WEBVTT
00:00:00.239 -->
00:00:03.600Hello everyone and welcome to the Impractical Machinist Podcast.
00:00:03.759 -->
00:00:04.639My name is Patrick.
00:00:04.799 -->
00:00:07.440You can find me on Instagram as at JobStopperTF.
00:00:07.599 -->
00:00:12.880I'm Karen from Machinius Tool, if listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, with Joseph already.
00:00:13.359 -->
00:00:16.239I'm Bradley with Marvel Machine and also if you're on YouTube.
00:00:16.320 -->
00:00:20.160Be sure to give us a like and subscribe to the Practical Machines YouTube channel.
00:00:20.399 -->
00:00:27.199On this episode, we are joined by Tom Ron, Chief Technical Officer of ItcCar USA Cutting Tools.
00:00:27.359 -->
00:00:33.600Tom is going to share with us the history of ItScar and show us what separates them from their cutting tool competition.
00:00:34.399 -->
00:00:35.759Tom, how are you, bud?
00:00:36.479 -->
00:00:37.759I'm doing well this morning.
00:00:37.920 -->
00:00:38.719Thanks for having me.
00:00:39.039 -->
00:00:39.759You bet, man.
00:00:39.840 -->
00:00:40.880It's it's a pleasure.
00:00:41.039 -->
00:00:43.679Uh where where are you uh recording from?
00:00:44.240 -->
00:00:48.880I'm coming to you from just between Northeast and Wattsburg, Pennsylvania.
00:00:48.960 -->
00:00:52.240So I'm out in the country of Pennsylvania, up northwest end.
00:00:52.719 -->
00:00:53.039Okay.
00:00:53.679 -->
00:01:02.079Yeah, certainly, Tom, thank you for taking the time to join us and and uh you know share your story and and share Iskar's story as well.
00:01:02.320 -->
00:01:08.159Um we gathered up quite a few good questions uh from our our friends on Instagram.
00:01:08.400 -->
00:01:11.519Um and I guess we'll kind of get started just with you here.
00:01:11.599 -->
00:01:17.920You know, um if you could tell us kind of what your history in manufacturing is and and what your role with Iscar is.
00:01:18.879 -->
00:01:24.560Other than going to uh school, like we all do, my history in manufacturing is pretty, you know, pretty basic.
00:01:24.640 -->
00:01:25.760Uh I've done two things.
00:01:25.920 -->
00:01:42.799I joined the military at 17, came home at 21, and uh shortly thereafter I was uh doing my first uh apprenticeship to uh run CNC Lays, Mazachs, and turn and brake drums and rotors, cast iron, you know, fun stuff, clean.
00:01:44.239 -->
00:02:02.959And uh did that for a few years, and uh as I started progressing through the CNC manufacturing technologies, you know, saw a lot of interesting things and five-axis milling, for example, or uh, you know, just milling machines in general kind of caught my eye after running turning machines for a while.
00:02:03.120 -->
00:02:16.960And so I decided to go more towards the uh tool and die uh direction, which tool and die is very popular throughout the Midwest and Northeast and in the area that I'm uh that I live in.
00:02:17.039 -->
00:02:26.479And so getting into tool and die was pretty interesting because a lot of 3D free form machining, uh, five-axis machines, you know, creating electrodes, uh things like that.
00:02:26.560 -->
00:02:28.080It was just very interesting to me.
00:02:28.159 -->
00:02:31.840So I did that for you know, I think about 10 years.
00:02:32.080 -->
00:03:13.439So I had about 12 years in as uh running machines on the floor, and then this uh this uh job with this car came calling, and uh, they wanted a dye and mold specialist that and applied cutting tools to dye and mold applications, and uh thought it was gonna be a regional role, just working in my own backyard and and uh ultimately the the guy who interviewed me showed up and said, No, we we don't want to be regional, we want you to travel the whole US and and and uh you know work with our our internal teams and customers to try to articulate good machining strategies for dye and mold applications with ISCAR cutting tools.
00:03:13.520 -->
00:03:47.039And so I started that in 2003, did that through 2009-2010 time frame, and then went a little different direction within ISCAR still, um, working with machine tool distributors and machine tool builders to support you know their turnkey operations and and just different endeavors that they uh pursue with cutting tool companies, like when they do you know open houses and things, they're engaging with the cutting tool companies mainly to get free tooling, but no, I but uh you know to show the latest and greatest technologies really is the essence.
00:03:47.199 -->
00:04:19.279And then we go to about 2015 time frame doing that role, and and I jumped into a milling national role and I did that for four years, and then uh in 2019, just before COVID hit, I assumed the position of uh chief technical officer for ISPR USA, and and that uh I've been doing that ever since, and that provides me with the an opportunity to oversee uh a group of about 12 product specialists.
00:04:19.439 -->
00:04:25.360We break it up into different categories: milling, hole making, turning, parting, and grooving.
00:04:25.680 -->
00:04:28.879Then I also oversee a group of 10 or so people.
