Automatic Regeneration of Cemented Carbide Tools for a Resource Efficient Tool Production

Abstract

Cemented carbide tools have become widely established in machining of metallic materials in recent decades. However, due to rising prices of cemented carbide and an imminent scarcity of resources, there is a growing need for an efficient recycling of worn cemented carbide tools. This article presents a novel process chain for the automatic regeneration of cemented carbide tools. The process chain contains the measurement, classification and evaluation of the worn cutting tools as well as the automatic planning and simulation of the grinding process. In comparison to conventional manufacturing of cemented carbide tools the production costs are reduced by up to 50 % and the required resources are decreased significantly.