05.05.2022

Problem solver even for tricky cases

Sometimes coincidence plays a role when it comes to convincing new customers of the benefits of a tool manufacturer‘s products. A product specialist from MAPAL visited HaGeForm Sachsen GmbH at precisely the time when the machinists there were getting stuck on a tricky task – and he also happened to have the right tools with him. Since then MAPAL has been called in time and time again to solve problems.

An OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened corner radius milling cutter from MAPAL in use on the machine.
  • An OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened corner radius milling cutter from MAPAL in use on the machine.
  • Maik Seibt and Alessandro Haase from HaGeForm Sachsen in front of the machine.
  • An OptiMil-3D-CR-Hardened from MAPAL during the machining of a cutting punch.
  • Maik Seibt and Alessandro Haase from HaGeForm Sachsen with Felix Wendler from MAPAL.
  • A PCD full-head milling cutter from MAPAL lies on a die.
  • A hardened component with a shiny surface.

HaGeForm was founded in 1992 as a branch of a company from North Rhine-Westphalia in Lößnitz in the Erzgebirge. Following a change of ownership, the company established a new site in Stollberg in Saxony. In 2012, Sebastian Baier and his father took over the business together. Since 2018, he has managed HaGeForm Sachsen with its 15 employees as Technical Managing Director along with his sister Stefanie Baier, who serves as Commercial Managing Director.

Around 90 percent of their customers are located within a radius of 50 kilometres. This proximity is a big plus for the manufacturer, since fast delivery times are becoming more and more crucial. „We do a lot of things on demand,“ explains Baier. „We usually bring the parts to the customer by car, so there are no long haulage routes.“ In addition to parts for the Die & Mould sector, components for general machining and all sorts of other industries are being produced in Stollberg as well.
 

Maik Seibt and Alessandro Haase from HaGeForm Sachsen in front of the machine.
Maik Seibt and Alessandro Haase from HaGeForm Sachsen in front of the machine  ©MAPAL

From toothbrushes to Formula 1

The region‘s automotive suppliers make up a large part of its broad spectrum of customers. The parts produced by HaGeForm are mostly used in forming, cutting or spray-coating sheet metal. Often they‘re one-off productions, sample parts, prototypes and small batches. The orders have included everything from moulds for toothbrushes to parts for Formula 1. Even when the scientists at the Technology Campus of Chemnitz University of Technology come up with „crazy new things“, as Baier says, his company, which has extensive experience in fulfilling special customer requests, is called upon to provide the manufacturing expertise. The required tolerances are usually in the hundredths range, but accuracies of 5 µm are also feasible in Stollberg.

The manufacturing department has a variety of technologies at its disposal. In addition to four wire erosion machines, two die-sinking erosion machines and a grinding machine, there are three milling centres with three, four and five axes available. Parts that are to be machined by both milling and EDM are shifted to the respective areas depending on the workload. To reduce process times, the company strives to mill as much as possible, since die-sinking erosion takes much longer, making the process also more expensive. Milling currently accounts for almost half of the orders, and the trend is rising. Parts that until recently had to be eroded can now also be milled. HaGeForm‘s partnership with MAPAL has also contributed to this.
 

Successfully tested prototype

When Felix Wendler, Product Specialist at MAPAL, came to Stollberg a good two years ago, he had one mission: to test new tools for the Die & Mould sector, which had been trialled in the MAPAL Test Centre, on real parts at users‘ premises under realistic conditions.
An OptiMil-3D-CR-Hardened from MAPAL during the machining of a cutting punch.
After trochoidal roughing with an OptiMill-Tro-H in the hard material, finishing of the cutting contour of a cutting punch takes place with an OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened  ©MAPAL
At the time of Wendler‘s visit, HaGeForm had just encountered a tough nut to crack in the hard machining of mould inserts made of powder metallurgical steel with 65 HRC. Maik Seibt, Department Manager Milling at HaGeForm Sachsen, describes the situation: „We were not able to machine certain inserts for a part to be cylindrical. The pocket for the insert was always too big at the top and too narrow at the bottom. It just wouldn‘t fit.“ Without further ado, the prototype tool brought along by Wendler was put to a test and the result was impressive right away. The machining succeeded at making perfectly cylindrical inserts down to the last µ. „That was right at the limit of our IR measuring device,“ confirms Seibt. MAPAL has now included this tool, the OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened corner radius milling cutter, in its standard range in various designs.