00:04:28.959 -->
00:04:43.600I think it's I think we're up to 11 now, uh, on the machine tool OEM uh theme side that does what I was doing back in in 2009-2010, which is supporting that the machine tool distributors and builders throughout the entire US.
00:04:43.839 -->
00:04:47.839That's the uh reader's digest version of the past 23 years.
00:04:48.240 -->
00:04:48.560Nice.
00:04:48.879 -->
00:04:52.639What was it like going from working in a machine shop every day to working for a company like Iscar?
00:04:52.959 -->
00:04:53.759It was exciting.
00:04:53.839 -->
00:05:14.399Yeah, I uh I thought I I thought I knew a lot about machining because I could produce mold and dye components that are very tight tolerances, and you know, the machinings I would call it fairly complex or high up there on the difficulty uh scale because uh you know the accuracy is so critical.
00:05:14.560 -->
00:05:23.839But then as soon as I got out into the you know the the manufacturing world, if you will, I realized just how little I I knew.
00:05:24.319 -->
00:05:40.480Uh because you know, I I started getting into even though I was the mold and dye specialist, there were things that spilled over into other industry applications, like you started seeing aerospace manufacturing or oil and gas manufacturing or automotive manufacturing.
00:05:40.720 -->
00:05:49.120And did you you realize just how you know small the that one area of mold and dye was in the overall picture of manufacturing?
00:05:49.439 -->
00:05:50.160I could imagine.
00:05:50.319 -->
00:05:55.920I mean, I I don't have a ton of machine machining experience, but I feel pretty good where I'm at, you know, at the shop that I'm at.
00:05:56.000 -->
00:05:57.600I'm like, all right, I've got things figured out.
00:05:57.680 -->
00:05:59.920Then I go see somebody else's shop or talk to somebody else.
00:06:00.079 -->
00:06:01.199I'm completely out of my element.
00:06:01.360 -->
00:06:03.120I feel like I don't even know how to machine anything.
00:06:03.360 -->
00:06:06.079That's why I recommend moving around, Cam, every three years.
00:06:06.160 -->
00:06:06.959I've got it too good.
00:06:07.600 -->
00:06:08.480I'm not going anywhere.
00:06:08.879 -->
00:06:13.920I started in tool and I and then I I moved over to aerospace automated stuff.
00:06:14.000 -->
00:06:19.120So it's it's a transition seeing the different types of machining and just how every shop handles everything.
00:06:19.279 -->
00:06:20.639Yeah, it's it's interesting.
00:06:20.800 -->
00:06:22.160You learn a lot moving around.
00:06:22.399 -->
00:06:31.759So if if you're a machinist that's been in the trade for a while and and you want to see a variety of of aspects of the trade, you might look into becoming a cutting tool rep.
00:06:32.240 -->
00:06:38.639Oh, it's yeah, it's definitely exciting and it's humbling, and you have to be able to give yourself time.
00:06:38.959 -->
00:06:51.839Uh, you know, I've I've always said that even when I was in the shop, the the reason I'm in a ISCAR is because the ISCAR rep was coming in and and uh taking care of our cutting tool needs.
00:06:52.160 -->
00:06:58.959And when this position of mold and dye specialist for ISCAR USA popped up, he came to me and said, Hey, would you be interested?
00:06:59.040 -->
00:07:00.879He goes, I think you'd be good for it.
00:07:01.199 -->
00:07:08.720And uh, and I never had considered a sales position or a cutting tool sales position up to that point, obviously.
00:07:08.800 -->
00:07:15.040And and turned out he was right, and I have a lot, you know, a lot to thank uh that individual for.
00:07:15.120 -->
00:07:37.279And uh, but yeah, if you if you just everywhere I go, I always say there's that person, usually the guy, because let's face it, the industry we're in is uh in large part made up of uh male uh population, but usually there's always that person, you know, that is the go-to person in a in a given territory.
00:07:37.439 -->
00:07:52.639They've been there, people come to know them, they're Johnny on the spot, they're you know, when the phone rings, they pick it up, and it takes a while to build up that type of reputation with your customers to so that they can have trust in you and know that you're gonna be there.
00:07:52.800 -->
00:07:58.399And you know, maybe you're not just someone that's gonna be there for maybe six months to a year, and then you go do the next thing.
00:07:58.560 -->
00:08:10.160So, although I do buy into uh the move around uh concept to build up your skills, we hope that people that join ISCAR move around within SCAR to build up those skills and don't leave the company.
00:08:10.319 -->
00:08:14.959Yeah, so you guys you guys got a big company in a lot of different divisions, so it's yeah, yeah.
00:08:15.199 -->
00:08:23.439So, as far as coming on as a sales rep, would you recommend having a longer machining background, or is there some on-job training?
00:08:23.519 -->
00:08:27.120Can you come in as a sales rep and is there training for that?
00:08:27.759 -->
00:08:32.480I think if you've got desire and energy, you don't have to come in as a machinist.
