15 August 2017

Reliable knurling of small diameters

It is a feature of their industry that manufacturers of medical and dental technology impose exacting requirements on their products, and these requirements are passed on to their suppliers. Consequently, only high-quality materials such as stainless steel are used, while high-precision work is an absolute must, particularly for small parts. Häni + Co. AG is a Swiss manufacturer of precision turned parts for the medical technology and automotive industries. Their demands on the tools used in the production process are correspondingly rigorous. For a profile on a small turned part with a diameter of 1 mm (part of a dental instrument), the company found the right solution in the form of a zeus knurling tool specially configured for the application

Application requirements

A knurl was to be applied to the upper end of the
turned part, with a small grinding wheel attached to it. The knurling profile was to act as an additional anchor point alongside the adhesive to attach the grinding wheel firmly and securely to the turned part. Ensuring that the knurling wheels are perfectly suited to the workpiece to be machined is crucial to achieving outstanding results.

Special parameters

• Small series with 1.000 - 5.000 pieces per year
• Very small workpiece with a diamater of 1 mm
• Material: stainless steel (INOX 1.4104)
• Careful machining nessesary
• Rereliable and precise manufacturing

Application optimization

With the zeus 391 special tool for form knurling, our application engineers found just the right solution for the application, because the special tool design facilitates extremely careful machining of small and pressure-sensitive
workpieces. This is because the three knurling wheels mean that only minor lateral pressure is generated, resulting in minimal stress on the workpiece.

Result

„We are using zeus knurling tools for the first time on this project and are very satisfied. The tool performs outstandingly, boasts a long tool life and ensures first-class results. Not only that, but our partnership with Vargus and Hommel+Keller Präzisionswerkzeuge GmbH was superb. We will certainly call upon their support again for future projects“.

(Quote: Philipp Grosjean, Project Manager of Häni & Co. AG, Switzerland)