Tooling performance is thankfully very easily measured. A simple calculation of parts per use can give you some indication of how they performed, but is that all you need to know? In our opinion, as great believers in horses for courses, making accurate calculations depends on the situation at hand! Don’t make it too complicated and you will make the right decisions more often. Work out what is most important in the work you do and concentrate on that. For instance, if you are making thousands of panels, a week, cutting speed is obviously very important, but, then again, there is no point running at a million miles an hour if the tools only last 5 minutes! Alternatively, if machine time is at a premium you need alternatives that can save you time. Being able to cut faster, for longer, is great, but so is accuracy! I’ve seen many a company putting an expensive tool in an old or cheap holder and then spending time re-machining to get the accuracy or finish required. In the main there are no shortcuts!  If machine time is of the essence, then consider large tooling carousel or pre-set tooling systems. These can save an enormous amount of time, improve tool life, productivity, safety and of course save money.                

6m/min

12m/min

25m/min

35m/min