00:08:32.639 -->
00:08:44.639Obviously, coming in as a machinist puts you uh, you know, maybe years ahead, or at least you know, a year ahead of where you would be if you're coming in cold turkey without any manufacturing background.
00:08:44.799 -->
00:08:58.320But if you've got an engineering mind, and we see it even in manufacturing companies, we see engineers come out of their, you know, with their engineering degree and they're very bright, skilled, but many of them don't have any machining knowledge.
00:08:58.639 -->
00:09:04.080And so it's you know, there's there's still that gap that has to be filled.
00:09:04.320 -->
00:09:06.559So uh interesting story.
00:09:06.720 -->
00:09:22.799Uh, when I was coming to ISCAR, I was getting ready to start um a manufacturing uh engineering degree uh program at the Penn State Erie is a big uh engineering college near where I live.
00:09:22.960 -->
00:09:30.480So I was 33 years old and getting ready to start that program when I was interviewed for ISCAR because I wanted to build up my career.
00:09:30.639 -->
00:09:32.960And then uh ISCAR come came knocking.
00:09:33.039 -->
00:09:44.399And the the gentleman that interviewed me, uh, he'd been in the cutting tool industry for you know, even probably more than 20 years at that point, back in 2003, maybe more.
00:09:44.559 -->
00:09:52.639But uh he said to me, and I it stuck with me, he's like, Well, if you're gonna start this new job, he's like, You probably aren't you can't do both.
00:09:52.720 -->
00:09:57.519He's like, You can't come work for ISCAR and also pursue your your engineering degree.
00:09:57.679 -->
00:09:59.840Uh he's like, that's not gonna work.
00:09:59.919 -->
00:10:06.399He he was just being honest because he knew it would be a lot of effort to to be in a national role with ISCAR, traveling around the country.
00:10:06.559 -->
00:10:17.200But he told me, he's like, he goes, I think you'd he goes, I think you'd uh you know find that if you come to ISCAR, he goes, you'll never regret not going back to college to get your engineering degree.
00:10:17.279 -->
00:10:42.559And I'm not advocating, hey, you don't need a degree by any means, but what he meant by that was in the the phrase that he said was whether you go get your engineering degree or whether you come to work for ISCAR, he goes, your job's gonna be all about technology, manufacturing technologies, and you're always gonna have to continuously update your skills, whether you do that from an engineering degree perspective or from a machinist or manufacturing back background perspective.
00:10:42.639 -->
00:10:44.159He goes, It'll always be there.
00:10:44.399 -->
00:10:45.279And he was right.
00:10:45.440 -->
00:10:49.840And uh I I took the fork in the road towards ISCAR and it worked out.
00:10:50.080 -->
00:10:53.600So anyway, that's really interesting, Tom.
00:10:53.679 -->
00:10:54.240I like that.
00:10:54.480 -->
00:10:58.320You want to give us uh the history of Iskar as much as you know?
00:10:58.720 -->
00:11:09.600It's a good history, and it it gets into something that we were talking about before we started the recording, which is you know the the small small shops throughout the USA, and that there's so many of them.
00:11:09.679 -->
00:11:32.240And uh Iskar started out as a small shop uh in a garage in Israel in the 1950s, and you know, mainly doing some single point cutting tools and and uh the first innovation, and we'll use that word quite frequently on this podcast, was the self-tripped uh parting tool.
00:11:32.399 -->
00:11:38.879And before that time, you had all these high-speed blades that people use to part off in lays.
00:11:39.200 -->
00:11:51.200And you know, we use this reference, it's kind of easy to remember is that a you know, a four-inch uh diameter bar with high-speed steel back in those days would basically take about a minute per inch.
00:11:51.600 -->
00:12:05.600It was over four four minutes to part off that bar, and so this first innovation for MISCAR comes out and turns that four minutes into I I can't I don't remember exact uh the exact data, but it was maybe a minute.
00:12:06.320 -->
00:12:25.840You know, you had that argument of well, you've got this high-speed steel blade that you can resharpen infinite amounts of time, but now you've got this little little tiny piece of carbide that you tap into this steel blade and you can replace that piece of carbide as needed, but you can't, you're not resharpening it.
00:12:25.919 -->
00:12:30.559So there was the the cost versus benefit argument right out of the gate.
00:12:30.879 -->
00:12:48.960And what that benefit ended up, what ended up winning the day, because it's the product that launched ISCAR on the map globally, was that if you could turn four minutes of machining into one minute of machining, it didn't matter how many times you could re-grind that high-speed steel blade.
00:12:49.200 -->
00:12:59.759They the the ability to just quickly get back a factory edge by just popping an insert out and tapping a new one back in is what won the day there.
00:12:59.919 -->
00:13:12.159And and that technology uh soared throughout, and then this is before my time, so I'm I'm just kind of generalizing, but that technology soared throughout the you know, the machining world.
00:13:12.320 -->
00:13:30.080It put ISCAR on the map in the US, uh, you know, different agents and companies that were repping uh you know, repping manufacturing technologies, you know, your industrial distributors and such got a hold of the product and and it took off.
