hp tooling 2020 #1

machining center
Jeremy Bunting, founder of Facet Precision Tools,
talks about his company and its investment
in ANCA machines
Growing up in the cutting tool industry
Jeremy Bunting, Managing Director of
Facet Precision Tool grew up in the cutting tool
industry, getting a hands-on education from
a young age and then using this experience to
start his own business. From laying out a brandnew
manufacturing centre; to shaping and promoting
Facet’s reputation; to training up a high
performing team who are passionate about the
craft of cutting tools - Jeremy has built the foundations
for success.
Jeremy begins: “I started designing my first tools at age
14 in America as part of
the family business, using
manual grinding as well as
conventional grinding to
manu facture tools. After
that I moved on to the applications
side - getting exposure
to feeds and speeds
and eventually moved to
Europe. In Europe I worked
for different tooling manufacturers,
seeing dif ferent
approaches to manufacturing
and precision tooling.”
“I started Facet Precision Tools in 2015 primarily to service
the aerospace and automotive sectors. Both these
markets require special tools with distinct needs. At Facet
we produce PCD, carbide cutting and coated carbide tools
through distributers and direct to customers. Based in
Germany we sell locally as well as to France, England and
Spain. Through distributers we service Africa, Sweden,
Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Italy and Mexico.”
“It's challenging starting a new business. We had products
in mind and were in a unique position where we
could decide if these are our target markets - what machinery
and equipment do we need? I considered my
past experiences in the industry and how can I apply any
learnings to the future. When we entered the market, I
wanted to have high quality equipment, robust manufacturing
processes and be producing market leading cutting
tools.”
“Since opening we have been growing steadily, in fact
last year we doubled our sales. As we expand we are looking
at how we can attract more customers, consider if
we need to add additional products and as many people
in the industry experience - are always looking for
good people.”
Establishing grinding capabilities
“After deciding on a shop floor blue print, we invested in a
range of ANCA machines with two MX7 Linear’s, an FX7
and an EDGe as well as other equipment. We use the MX7s
primarily for automotive tooling as they work well when
grinding tools with larger diameters of 20, 25 and 32. We
also run a lot of pocket grinding for PCD cutting tools on
this model. The MX7 has a lot of horsepower that allows
us to grind these tools in a very stable way. We use the FX
for high volume carbide tooling. As an extremely rigid
and thermally dynamic, stable machine I can rely on it to
grind highly repeatable cutting tools.”
“On the MX7 we have an
ANCA spindle speeder that
allows us to achieve higher
rpm. We worked with ANCA
to adjust the software to be
able to provide a better stable
pocket and a more accurate
pockets in our grinding
process.”
“On the EDGe we manufacture
PCD tools. In the
past couple years we have
been developing PCD vein
tools with our own blanks and cutting tool designs - working
through and refining our processes. The EDGe has allowed
us to have a high degree of accuracy when trying
to grind a lot of the geometries. I found that as a process,
erosion enabled the repeatability and the quality we were
looking for. We also added a vision camera system on the
EDGe, allowing for a quick inspection inside the machine,
to get higher repeatability and better quality versus taking
it out of the machine, and putting it back in.”
“And then there is ANCA’s 3D Cimulator program. Up
to 95 % of the designs and problem solving are done on
the simulator; testing the grinding process, reviewing and
modifying before you go into a machine. It is our strongest
tool to increase efficiency and reduce waste and that
is a major help to our profitability. For example, carbide is
extremely expensive where you can be paying from 400
Euros for a 32 mm standard rod.”
“The simulator also shows estimated grinding times which
has been a great tool for us to reduce cycle times. Last time
it took us, for example, 20 minutes to make this tool, but
after considering a new idea or different approach we can
reduce that time to 18, 17 or even 15 minutes all through
experimenting in a simulated grinding environment.”
46 no. 1, 2020, March