Better off milling quickly than spending a long time eroding

MAPAL‘s product specialist was also able to help when there was a bottleneck on the grinding machine. Milling instead of grinding was the name of the game. Wendler demonstrated that milling down several millimetres from a large plate with a hardness of 62 HRC within a very short time is possible in order to be able to re-set the broken-out ring tooth. Eventually, HaGeForm set about replacing EDM with milling for certain workpieces. Previously, the parts had been clamped in the afternoon and then cavity sunk by EDM by the morning. What used to take all night can now be done in two hours. „The customer can be much more flexible here as they can choose between cavity-sunk EDM and milling for more parts,“ Wendler notes. If orders need to be processed as quickly as possible, milling is the better choice.
Maik Seibt and Alessandro Haase from HaGeForm Sachsen with Felix Wendler from MAPAL.
Discussing the optimum machining of the cutting punch (from left): Department Manager Maik Seibt, Cutting Machine Operator Alessandro Haase (both HaGeForm) and Product Specialist Felix Wendler (MAPAL)  ©MAPAL

Bei manchen Teilen gelang der Übergang zur Komplettbearbeitung. So wurde eine Feinschneidmatrize aus pulvermetallurgischem Metall bislang nach dem Fräsen von der Maschine genommen, um anschließend noch kleine Eckradien mit Absätzen zu senkerodieren. „Wir konnten uns gar nicht vorstellen, dass das auch anders geht“, räumt Seibt ein. „Das können wir nun alles mit Fräsen abdecken, das ist schon eine ganz schöne Innovation.“ Inzwischen sind für die Hartbearbeitung bei HaGeForm auch der Hochvorschubfräser OptiMill-3D-HF-Hardened und der Kugelfräser OptiMill-3D-BN-Hardened regelmäßig im Einsatz. Um zweidimensional direkt im Harten zu schruppen, kommt der Trochoidfräser OptiMill-Tro-Hardened zum Zug. Die vollständige Ausnutzung der Schneidenlänge, die bei diesem Werkzeug immer 3xD entspricht, ist somit bei Bearbeitungen von Materialhärten bis 65 HRC problemlos möglich und garantiert eine maximale Wirtschaftlichkeit durch höchste Abtragsraten in kürzester Zeit.

Als Problemlöser hat man MAPAL schätzen gelernt. Für sehr komplexe Titanteile wurde lange über eine mögliche Bearbeitungsstrategie gegrübelt, und dann schließlich der Techniker gerufen. Felix Wendler kam mit den passenden Fräsern für Titan und blieb auch so lange, bis in Stollberg ein passendes Programm für das komplizierte Teil erstellt war und die Bearbeitung lief. Komplexe Formen in Verbindung mit besonderen Materialien stellen immer wieder neue Anforderungen an die Fertiger. „Wir werden da von MAPAL sehr gut unterstützt“, lobt Maik Seibt. „Wenn wir Probleme haben, reicht oft ein Anruf. Es ist gut, einen kompetenten Ansprechpartner zu haben, den man fragen kann.“
 

Ein gehärtetes Bauteil mit glänzender Oberfläche.
Um eine ausgebrochene Ringzacke eines Bauteils aus gehärtetem Werkzeugstahl nachzusetzen, erzeugte HaGeForm mit MAPAL Werkzeugen eine perfekte Oberfläche. Die Ringzacke wurde mit einem OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened geschlichtet  ©MAPAL

Massiver PKD für Hartmetall

Vor diesem Hintergrund wagte sich HaGeForm auch an etwas völlig Neues: Die Zerspanung von Hartmetall. Für einen Kunden sollten daraus Matrizen entstehen, mit denen er wesentlich höhere Standzeiten erreicht als mit Stahl. Abermals kam Felix Wendler der Zufall zugute, denn im MAPAL Kompetenzzentrum PKD-Werkzeuge in Pforzheim lief gerade ein Projekt für den Vollkopf PKD-Schaftfräser an. Für dieses Werkzeug wird eine PKD-Ronde vollflächig auf die Stirnseite des Werkzeugträgers gelötet, aus der dann per Scheibenerosion die einzelnen Schneiden herausgearbeitet und anschließend nachbehandelt werden. „Wir haben hier wirklich in 1xD reines PKD, und das aktuell in Durchmessern von 2,00 mm bis 6,00 mm“, erläutert Wendler. Für die Zerspanung von Hartmetall ist neben dem Material des Fräsers auch dessen Geometrie ausschlaggebend. Weitere Abmessungen und Geometrien sind aktuell noch in Entwicklung.
Ein PKD-Vollkopffräser von MAPAL liegt auf einer Matrize.
Herausforderung Hartmetall: Der eingeschrumpfte Kern dieser Matrize besteht aus Carbide G50. Er konnte mit dem neu entwickelten PKD-Vollkopffräser von MAPAL zerspant werden, für den hier ein Durchmesser von 4 mm gewählt wurde  ©MAPAL

This PCD tool was also a winner at HaGeForm. It produced absolutely smooth surfaces and still looked like new after a few uses, which already suggested a long tool life. Felix Wendler sees market advantages for the Saxon manufacturers: „Very few companies are currently able to machine carbide reliably and, most of all, economically. HaGeForm is really good at that.“

The partnership is set to be maintained. The next step will be thread milling cutters for hardened material, because HaGeForm had complained that the tools from the previous supplier did not last long enough. MAPAL‘s aim is now to use a newly developed milling cutter to reliably insert as many threads as possible at material hardnesses of up to 65 HRC.
 


Kathrin Rehor, PR Project Manager at MAPAL

Contact

Kathrin Rehor Public Relations Kathrin.Rehor@mapal.com Phone: +49 7361 585 3342


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