00:13:30.639 -->
00:13:37.360And uh, you know, you you go through the years and you you look at different innovations uh through time.
00:13:37.600 -->
00:13:47.200First, it was in that parting, you know, then about the late 80s, they came out with what's called the Gila mill, which was an innovation in milling.
00:13:47.679 -->
00:13:54.960And then that product still to this day, every every cutting tool company has their version of the Gila mill.
00:13:55.679 -->
00:14:29.919And uh, you know, and then you just look, there's innovation after innovation, and it's all about productivity and uh being uh innovative with the designs of the product and and uh you know another major area as far as the timeline of the history of ISCAR or IMC, you know, because ISCAR is part of international metalworking companies, was in 2006 when ISCAR became a US owned company because Berkshire Hathaway uh invested in the company, uh purchased 80% stake.
00:14:30.320 -->
00:14:37.039And as the story has it that he purchased that 80% stake sight unseen.
00:14:37.679 -->
00:14:45.279He pretty much looked at the operations of of uh you know the books and how the company operated.
00:14:45.360 -->
00:14:51.519And uh we he had agreed to purchase the company before he ever visited it, is what we were.
00:14:52.399 -->
00:15:35.279And uh, and if that's the case, man, that's uh that's a testimony to uh you know, just to just how the company operates and and you know, automation, you know, we're gonna get into that, I'm sure, a little bit later, as far as like some of the strengths of the the company, but just innovating, automating, coming up with uh, you know, that better mousetrap is uh is what's taken this car from a little garage in Israel in the mid-50s to uh the multinational company that it is today with with manufacturing throughout the globe and subsidiaries at every major country and and uh you know being one of the leading companies in cutting tools throughout the globe.
00:15:35.600 -->
00:15:40.480Back at the start when he made that first tool, was he a machinist prior to that?
00:15:40.639 -->
00:15:46.320Was this tool a solution to something he was trying to do in a shop, or was that just his first you know?
00:15:46.399 -->
00:15:51.679I I'm sure that story resides somewhere exactly how that came about.
00:15:52.159 -->
00:15:56.639But the the idea was that I think he had a shop.
00:15:56.879 -->
00:16:04.240And uh for any historians that you know want to fact check me, I'd love to love to hear the the details if they know it for sure.
00:16:04.399 -->
00:16:09.600But the the part that I recall is that he had a shop in his little garage.
00:16:09.679 -->
00:16:19.360If you look at it, you might look at it and go, wow, that was a machine shop, but he had equipment to re-grind the high-speed steel blades and was doing that a lot.
00:16:19.600 -->
00:16:31.919And that's where the idea to come up with something that was replaceable or indexable came about because he was he was re-sharpening these high-speed steel blades all the time.
00:16:32.320 -->
00:16:37.200So he saw an opportunity to take it a step further and and innovate that that product.
00:16:37.440 -->
00:16:37.840Nice.
00:16:38.080 -->
00:16:40.720I remember them high high speed steel blades.
00:16:40.799 -->
00:16:43.759They were I I kind of forgot about them until you brought it back up.
00:16:43.919 -->
00:16:44.879Them things were terrible.
00:16:45.120 -->
00:16:45.440Oh, yeah.
00:16:45.919 -->
00:16:47.200I struggled with them.
00:16:47.440 -->
00:16:51.039Oh man, it's it's uh like watching paint dry, right?
00:16:51.200 -->
00:16:51.759Yep.
00:16:52.320 -->
00:16:53.759I I would just grab a new one.
00:16:53.840 -->
00:16:56.240I I can re-sharpen them things for the life of me.
00:16:56.399 -->
00:16:58.159I love this good.
00:16:58.559 -->
00:17:01.279When I was in uh when I was in tech school, that's all we had.
00:17:01.360 -->
00:17:04.240We didn't have any indexable or inserted parting tools.
00:17:04.400 -->
00:17:13.759And man, I can't tell you how many of those things I've seen just explode halfway through the cut or you know, dive down under the part and pull the part out of the chuck.
00:17:13.839 -->
00:17:15.680Um oh, I hate those things.
00:17:16.160 -->
00:17:19.759How long ago did you say that uh inserted parting tool came out?
00:17:20.079 -->
00:17:37.119I want to say that that was right around 1970 that uh the self-grip, maybe maybe in the late 60s, uh, somewhere in that time frame is when the I think when the patents were filed and when the product was officially uh launched.
00:17:37.359 -->
00:17:44.880Um but somewhere in the I would say mid mid-60s, late 60s is is when I believe it uh came about, you know.
00:17:45.039 -->
00:17:56.319And if anybody really wants to, you know, read into it, it doesn't provide the exact details of like the question that was just asked, but it does show like some of the old pictures of like the first building that Mr.
00:17:56.480 -->
00:18:16.000Wertheimer was in, and that that was the the uh Steph Worthheimer is the person who launched the company and uh in uh in Naharia, and it was a little garage, you know, yeah, orated steel uh outside, you know, just nothing spectacular.
