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New Vision System for Detecting Coolant Holes

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New RoboMate Vision System detects coolant holes automatically

 

There is increased demand for deep hole drilling applications and reducing the overall cost of making holes. Hole costs can only be reduced by having shorter cycle times. This means running a drill at a higher rpm and feed rates. However this generates higher temperatures, which reduces the life of the drill.
 

Many high performance drills have internal 'through' coolant holes which delivers coolant directly to the cutting edge of the drill. Coolant reduces the temperature when drilling and improves chip evacuation.

 

RoboMate Vision System

 

Demand has increased for drills with coolant holes

 

Cutting tool manufacturers are producing more drills with through coolant holes to meet the strong demand. Drills with coolant holes are manufactured from raw material that has the coolant holes pre formed into the drill blank. The coolant hole positions must be known in relation to the flute and helix. This is typically measured inside the machine with a touch probe, but this adds to the grinding cycle time. ANCA has developed an automated inspection process to locate the coolant holes using a Vision system on the RoboMate loader.
 

RoboMate is a loading system common across the range of ANCA machines. ANCA has integrated a Vision recognition system using a Cognex camera inside RoboMate for coolant hole detection. By integrating the Vision system onto RoboMate inspection and coolant hole location is determined outside of the grinding process. This reduces overall manufacturing time.

 

Vision System detecting coolant holes on a drill

 

Locate 2 coolant holes in just 10 seconds

 

The Vision system can recognise and locate coolant holes as small as 0.1mm (0.003”) diameter. With an overall drill diameter range between 3 to 20mm (1/8”-3/4”). The camera used with the Vision system can capture an image and locate two coolant holes in less than 10 seconds and caters for different drill point angles. The camera can be easily adjusted for focus and brightness based on the drill type and geometry.
 

Other benefits of the Vision system include an air blast to clean the tool and a reject station to store tools that do not meet specification or cannot detect the coolant hole position. Both these features ensure the correct coolant hole position is known prior to entering the machine. It also eliminates scrap tools and the need for operator intervention. 
 

In addition to measuring coolant holes, other types of tools can be detected and measured using the Vision system. The possibilities seem endless for other applications, all that is needed is an idea and a little 'Vision'. 
 

• Automated detection of coolant holes
• Reduced set-up and cycle times
• Non-contact measurement removes possibility of tool damage
• Available on the TXcell, TX7, MX7, MX5, GX7 & RX7 tool grinders


Contact ANCA for further information, or a demonstration.

 

12 August 2013