Walter GB LTD

Walter GB recruiting to boost growing UK presence

Walter GB LTD — 06/02/2018

Made in the Midlands Gold member and experts in metal cutting and precision tools Walter GB are recruiting for a Marketing Specialist as part of ongoing growth.

The five competence brands of Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp, Walter Valenite and Walter Multiply, are united under one company umbrella. With a product range of around 49,000 catalogue tools for milling, drilling, turning and threading, Walter is a complete service provider for the metalworking industry. Specialists working in the relevant competence brands jointly develop integrated processing solutions for machining. Here their comprehensive expertise in the automotive sector, the aerospace industry, energy, rail transport and general mechanical engineering stands them in good stead.

As Marketing Specialist you will provide a comprehensive marketing solution to Walter GB. You are an enthusiastic individual with experience in creating and managing digital marketing campaigns and will take ownership of internal and external communication activities. You will create exciting and informative newsletters, inspiring customer testimonials and manage all other innovative on-line solutions to maximise Walter GBs digital presence.

View more information about this role.

Walter offers degrees for the digital future

Walter GB LTD — 30/04/2018

Tooling expert Walter AG is co-operating with the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) to offer students a digital business information systems degree - the Bachelor of Science in Business Information Studies in recognition of the potency of Industry 4.0 and to effectively open the door to career opportunities in smart factories.

The three-year course, which commences autumn 2018, will combine scientific study with practical experience, with students moving between the university and Walter every three months to gain knowledge, professional experience and soft skills in equal measure. The degree will be recognised internationally.

"Industry 4.0 means that mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and information technology are growing closer together to form an intelligently networked production method, says Walter AG. So, the interlocking of the analogue and the digital worlds requires a lasting change of attitude hence the development of the new course.

Walter AG is a pioneer in Industry 4.0 and digital transformation is one of its key objectives. As a solution provider, the company specialises in optimising component machining by, for example, complementing its extensive range of tooling with digital components and apps to continuously monitor machining processes. It is a strategy that calls for digital experts.

The new degree course has a number of key aspects:

- Students receive a fixed salary throughout the duration of the course and enjoy all the privileges of a Walter AG employee;

- While the study programme will more engaging than a regular course, the practical experience is also very diverse in content;

- An internship abroad with a Walter subsidiary, lasting several weeks, is a planned section of the course.

The new course expands Walter AGs co-operative degrees in mechanical engineering at three other universities, and the company also trains school graduates as industrial mechanics, machine and system operators, as well as electronics technicians.

Dynamic savings with Walter’s dynamic milling strategies

Walter GB LTD — 25/06/2019

Tooling expert Walter GB says companies of every size can cash in on the benefits of high-dynamic milling – higher process reliability and faster, more cost-effective cutting by using higher speeds and feeds, as well as reduced ‘free travel’ of the milling cutter and longer tool life.

Indeed, compared to high-performance cutting (HPC), the advantages of high-dynamic cutting (HDC) can be realised when milling components of every size and in all materials, says the company.

The main differences between conventional HPC and HDC are in the movement of the cutter and the forces generated. During HPC milling, the tool takes relatively small depths of cut; during HDC milling, the machine and its CAD/CAM functionality adapts the paths so that the tool delineates during machining to the shape of the workpiece and takes greater depths of cut.

Tool engagement angle is usually very large during HPC milling, so the process forces are accordingly high which not only creates significant tool wear but also places undue stress on the machine spindle. The tool engagement angle for HDC is normally small, so the forces which impact the tool and machine are much lower.

Higher cutting parameters, less free travel and increased process stability result in a much higher metal removal rate for HDC milling.

The cornerstones of HDC are the tool, machine, CAD/CAM system and the workpiece – and the strategy is successful only when all four are in synchronisation.

Cutting values – the maximum permissible radial width of cut and engagement angle – are determined by the material, while workpiece geometry has a direct bearing on the length of cut and tool diameter. The CAD/CAM software calculates all important parameters such as milling direction, optimum path guidance, adherence to the defined maximum engagement angle and average chip thickness, then adapts them to the application.