00:18:16.160 -->
00:18:35.440But then you can see in like the early 70s he launches an industrial park, and you can go on the ISCAR website, and there's an about us uh uh area on the website that you can kind of look at the history and see some of the pictures of what where you where he started to where you know where the company went throughout the years.
00:18:35.599 -->
00:18:36.960Yeah, that's pretty cool.
00:18:37.279 -->
00:18:40.240I was mainly asking because we're still using that parting tool today.
00:18:40.400 -->
00:18:41.920It's in the lathe right now.
00:18:42.079 -->
00:18:42.880We use it all the time.
00:18:43.119 -->
00:18:44.400Yeah, the self-grip.
00:18:44.559 -->
00:18:44.960Yep.
00:18:45.359 -->
00:18:49.680You tap you tap it in with a little like uh you got that little key that pops out.
00:18:49.920 -->
00:18:50.960Yep, exactly.
00:18:51.279 -->
00:18:52.240Still using it today.
00:18:52.319 -->
00:18:55.680Yeah, it's got a little L-shaped insert pops in there.
00:18:55.759 -->
00:18:56.480Yeah, yeah.
00:18:56.720 -->
00:19:03.440Yeah, so you you know, it's interesting, you know, you you hear stories throughout the years, and I I mentioned Bradley Teets, my first boss.
00:19:03.599 -->
00:19:08.720He uh he that was the when he first started with ISCAR, that was the product, you know.
00:19:08.880 -->
00:19:19.839The ISCAR catalog was about like maybe a few pages, just a blades and those those little uh inserts with a few different grades, maybe, or a few different chip formers.
00:19:20.160 -->
00:19:24.000Yeah, I'm sure uh the form that chip matters with that style of tool.
00:19:24.160 -->
00:19:42.000And it's funny, he uh that that insert you would have to really not be paying attention to do it, but you could one of the you know first designs, you could actually take that that insert, rotate it 180 degrees, and if you really tried, you could get it in the pocket the wrong way.
00:19:42.160 -->
00:19:42.720Oh, yeah.
00:19:43.359 -->
00:19:45.759And it he there's a funny story.
00:19:46.000 -->
00:19:52.160So my boss was the technical expertise for all of ISCAR in the US, based out of Pennsylvania.
00:19:52.319 -->
00:19:56.799The largest customer using that product was in California and called them up.
00:19:57.039 -->
00:20:05.200And this is in the you know, in the 80s, he calls them up and he says, your product, something's something's drastically wrong.
00:20:05.359 -->
00:20:09.119It's it the quality's gone way down, or something's something's wrong.
00:20:09.200 -->
00:20:10.720And it was the biggest customer.
00:20:10.799 -->
00:20:23.279So he flies from Pennsylvania to California, goes in the the office of the the owner, the manager, and he's reading him the Riot Act, and he says, Hey, I can't solve your problem from in here.
00:20:23.440 -->
00:20:24.799Take me out to the machine.
00:20:25.039 -->
00:20:31.839And he goes out to the machine, he looks in the machine, looks at the uh insert in the in the lady, he says, Can I have the key?
00:20:32.079 -->
00:20:36.240Pops the insert out, rotates 180, pops it back in, said problem solved.
00:20:36.799 -->
00:20:41.839So he flew from Pennsylvania to California to just put the insert in the pocket the right way.
00:20:41.920 -->
00:20:42.559Yeah, man.
00:20:42.640 -->
00:20:44.240How many times has that happened?
00:20:44.559 -->
00:20:45.200Wow.
00:20:45.599 -->
00:20:47.200Uh well, and I'm never sorry.
00:20:47.519 -->
00:20:52.799I I guess the the fix for that was um how they are on the one that we have anyway.
00:20:52.880 -->
00:21:03.200It's like a double taper, like a symmetrical taper, or like basically a V shape on the bot on the back of the insert, and then a matching well, the negative of it on the blade.
00:21:03.279 -->
00:21:04.799That way you can't put it in backwards at all.
00:21:04.880 -->
00:21:05.839They would those groups.
00:21:06.000 -->
00:21:06.400Yeah, 100%.
00:21:06.720 -->
00:21:10.960And that's you know, that's the that's the underpinnings of that innovation.
00:21:11.039 -->
00:21:14.880You know, we talk about so they they started out with that first design.
00:21:15.119 -->
00:21:24.640You realize you have maybe I don't want to call them flaws, but you have you have these things that can be improved upon, these design attributes that can be improved upon.
00:21:24.799 -->
00:21:26.480And so that you start innovating.
00:21:26.559 -->
00:21:37.519And you know, we've we've got a number of innovations uh that and updates and upgrades throughout the years that have improved those products and many of the products that that is car puts out in the field.
00:21:37.839 -->
00:21:39.119That's really cool, man.
00:21:39.359 -->
00:21:42.880So um another question that we have from Proteum Machining.
00:21:43.039 -->
00:21:44.880He asks, What does Iscar do best in class?
