Making custom cutting tools

Unlike cutting tool manufacturers that produce the same products and stock-keeping units year after year, engineer-to-order — or ETO — cutting tool manufacturers constantly manage revisions to meet one-of-a-kind customer demands.

More than a third of cutting tool manufacturers build custom cutting tools in two to six weeks from the day that a customer presents a cutting tool concept. Engineers at these manufacturers have built thousands of unique cutting tools over the past several decades.

Recognizing that there may not be an off-the-shelf solution available, custom-built cutting tools require special attention. Many original equipment manufacturers provide high-quality, cost-effective cutting tool solutions.

Cutting tool manufacturers produce solutions specifically designed for streamlining workflow. The ETO manufacturing process means that engineers constantly make new, different components as opposed to high-quantity repetitive manufacturing. For cutting tool engineers using SolidWorks, integration is vital and even stronger if paired with SolidWorks PDM. New assemblies with many shared, yet never the same, components are ideal when looking to streamline the engineering-to-production flow.

Cutting tool industrial engineers are able to synchronize SolidWorks and enterprise resource planning data in real time, ensuring that production, purchasing and engineering continuously are aligned. Failure to synchronize a fully integrated ERP solution will introduce human error.

From a CAD print, hand sketch or concept, best-in-class tool designers design precision cutting tools to do the job. Image courtesy of Counterpart ETO ERP

Most custom cutting tool manufacturers operate on thin margins and must create a competitive edge, reduce costs and improve profit margins. In the ETO environment, reducing duplications and eliminating errors can happen only by gaining control of manufacturing processes.