The milling machine is ‘dynamic’ when it has excellent acceleration characteristics around tight corners, short calculation and switching times, and a wide range of speeds.

Tool selection is based on the machining operation and in accordance with the parameters predetermined by the material.

Walter works closely with CAD/CAM system suppliers and its customers to find ideal solutions to individual milling tasks by applying its Engineering Kompetenz strategies to, for example, select the correct tooling – Walter’s MD133 Supreme solid carbide cutters, for example – and by using the Walter GPS software to determine the most cost-effective machining solution based on tool and cutting data recommendations.

www.walter-tools.com

Walter Addresses Industry 4.0 With Real-time Data For Process Optimisation

Walter GB LTD — 05/03/2019

Industry 4.0 means different things to different people, tooling expert Walter GB has said, with the phrase very often causing uncertainty amongst production engineers, especially those in small/medium-sized (SME) companies.

However, after addressing digitalisation some years ago, Walter has specifically developed for such users its Nexxt digital products and Industry 4.0 solutions.

These include the Comara iCut software tool, which is based on the real-time analysis of incoming machine data. Comara has not re-invented milling or turning with the iCut adaptive feed control but has focused on getting the most out of a machine without making major changes to the existing process or carrying out complex and time-consuming programming work.

The software is integrated into the existing control program and applies the data for the machining process. In the first cut, iCut ‘learns’ the idling output of the spindle and the maximum cutting efficiency per cut. Then it measures spindle output (at up to 500 times per second) and automatically adjusts the feed and, as a result, the machine operates at the maximum feed that iCut has ‘learned for each tool, whenever possible.

If the cutting conditions change, perhaps owing to varying contact angles and depths of cut, fluctuations in allowance or due to signs of tool wear, iCut adapts the speed and output in real time – and the resulting optimised milling increases process reliability and boosts production output, at least by 10 per cent.

In addition, the forces on the spindle are more constant - which increases its service life – and if the tool is in danger of breaking, iCut immediately reduces the feed or stops the action.

Comara has also developed the appCom software platform to make all the data generated during the machining process usable for process optimisation. Comara appCom comprises two components: a PC, which is installed in the machines and integrated in the control system; and the software, which analyses and displays data.

Walter uses the app principle for this and even the basic version of appCom features more than 13 apps which can be used to collect and monitor parameters including machine status, productivity and the stability of the programs being run. Company-specific apps can also be programmed and displayed.

In addition, the system can identify current problems and critical processes as well as analyse all production processes on a machine. Parameters include efficiency, costs per tool or per workpiece and process reliability. This produces live data to be used to optimise and plan production. Comara appCom can also be connected to ERP systems.

"While various factors determine the potential efficiency and savings that result from the use of a monitoring and analysis software platform such as appCom,” says Walter GB, “we can say that appCom users do see a significant increase of productivity and process reliability."

WALTER KEEPS USERS IN THE GROOVE WITH NEW WALTER CUT MX AND GX34 TOOLS

Walter GB LTD — 10/07/2019

Tooling expert Walter GB has announced two new multi-edge tool systems to add to its range of products for grooving and parting off – the Walter Cut MX, with four cutting edges, for parting off small workpieces up to 12 mm diameter, and the two-edge Walter Cut GX34 for work up to 65 mm diameter.

These complement the existing Walter Cut GX24 double-edged grooving inserts for workpieces up to 46 mm diameter. The result is that Walter users can now complete 90 per cent of all grooving applications with standard tools from the Walter catalogue.

The standard MX system range features insert widths between 0.8 mm and 3.25 mm for cutting depths up to 6 mm, though Walter can provide special sizes and designs – grooving with chamfer, for example - on request via the Walter Xpress short delivery time service. Walter Cut GX34 has grooving inserts with widths of 3 mm or 4 mm for cutting depths up to 33 mm.