00:21:44.960 -->
00:21:46.400And what do you think of their shortcomings?
00:21:46.640 -->
00:21:48.799Oh, you're gonna make me uh air our shortcomings.
00:21:49.119 -->
00:21:49.920Uh I'll get to that.
00:21:50.079 -->
00:21:59.759No, that's hey, look, it's uh everybody one of the things that you know, getting out into the world of cutting tools specifically and traveling around and working with them in many different industries.
00:22:00.240 -->
00:22:06.000You learn where your strengths, what where your strengths are, and and maybe where your shortcomings might be.
00:22:06.240 -->
00:22:32.400And that was always that was actually that was the essence of my role coming to ISCAR was as the mold and dice specialist was to get out there, to get in the shops, apply ISCAR cutting tool technology and techniques and you know suggestions into the machining processes, find out where those gaps or shortcomings are, and and report back and say, hey, what can we do to fix this?
00:22:32.559 -->
00:22:37.680That was a big part of my my first role, and it's still part of my role as the CTO.
00:22:38.079 -->
00:23:03.839And uh, but as far as what I learned that ISBAR does best in class, the very first thing that I learned is applying the technologies that produce cutting tools, uh like pressing technology, you know, the ability to design an insert, press it to shape, you know, get it out, center it, coat it, you know, have a finished product and have it do what you need to do.
00:23:04.079 -->
00:23:24.400Uh, I don't know if you've looked at many of the ISCAR inserts, but a lot of times they can have some really unique pressed-in technologies to either put more cutting edges on an insert or to give it more aggressive rake angles or clearance angles so that it performs a certain task the way it needs to.
00:23:24.880 -->
00:23:48.960And that's the that that's the biggest thing that I think is car from the time I joined and even still today, the ability to design and press and center carbide, um, not center, but design and press it and create these shapes uh that that help the tools perform better and be more productive, was what Iscar does best.
00:23:49.279 -->
00:23:54.079Whether it doesn't matter if it's a milling insert, a tourney insert, you know, drill heads.
00:23:54.240 -->
00:24:01.519Um, I don't know if any of you've in the shop been introduced to the interchangeable uh sumo cam drill head system.
00:24:01.680 -->
00:24:29.279I mean, all that pressing, if you look at that and say, man, they press this head before they put just a little bit of finishing touches on the you know, the important surfaces as far as finishing finished lines and things and maybe doing some edge honing to look at that insert and know that it was pressed to shape and that they're you know, so you're optimizing the the carbide usage, the raw materials, and uh, but you're still providing a product that performs, it's it's pretty cool.
00:24:29.519 -->
00:24:32.880This far is what's the process for pressing an insert?
00:24:33.279 -->
00:24:34.640You guys have any skills of it?
00:24:34.799 -->
00:24:36.559Yeah, that's a whole rabbit hole I want to go down.
00:24:37.119 -->
00:24:37.279Right?
00:24:37.440 -->
00:24:46.720How do you oh look, it's we actually we do have we do have videos of of pressing, you know, and we use hydraulic or electric presses.
00:24:47.039 -->
00:24:57.119Uh the uh the die sets themselves can be fairly simple two or three piece designs, or they can be very complex.
00:24:57.680 -->
00:25:00.880Um they they call them five-axis dies.
00:25:01.519 -->
00:25:19.440And so if you're if you're trying to get really uh good at pressing an insert so you can do it productively and create the the unique geometries that you can right out of the press, a lot of times it requires a very complex die.
00:25:19.839 -->
00:25:42.079And you know, just to give you an idea of the difference between a simple die to press like a CNMG insert, you know, that might be a three, a four, a five thousand dollar die set, but then you get this complex die to press this unique milling insert that has eight cutting edges on a square looking, for the most part, insert.
00:25:42.559 -->
00:25:45.119It might be an eighty thousand dollar die set.
00:25:45.279 -->
00:25:45.599Wow.
00:25:45.759 -->
00:25:50.480So these die sets pressed one at a time, or are they doing multiple?
00:25:52.240 -->
00:25:57.359Unless I'm mistaken, there's no multiple insert die sets.
00:25:57.519 -->
00:26:07.839There could be, but every every pressing station that I've ever walked by and viewed was watching inserts being you know pressed one at a time, and it happens fairly quickly.
00:26:08.000 -->
00:26:27.359It it takes seconds to press an insert to shape, and then the you know, one of the things that ISCAR does really well is that everything's like if you had a press sitting there, the the powder goes in the top and it feeds down through into the die.
00:26:27.759 -->
00:26:51.119Well, from so we have robots that deliver the powder to the press, and then once the insert is pressed, we have other robotics that move the insert to the next to a like a tray that gets taken that once that tray is full of inserts, that tray gets picked up by another robot and gets delivered to the centering.
00:26:51.680 -->
00:26:56.240So we have we have these uh I think they call them U TVs, don't they?
00:26:56.319 -->
00:27:11.839The the robots that just travel around and follow you know, sensors or some sort of uh pattern on the floor, or maybe I think now they're even doing it with like cameras that shoot like a laser or something, but uh I'm not 100% up on that technology.
