COOLANT CLAMP IS SECO’S FIRST AM PRODUCT IN THE MARKET
Additive manufacturing (AM) may be quite a new part of Seco’s operations. But in fact, the company has already used the technology to design and manufacture a new product out on the market.
Using AM technology, Seco has produced a clamp with integrated inter-nal and curved coolant channels – something that can’t be done with traditional manufacturing methods. The clamp is used for Seco’s Jetstream Tooling Steadyline turning GL-heads, and has several advantages. “Thanks to the shape of the channels, we have been able to optimize the coolant flow. We have also been able to vary the coolant clamp design to adapt to different applications,” says Jonas Thuresson, Senior Product Development Engineer for Turning Products. “The coolant clamp’s design and function also means that we, in the design, eliminated spare parts that were previously needed on turning toolholders with Jetstream Tooling. That makes changing inserts faster and easier, which decreases idle time for customers’ machines.”
Actual development of the clamp began in 2015, around the same time the AM Center (AMC) in Sandvi-ken was established. This is the first product Seco has produced there that has been released into the market. “When we wanted to add our Jetstream Tooling solution to the vibration-damping Steadyline turning bars, we discovered that no solutions existed that fit our needs and provided the desired effect,” Jonas continues. “We had read about AM technology, and realized that it was a good way of manufac-turing a clamp in which the coolant channels run through the coolant clamp. Early in our innovation process we had a basic idea that we then tested together with the AMC to find the best design and the optimal manufacturing method,” he says, adding that Seco also has two patents linked to the coolant clamp.
The new coolant clamp has been on the market since mid-2017. The customer reception has been positive, both as regards to user-friend-liness and performance. “Right now, the coolant clamp is only used for Jetstream Tooling Steadyline GL-heads, but it can be success-fully applied on other products as well. But we wanted to release it on a small scale first, to see how it works and how it’s received,” Jonas concludes.
