As a leading sign industry manufacturer of cutting and routing tools, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has now installed an AXYZ routing machine for the development of its next generation of cutting tools.

ITC says its investment in the new AXYZ 4000 Series machine demonstrates the Tamworth manufacturers’ commitment to customer service and product development.

The machine has been installed to enhance existing tools and develop new tools, providing ITC the machine capacity and time to endlessly trial, tweak and enhance existing product lines whilst offering the R&D engineers an internal testbed for all future product developments. It will allow the facility to put next generation cutting tool substrates, coatings and geometries to the test, ITC.

Discussing the new AXYZ machine, ITC’s Sally Hunt said: “First and foremost, the new AXYZ investment is borne from our desire to develop new cutting tool technology. Furthermore, it opens up new opportunities for ITC and its customers.

“For any sign makers witnessing issues with particular materials and jobs, we can take a sample of the material and do in-house testing without disrupting customer’s production. Having our own machine avoids inconvenient customer downtime and gives us the opportunity to apply a variety of cutting tools and machining parameters to achieve the best possible result. We have already improved cycle times, tool life and surface finishes for end-users by having the time to offer in-depth investigation and analysis.

“Despite this service being in its infancy, we already have instances where we have identified best-practice machining solutions whereby client workholding or machine performance may be inappropriate for the materials, processes and even tooling types. In the face of mineral filled ACM, the challenge is that different manufacturers use different material compositions and this has an impact on the cutting tool and machining process.”

Installed at the end of September 2018, the new AXYZ 4080 routing machine is a conscious decision by ITC to meet the ever-changing demands of its customer base. Following the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, the machining of mineral filled ACM boards has soared and ITC is at the forefront of machining technology for this market segment. Like the rapid rise in low-cost imported ACM boards that have caused issues for sign-makers throughout the UK.  ITC says it is the UK cutting tool manufacturer right at the cutting edge, meeting and beating these challenges daily.

The new 1.5m by 2.4m 24,000rpm spindle machine has 10.8hp and this enables the Tamworth manufacturer to conduct extensive trials with a complete variety of cutting tool geometries, material compositions and coating technologies on every material and customer requirement that comes through the door.

ITC

www.itc-ltd.co.uk

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Industrial Tooling Corporation cutting tools signmaking

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