In developing the new tools, Walter’s engineers have successful overcome a range of important ‘accepted weakness’ with standard grooving tools including poor chip breaking, chip removal, cooling and securing of the indexable inserts – which is often awkward, imprecise and not strong enough. As many materials become more demanding and feature increasingly difficult cutting properties, Walter has overcome these problems.

Parting off or deep grooving is widely considered a particularly difficult process and such applications are generally performed with cutting values that are too low, to avoid tool breakage or other problems. Walter has now also eliminated these weaknesses with the new MX and GX systems.

The MX system offers a new approach to clamping, which Walter says is more user-friendly and more reliable. The tangentially-clamped insert aligns itself independently and with total accuracy in the machining direction. A dowel pin in the insert seat ensures highly accurate and completely secure fixing, and inserts cannot be installed incorrectly and can easily be changed. This method of fixing also contributes to high stability and repeat accuracy. Unused cutting edges are protected in the holder, and the same insert type is suitable for both right and left toolholders.

The system’s potential was demonstrated in a tool life test in large-scale series production on a Swiss-type auto lathe where stainless steel pipes with an outer diameter of 5 mm were parted off with inserts having a cutting edge of 1 mm. The Walter Cut MX system more than tripled tool life compared to the former method.

High stability and process reliability are also characteristics of the new GX34 system, and a machining test at a customer that supplies nitrided steel drive shafts with diameters up to 60 mm saw GX34 extend tool life by 100 per cent and machining feeds increased by 30 per cent thanks to the system’s stability, which minimised machining vibration.

All Walter Cut tools feature highly-efficient 10- to 80-bar precision cooling that is integrated into the toolholders, and coolant is directed into the cutting zone for optimum cooling and high productivity – on ISO-S materials, cutting speeds can be increased by a factor of two while maintaining tool life. The grooving tools for small applications operate with a large coolant outlet.

Both the GX24 and the new GX34 tools feature two coolant outlets. Manual alignment of the nozzles is not required since the system cools the rake and flank faces simultaneously, with the second coolant jet being aimed directly at the flank face.

This precision cooling also has a positive effect on chip formation, with chips breaking in a controlled manner so that they are relatively short. Furthermore, with two jets of coolant ensuring a constant film of lubricant, chips can be transported out of the groove with less friction – resulting in high process reliability and surface quality.

WALTER GB TO DEMONSTRATE ENGINEERING KOMPETENZ AT MIM EXPO 2018, COVENTRY

Walter GB LTD — 30/05/2018

Tooling expert Walter GB will be showcasing its vast range of tooling, digital solutions and its Engineering Kompetenz expertise on Stand 157 at MIM EXPO 2018, the exhibition being staged by the Made in the Midlands influential peer group of manufacturing and engineering firms in the Midlands.
The Bromsgrove-based tooling expert will join over 300 MIM members at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on June 21 to discuss solutions to visitors machining problems.

Walter GB customers benefit not only by utilising the companys vast range of precision tooling solutions for milling, turning, drilling and threading applications under the product brands of Walter, Titex, Prototyp and Multiply, but also through the companys Engineering Kompetenz applications advice and support.

The company will demonstrate to visitors how it works closely with customers to develop solutions for the cost-effective machining of components used in the aviation and aerospace industries, as well as the automotive, energy and general engineering sectors.
The MIM EXPO 2018 display will illustrate how ever-increasing numbers of Walter GB customers companies of every size - are enjoying new and higher levels of rewards by adopting the companys world-class tooling and its accompanying applications support to help achieve improved levels of production efficiencies and reduced costs.

Walter’s new tool vending station is the first step towards digital tool management

Walter GB LTD — 03/12/2018

Metalworking specialist Walter AG has improved its offer to companies looking to introduce fully digitalised tool management with the launch of its new C line automated carousel tool vending station.

The new machine has tool compartment sizes and spacings that can be easily and quickly adjusted, enabling a user to make an immediate start in tool management then to subsequently make any adjustments necessary.

