The zenith of boring: Digitalization & Industry 4.0

By Rigibore Inc.

Advances in modern manufacturing are at the core of industrial production. Technological innovation is occurring at a fast pace with increasing pressure to achieve perfection in the manufacture of components. The goals are improved productivity, efficiency, speed and quality, resulting in higher competitiveness for companies as they embrace Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing.

In the past decade, a variety of innovative methods have been developed that allow manufacturing processes to be more versatile, less energy-consuming and more environmentally friendly.

One area in which this is very visible is machine tool solutions. Today’s components must be produced with exceptional accuracy while meeting critical lead times. Cutting tool selection can make or break efficiency for many manufacturers.

Boring operations are equally as stringent. Organizations need bores to be machined with micron-level accuracy, meeting and maintaining crucial tolerances in both low- and high-volume manufacturing operations.

New digital solutions for boring and machine tool systems are set to transform industrial production. Through Internet of Things technology, machines can communicate seamlessly with each other, sharing valuable real-time data and analytics with users. The enhancement of high-precision manufacturing by these smart technological systems enables lower error rates and fewer product failures, thus reducing huge costs historically faced by manufacturers. This is particularly critical for applications with high volumes and high accuracy requirements, such as in aerospace, automotive and heavy industry, for which parts that demand total accuracy are very expensive to scrap.

By adopting automated systems, production becomes more smooth, robust and visual, from planning all the way to actual operations, allowing people to work smarter, not harder.

We all know that automation helps businesses reduce production costs and in turn increase profits. The reason is that automation improves accuracy in the process, permitting repeatable production of identical parts. Furthermore, when a production process is automated, the need for downtime when operators take a break is almost entirely eliminated.

ActiveEdge is a precise, adjustable boring tool. Image courtesy of Rigibore

But what are the real-time benefits of automated boring bar systems that cutting tool suppliers and manufacturers must embrace to remain competitive? Before answering that, we should ask, “Why bore?”

Boring is the process of producing accurate, concentric holes in a manufacturing operation. This can be done using a single-point tool or through multiple cutting edges. Boring operations can create a perfect circle, rotating around the centerline of the machine spindle. The method applies greater flexibility and
precision when machining small-diameter holes than alternative operations, such as reaming. Boring is a technique used in many sectors, including construction, aerospace, automotive and heavy industry.

Many traditional boring operations use a wrench to dial-adjust boring units. This process is conducted manually, requires a skilled operator, is time-consuming and risks accuracy.

The blue line in the figure below represents the tolerance in a traditional boring operation. Because of the time, skill and risk involved in making an adjustment, operators often set the tool as high as possible, allowing machining to continue until the insert reaches the lower tolerance level.

While this maximizes the time spent between adjustments, the process sacrifices precision by using all the tolerance. This method of adjustment shows a high deviation of bore sizes, which are frequently outside the upper and lower tolerance limits, with minimal time operating at nominal tolerance.

With an automated boring system, adjustments are carried out based on information provided by accurate probing measurement. They are micron-level accurate and triggered when bore sizes reach the warning level. Other advantages include: automatic adjustments that remove the risk of human error; predetermined upper and lower warning limits; a lack of backlash adjustments; and adjustments that may be made in the machine carousel, reducing the need for and risks to an operator.

Ultimately, more frequent, smaller adjustments can be made (see the orange line in the figure below) compared with traditional operations (again, the blue line). Bore sizes have a low standard deviation from nominal diameter and a considerably higher Cpk.