00:27:11.920 -->
00:27:20.880But all I know is these robots are moving around unmanned, and uh it's not like they're moving at light speed, you can get out of the way of them if they start coming your way.
00:27:21.039 -->
00:27:24.240But but all this is happening completely automated.
00:27:24.720 -->
00:27:39.359And one of the things that we like to say is that almost every insert that you ever take out of an ISCAR box will have gone through the entire process, all through inspection, packaging, everything, and it'll never have been touched by human hands.
00:27:39.599 -->
00:27:39.920That's important.
00:27:40.240 -->
00:27:42.880When did you guys implement automation like that?
00:27:43.359 -->
00:27:46.319Well, that goes back to the the the beginning of your question.
00:27:46.480 -->
00:27:58.079One of the things that uh you know iscar does best in class is I was my first trip to ISCAR was in 2003, and I was witnessing much of this automation back then.
00:27:58.240 -->
00:28:10.960Now, some of it's been improved, updating to use the latest automation technologies, but iscar had that type of that type of automation in place here back in 2003 and and long before that.
00:28:11.119 -->
00:28:22.319I don't since I only joined in 2003, I don't know exactly when they had set all that up, but they were automated really, really early uh in their their years of producing cutting tools.
00:28:22.640 -->
00:28:29.279All right, so my my vision of somebody pouring in the powder and then doing it by hand is isn't what they're doing.
00:28:29.680 -->
00:28:32.319No, net never since I've been part of Vizcar.
00:28:33.039 -->
00:28:52.960They they have these nice hoppers that are, you know, the the robots feed the hoppers um with a mixture that's been created back in the lab uh to make sure that it's got the right, you know, the right rare earth or rare earth elements to that are needed to create whatever substrate that we're creating.
00:28:53.759 -->
00:28:56.079Is that a top secret recipe?
00:28:56.480 -->
00:28:57.839Oh, I'm sure some of it is.
00:28:57.920 -->
00:29:11.599I mean, it they'll we'll tell you the basics, like you know, we'll tell you if it's uh got 10% cobalt content or 8% cobalt content, and we'll tell you that the other elements are made up of you know these elements.
00:29:11.680 -->
00:29:22.880Like we've got date data sheets on all of our, you know, all of our inserts because we have to, we have to have safety uh, you know, and tell people what's in those inserts.
00:29:23.039 -->
00:29:27.759But as far as the the base elements, the coatings, all that's published information.
00:29:27.920 -->
00:29:32.319We just might not tell you exactly what the you know percentages are, things like that.
00:29:32.720 -->
00:29:36.559So is recycled carbide able to make its way back into that process?
00:29:36.799 -->
00:29:38.960I've never really known what happens with recycled carbide.
00:29:39.200 -->
00:29:41.599There, there's there's recycling that's taken place.
00:29:41.759 -->
00:29:52.400Uh, how prevalent it is, or like I couldn't tell you if like uh a new insert is made up of X amount of recycled material.
00:29:52.559 -->
00:30:00.960I I've never anybody make that claim or state that, but I do know that there's carbide recycling that that takes place.
00:30:01.759 -->
00:30:07.039Yeah, I've always just been curious, like, how do you take this solid end mill and turn it back into another solid end mill?
00:30:07.200 -->
00:30:08.079Or is that even a thing?
00:30:08.319 -->
00:30:12.799You know, yeah, I always wondered that you know that's a that's a good that's a good question.
00:30:12.880 -->
00:30:14.319And I've thought about that as well.
00:30:14.400 -->
00:30:22.480And actually, there's technologies that I'm sure we're gonna talk about here throughout the remainder of the podcast that you know that's you you take that solid end mill.
00:30:22.960 -->
00:30:28.559Well, the question is is can you utilize fully utilize that solid end mill?
00:30:29.119 -->
00:30:32.079And the vast majority of the time the answer is no.
00:30:32.240 -->
00:30:38.640You know, you'll have someone taking a half inch end mill, and a standard half inch end mill will have two times D flute length.
00:30:38.799 -->
00:30:49.519So you got one inch of flute to use, and you watch someone using that half inch, half-inch end mill on a machine, and the vast majority of the time they're using 20, 30.
00:30:49.920 -->
00:30:53.359So they're taking a 200 power or 300 thou depth of cut.
00:30:53.519 -->
00:30:59.599So you've just, you know, from a utilization standpoint, you've only utilized 20 or 30 percent of what you just bought.
00:31:00.240 -->
00:31:35.839So that's when you get into the the loss versus benefit argument, and that's one of the benefits that comes from some of these other innovations uh in product like sumo cam drills that just have the you know, the business end is the drill head, and like multi-master, which is another exchangeable or indexable head system that for milling that you know you you have about uh 30 percent at most is uh of amount of carbide that you have in that head compared to if you would have bought the the solid carbide version of it.
00:31:35.920 -->
00:31:41.200So I love I love having inserted drills um with an exchangeable head.