This compares to a traditional drawer system, for example, where a time-consuming detailed overview of quantities, sizes and frequency of removal/use are often needed before the system can be utilised.

Walter said the the C line station would also enable users to quickly identify areas which have the potential for optimisation. For example, it suggests that around half of the cost-driving factors in tool logistics will be identified.

The company also suggests that tool costs usually represent about 6% of total production costs but that all the logistics processes surrounding tool procurement and maintenance have considerable potential for optimisation and cost reduction.

Savings in such areas will soon prompt users’ next steps in digitally supported tool management, the company believes.

For example, instead of a central dispensing point that logs tool output and input while also taking care of reconditioning, automated tool stations can be positioned throughout a shopfloor and feedback can be sent automatically to the purchasing division, with re-orders being placed according to demand (via the purchasing team or tool supplier).

Walter has installed this easily accessible form of data-based tool management for numerous customers, and the automated tool stations can hold any tools required - not just those supplied by Walter.

The highly-detailed data of the control and analysis of a tool’s lifetime within a company is based on Walter software that processes live production and tool logistics data in line with the scope of production, and the system calculates which tool is required in which quantity to machine the next components. In addition, the software’s analysis suite can highlight peaks in consumption, for instance.

With its Walter Multiply service programme, the company offers a range of solutions, from tool dispensing through to digital analysis and control of the tool management system, including installing and equipping individual dispensing cabinets, complete solutions embracing procurement, storage and provision through to reconditioning.

Walter’s new C line automated carousel tool vending station has tool compartment sizes and spacings that can be easily and quickly adjusted.

Walter GB customers hit the jackpot with new Tiger Tec Gold milling inserts

Walter GB LTD — 27/03/2018

A number of customers across varied industry sectors are already striking it rich with the new Tiger.tec Gold cutting inserts from tooling expert Walter GB in a range of rough and finish milling operations, including:

- A sub-contractor to the rail and energy industries extended tool life on a S275 structural steel component by over 400 per cent and reduced production costs by 69 per cent;

- An aerospace and automotive supplier increased metal removal rates on an EN24T steel workpiece by over 150 per cent and reduced tooling cost by 73 per cent, resulting in operational cost savings of 71 per cent; and

- A major automotive supplier not only reduced tooling costs by 20 per cent on a grey cast iron job, but on another (GGG40 component) increased tool life by more than 250 per cent.

Recently announced by Walter GB, Tiger.tec Gold features a new and innovative titanium aluminium oxide (TiAIN) coating process that revolutionises carbide insert performance by offering staggering increases in tool life compared to inserts coated using the conventional chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process.

Tiger.tec Gold inserts additionally boast higher wear resistance on flank faces, reduced hairline cracking, a greater resistance to plastic deformation and improved process reliability.

Walters high levels of expertise and claims of increased productivity are being proven in the field, with Tiger.tec Gold outshining tooling from competitors. This highlights how, together with customers, Walter GB will always find the best solutions.

The sub-contractor to the rail and energy industries used the new inserts in conjunction with Walters M4000 universal milling system on a comparative finish milling operation. The 8,000 revs/min vertical machining centre was run at similar speed and feed rates (251 m/min and 751 mm/min) on the S275 brake level assembly workpiece.

However, the massive 400 per cent increases in tool life and tool cost reductions of 69 per cent achieved with Tiger.tec Gold also involved a 51 per cent saving in cost per edge, a 78 per cent reduction in toolchange times and the release of effectively 13 hours of machine capacity over a year.

For 45 deg face milling of EN24T steel shafts on a 12,000 revs/min horizontal machining centre at a supplier to the aerospace and automotive sectors, Tiger.tec Gold was run at different speed and feed rates (180 m/min and 1,074 mm/min compared to 100 m/min and 353 mm/min with the competitors insert).

