The Arsenal from January/February 2025

2-spindle ECM rifling machine

EMAG’s 2-spindle ECM rifling machine provides the same precision and process repeatability as larger models but at a lower price.

Firearm barrel production combines process extremes, placing high demands on the material properties of the barrel, which must be hard enough to withstand intense forces without permanent deformation, yet soft enough to form complex geometries. EMAG’s electrochemical machining (ECM) is ideally suited for this challenging application.

Barrels have different inner diameters, as well as rifling, which causes the projectile to spin and improves its aerodynamic stability. Very detailed geometries are required in hard material machined with high precision and reliability. The ECM special PI Rifling Machine module ensures a fast and efficient barrel rifling production with high precision surfaces and tight tolerances in the firearm barrel, without any mechanical or thermal stress to the barrel.

While the basic principle of ECM remains the same (positive anode, negative cathode, and electrolyte solution), EMAG fine-tunes a technological concept developed specifically for rifling. A narrow and elongated cathode tool generates the desired internal geometry of the barrel with precision. The electrolyte flows between the two and metal ions detach from the workpiece.

Various complex geometries are possible – polygonal, progressive, or standard rifling. Within the machining area, there are up to eight cathodes inside a compact module. The process is safe throughout, with easy cathode exchange and fast component loading.

EMAG LLC
https://www.emag.com

100% diamond grade inserts

The DX200 lineup features 100% diamond grade inserts for enhanced wear resistance and impurity control. The new lineup includes six insert shapes (CCGW04, CCGW06, CCGW09, DCGW07, DCGW11, VCGW11) specifically designed for small inner diameter machining from a minimum diameter of 5mm, meeting the demands of high-precision, non-ferrous metal machining.

In the machining of high-hardness materials such as cemented carbide, MMC (metal matrix composites), fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), conventional polycrystalline diamond (PCD) grades have faced several problems. Specifically, PCD contains binders such as cobalt, which can reduce material hardness, leading to insufficient durability in applications where high wear resistance is critical.

DX200 is a 100% diamond turning insert designed for machining high-hardness non-ferrous metals. It’s also suitable for machining high-hardness materials such as cemented carbide, carbon, and ceramic materials.

Compared to conventional PCD grades, it offers superior wear resistance and fracture toughness. DX200 can handle a wide range of machining operations, from continuous to interrupted cutting.

Tungaloy Corp.
https://tungaloy.com

AVR400 vision metrology system

The expanded AVR Vision Metrology Line now includes the AVR400 CNC Vision System, the largest benchtop platform from Starrett with stage travel twice the speed of previous Starrett AVR models. The stage travel is 15.8" x 11.8" x 7.9" (400mm x 300mm x200mm) in the X-Y-Z axes with a speed up to 120mm/sec.

The Starrett AVR400 offers full CNC capabilities including X-Y-Z positioning and comprehensive zoom and telecentric lens options. Users can also choose to use motorized manual positioning via a pendant with a joystick and trackball. Equipped with the M3 software package from MetLogix, a traditional mouse as well as a touchscreen monitor make user interaction easy and intuitive.

Auto part recognition enables creating a part measurement program of the desired features of a part for inspection, which can automatically be saved in the system or to a network. Programmable light output options can be built into the program as defined steps, including being called up as the part recognition program initiates. Once the program is created, placing that part within the camera’s field-of-view allows for the saved program to initiate and run the inspection. A Renishaw Touch Probe may also be used for quick acquisition of discrete points along a part’s profile as well as Z-axis measurements.

For high stability, the AVR400 features a granite base. An extensive line of accessories is available including a modular system workstation on rolling caster wheels, providing convenient repositioning on the shop floor and in QC labs.

The L.S. Starrett Co.
https://www.starrett.com