ideal. Users want a longer service life and better cutting performance than the cutting edges of conventional PCD tools. Aerospace, especially the 3C industry, is driving this development. In addition, the overall PCD's state-of-the-art production processes have matured to become more affordable.

Flexibility gives PCD's top tool quality.

The overall PCD's top tools have many advantages. Most importantly, tool geometry is completely flexible. EDGe grinder's ToolRoom software enables users to create spiral cutting tools, including drill bits and end mills, for superior cutting performance compared to the same tools with brazed PCD blades.

Traditional PCD rotary cutting tools typically braze PCD blades on carbide tool bodies. Although the PCD extends the life of the cutting edge, the geometry of the cutting edge is designed to cut (straight) the cutting edge with a straight front angle. This geometry itself limits the performance of the tool.

Traditional brazed PCD tool shear angle cutting edge cutting performance.

With the overall PCD tool, designers have more flexibility to create unique geometry for different cutting applications in the same way as conventional carbide tools. This is suitable not only for cutting profiles, but also for grinding grooving and tooth gap geometry, which is essential for chip formation and draining.

Another important consideration is that brazing PCD tools typically have a minimum diameter of 6mm, but the overall top PCD tools can easily be made into tools smaller than this diameter. Micro cutters (drill bits and end mills) are widely used in the 3C market, and EDGe is capable of producing drill bits with a minimum of 0.3 mm and milling cutters of less than 3 mm.

EDGe is capable of manufacturing whole PCD top drills of less than 1 mm.

Finally, unlike coated carbide tools, these new drill bits and end mills can be easily ground multiple times, effectively extending the life of the tool.

ANCA's EDGe spark grinders have all the features needed to produce these unique tools.

· In all forms of PCD machining, EDGe uses rotary spark erosion processing best suited for drill bits and end mills that produce the overall PCD bit. Line erosion is not possible for grooving and tooth gap grinding, and the upfront cost of laser ablation is very expensive, unless it is a very small tool, otherwise it is not economical.

· ANCA's EDGE features both electric spark processing and carbide grinding. The overall PCD's top tools naturally require grooving and threading to extend into carbide, so this is an important consideration. At the same time with electric spark processing and carbide grinding function, according to different material removal amount to choose the best process.

· Built on overall carbide grinding capabilities, ANCA ToolRoom software is known for its flexibility and ease of use.

· ANCA EDGe is a versatile grinder that performs just as well in other applications such as traditional brazed PCD shearing tools and overall carbide grinding.