The resulting operational cost savings of 71 per cent were made up of increased metal removal rates (by more than 150 per cent) and a 73 per cent reduction in tooling costs, and over a year the use of Tiger.tec Gold on this operation alone would release 31 hours of machining capacity.

In addition, a major supplier to the automotive sector has trialled Tiger.tec Gold on two applications. The first, involving Walters M4000 universal cutting system, saw a 90 deg shoulder milling application reduce tooling costs by 20 per cent on the rough milling of a grey cast iron workpiece using a 12,000 revs/min horizontal machining centre. Run at similar speeds and feeds (275 m/min and 1,559 mm/min) the new inserts also reduced the cost per cutting edge by over 50 per cent.

However, it was the use of Tiger.tec Gold in a Walter Blaxx milling system that produced the significant increases in tool life more than 250 per cent when rough milling a GGG40 component on a 12,000 revs/min horizontal machining centre.

Run at different speed and feed rates than with the competitor insert (200 m/min and 2,122 mm/min compared to 227 m/min and 1,043 mm/min), the Walter insert halved machining times, released 135 hours of machine time over a year and, overall, produced machining cost savings of 38 per cent.

WALTER OFFERS DEGREES FOR THE DIGITAL FUTURE

Walter GB LTD — 15/04/2018

The new degree course has a number of key aspects:

Students receive a fixed salary throughout the duration of the course and enjoy all the privileges of a Walter AG employee;
While the study programme will more engaging than a regular course, the practical experience is also very diverse in content;
An internship abroad with a Walter subsidiary, lasting several weeks, is a planned section of the course.

Walter AG is co-operating with the Baden- Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) to offer students a digital business information systems degree.

WALTER M2127 PCD FACE MILLING CUTTER COMBINES PRODUCTIVITY WITH COST-EFFECTIVENESS

Walter GB LTD — 03/06/2019

The new M2127 PCD face milling cutter is, says tooling expert Walter GB, a logical continuation of the company’s M4000 system concept whereby users can reduce costs by utilising a universal system of inserts for different tools and differing applications for aluminium machining.

Designed for high-speed applications, the cutter is available in diameters up to 250 mm and is ideal for both roughing and finishing aluminium as well as for smear milling and for finishing bi-metal components.

Its compact design and special chip deflection, plus having coolant guided directly to the cutting edge, means the exchangeable chip deflectors eject the chips away from the component, to ensure high component quality and process reliability.

The standard indexable inserts permit varying applications with the one tool; the PCD grades being optimised for separate tasks. All inserts feature seating grooves and are fixed in the insert seat with wedge clamps secured against centrifugal forces to ensure superb stability, even at extremely high speeds. Axial cutting edge adjustment enables the runout to be adjusted to one/two microns.

Walter GB to demonstrate engineering kompetenz via Made in the Midlands membership

Walter GB LTD — 08/02/2018

Tooling expert Walter GB has joined Made in the Midlands, the influential peer group for MDs and CEOs of manufacturing and engineering firms in the Midlands.

The Bromsgrove-based company which offers thousands of precision tooling solutions for milling, turning, drilling and threading applications under the product brands of Walter, Titex, Prototyp and Multiply says joining Made in the Midlands is the latest strategic step in Walter GBs continuing progress in the UK.

Says Managing Director, Ashley Battison: We work closely with customers to develop solutions for the cost-effective machining of components used in the aviation and aerospace industries, as well as the automotive, energy and general engineering sectors.

Through our Made in the Midlands membership we look forward to demonstrating our Engineering Kompetenz at every stage of the machining process, as well as our ability to create digital process solutions for optimal efficiency through Industry 4.0 initiatives.

He adds: Importantly, the benefits of Walter GBs Engineering Kompetenz expertise extends to all our customers OEMs and sub-contractors whether through our field sales force or via our strong partnerships with our distributor network.

Ever-increasing numbers of customers are enjoying new and higher levels of rewards by adopting our world-class tooling and our accompanying applications support that help achieve improved levels of production efficiencies and reduced costs for companies of every size and in every industry sector.