Performance partnership

to foster and improve customer applications and in particular, operational development involving often difficult to machine materials on Citizen CNC sliding head and Miyano multi-axis turn-mill centres.

The partnership follows several applications over the last two years when Jemtech and Citizen Machinery have worked together on customer projects. This growing working relationship led to a recent cutting oil and tool life trial carried out at the Citizen headquarters in Bushey on one of the latest Citizen CNC sliding head machines.

“We have relationships with key technical partners to help and support us in a very competitive market to successfully supply a machine tool and put forward the most appropriate solution to meet our customer needs,” affirms Citizen's technical manager Edward James.

“In particular, the raw material can present a host of problems to achieve a consistent and most important, a predictable cutting operation and here coolant, its filtration and delivery plays a significant part of the overall package.”

The tool life machining trial involved setting up a benchmark using premium cutting tools with an existing supplier's coolant. The 32mm stainless steel bar was faced, contour turned and faced out which involved 30 passes to create, in effect, a top hat shaped component which was finally parted-off. After just 20 components the surface of the component started to degrade which quickly led to insert failure.

Following cleaning of the machine and coolant tank, Jemtech's engineer refilled the machine with its Blaser Vascomill 10, a natural vegetable neat oil that also has the added advantage of a high flash point and the machine was reset using the same cutting data. So significant was the improvement gain that even after 480 components, there was no loss of surface finish and in fact at that point the trial was concluded as Citizen had run out of material.

“These trials were certainly decisive and we hope by working alongside the Citizen and Miyano application team that we can contribute to Citizen's potential and existing customers gaining significant productivity advantages, lowering the price per part, and increasing their machine utilisation,” says Jemtech's commercial director Stewart Coull.

In qualifying the partnership deal Mr James adds: “We have a significant potential to improve our applications support to customers because not only will we have a knowledgeable field-based team from Jemtech (UK) in support, but also have access to R&D information and the Blaser Swisslube test centre in Switzerland for instance, when we are faced with challenging exotic type materials.

“Positive comments from our applications engineers following the trial included the lack of odour from the coolant and being pleasant to touch and handle. As the Blaser fluid is chlorine and sulphur-free, there were very low levels of misting and it was resistant to vapour formation and foaming.

“This, we feel, is essential when high coolant pressures are being used. And, due to the viscosity of the vegetable based oil, there was very little carry-over to be lost with swarf. Components produced were also cleaner and dryer. This adds to the economics of producing very complex multi-featured components in a single operational cycle.”

Citizen Machinery UK
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Jemtech (UK)
www.jemtech.co.uk