Composite Tooling for Boring Applications
04 November 2006
04 November 2006
Johnson Carbide Products participated in the development of a family of carbon fiber/epoxy composite boring tools that are producing improved accuracy, surface finish, tool life and productivity.
Called the TruLine Tool family of composite fine boring tools, these cutting tools utilize a fabrication of composite carbon fibres that are epoxied to a stainless steel cover or sleeve that can be final machined with the necessary insert pockets, screw holes and wear pads. By using composite materials, the boring tools are lightweight but have very high strength with density, stiffness, coefficient of friction and damping characteristics that are significantly better than boring tools made from steel or carbide.
Initial applications have been proven in the automotive industry where OEM manufacturers are using the TruLine boring tools for boring the camshaft bores in cylinder heads. According to Johnson, in some applications, the tools have doubled the number of parts that can be produced before inserts need to be changed, surface finish has been improved nearly eight times and workpiece accuracies in terms of tolerances and roundness have seen up to four times the improvement over conventional steel boring tools.
The American Composites Manufacturers Association participated in a roundtable discussion about the IMAGINE Act. Known as the Innovative Materials in American Growth and Infrastructure, Newly Expanded (IMAGINE) Act, the new bill is designed to promote the increased use of innovative materials like fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, as well as new manufacturing methods to accelerate the deployment and extend the life of infrastructure projects.
After the collapse of a drinking water pipeline in downtown Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Insituform was contracted to reline a close to 100 year old pipe underneath one of the canals. Water was restored successfully within five days, with minimal impact on traffic and the environment.
Australian organisations Austrak, Laing O’Rourke and the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) have joined forces to develop polymer composite solutions for bridge transoms in a $10 million project titled Polymer Composite Transoms for Rail Bridge Deck Replacement (CompTrans).