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Knurling tool cuts
diamond pattern

Decreases production time

Lexington Machine, Houston, TX, has been providing subcontracting services for prime contractors for 20 years. Operating under the direction of Ken CarMichael with 35 to 40 employees, the shop is fully computer-automated and features state-of-the-art turning and machining centers supported by a full CAD/CAM system.

The shop performs a knurling application requiring a 25 TPI diamond pattern 3创 long on 1³/₄创 dia 174 stainless steel. Originally using a knurling tool running at 60 to 70 rpm with a feedrate of 0.008 ipr, Lexington Machine asked Dorian Tool to recommend a tool that would allow the shop to decrease its production time.

Dorian Tool recommended its CNC-100-2 modular-style knurling tool partly because it is designed specifically to cut a diamond pattern. By cutting the knurl pattern instead of forming it, Lexington Machine is currently running this tool at 350 rpm with a feedrate of 0.014 ipr. "The CNC-100-2 knurling tool has decreased our production time and also allows us to pick up new jobs that we were not set up to do," says Scott Long, CNC programmer for Lexington Machine.

The knurling tool features a 1创 shank with a diameter capacity of ³/₄创 to 5创 and is designed to cut a diamond knurl pattern. It has a vertical center-height adjustment that makes setup procedures easier. Because no one tool can do all knurl applications, the CNC-100-2 was designed to be modular. Dorian Tool's intent was to recommend a tool that would serve most of Lexington Machine's needs. But if an unforeseeable application comes up, an additional modular head can be inserted easily on the tool's shank to complete the job.

A wide range of knurl wheels is available. Made of heat-treated high cobalt steel to withstand severe knurling operations, the knurl wheels are titanium-nitrate coated to reduce friction when knurling, increasing knurl quality and knurl wheel life and decreasing knurling force. Dorian Tool International, Houston, TX.