00:31:41.440 -->
00:31:46.000What is like the I've always wondered how small somebody can go with one of those drills.
00:31:46.240 -->
00:31:50.960Yeah, we that's actually you know one of our uh our high points and what we do best.
00:31:51.119 -->
00:31:54.559Uh right now doesn't have any competition in that realm.
00:31:54.720 -->
00:32:00.000It are we go down to four millimeters, so 0.157 an inch.
00:32:00.319 -->
00:32:07.200And and it's really there's actually a video that shows, you know, when people think, oh my gosh, how do I replace that?
00:32:07.359 -->
00:32:11.359Well, they had to come up with some human engineering to make it easy.
00:32:11.599 -->
00:32:30.160So they they came up with this key that the head goes in, and you you hold the key and you you use that key to twist it the head on and off, and it's it's a very easy, simple process to to handle those tiny inserts and not drop them all over the chip bins and things like that.
00:32:30.559 -->
00:32:32.559Having the head where it twists off like that is awesome.
00:32:32.640 -->
00:32:35.920And like you have to leave the tool out if you don't want to, you can just reach in there and do it.
00:32:36.000 -->
00:32:39.279All the machines running too, if you can get to the tool changer, anyways.
00:32:39.359 -->
00:32:40.559But um 100%.
00:32:40.880 -->
00:32:51.440And if you've got if you've got uh let's call it unskilled or lack of experience labor, you can actually set these machines up with these interchangeable and exchangeable head systems.
00:32:51.680 -->
00:32:58.799And I look, I did it clear back in in 1999, 2000, right before I came to ISCAR.
00:32:59.279 -->
00:33:01.119Uh, we would get busy.
00:33:01.440 -->
00:33:04.319And you know, tool and die shops are are small shops.
00:33:04.400 -->
00:33:06.720A lot of times the owners are engaged.
00:33:06.960 -->
00:33:10.400And one time the owner came out, he's like, Hey, we got to meet this deadline.
00:33:10.480 -->
00:33:11.359What can we do?
00:33:11.519 -->
00:33:19.839And I said, Well, I can't work 24 hours a day, but I said, I can set this machine up with some uh exchangeable head uh end mills.
00:33:20.079 -->
00:33:28.000And if you want to run the machine, all I got to do is teach you how to you know put that head on and off the shank in the machine and then press the green button.
00:33:28.160 -->
00:33:39.839Yeah, and that he did, and that helped us keep production going with with the owner of the company who, from a machining or running a CNC machine perspective, was uh way unskilled.
00:33:40.000 -->
00:33:48.880Yeah, that's a term you eliminate that uh potential for error by not having to reset your tool lengths, so 100%.
00:33:49.200 -->
00:33:59.440You know, and people ask that question about what's the repeatability, and it depends on if you're using uh a ground, a head that's ground or if a head has just been pressed shape.
00:33:59.759 -->
00:34:03.839If you're using the ground heads, your repeatability is plus or minus four tenths.
00:34:04.000 -->
00:34:08.159Yeah, I have some of the multi-master with the ball mills on them.
00:34:08.239 -->
00:34:09.360I love them, they're great.
00:34:10.000 -->
00:34:11.199Well, we appreciate that.
00:34:11.360 -->
00:34:14.000I also appreciate the shirt that you're wearing, by the way.
00:34:14.079 -->
00:34:16.800Yeah, wanted to say that while we're but you know, Robert recording.
00:34:17.119 -->
00:34:19.039Yeah, I got a buddy who what does he do?
00:34:19.119 -->
00:34:20.639His name's Ed Sanford.
00:34:20.800 -->
00:34:22.320Um, oh, I know Ed well.
00:34:22.480 -->
00:34:23.199Ed, yeah, yeah.
00:34:23.280 -->
00:34:24.719Oh, he stops by all the time.
00:34:24.800 -->
00:34:25.360He comes.
00:34:25.440 -->
00:34:29.199I used to I worked with him probably 10 years ago, and he comes by and shows me a scar stuff all the time.
00:34:29.280 -->
00:34:39.199I don't even think he's my sales rep, but he's if I have an issue like this, I have a multi-master ball mill, I need it like eight inches, I needed to reach like eight inches, and I'm I was struggling to find it.
00:34:39.280 -->
00:34:42.400I just text him, I'm like, hey Ed, I need a tool that does this.
00:34:42.559 -->
00:34:44.960And it was like 10 minutes later, he just sent me a list of stuff.
00:34:45.039 -->
00:34:46.239He said, just order this.
00:34:46.559 -->
00:34:47.760Ah, that's that's good.
00:34:47.920 -->
00:34:48.800We like to hear that.
00:34:48.960 -->
00:35:00.719But one of the things like what you just described about Ed is what I would say is a strength of ISCAR USA in particular, is that throughout the USA, we have 300 people that are still out in the field.
00:35:00.960 -->
00:35:20.639Uh, we still believe that to be good at this, yeah, you know, you can have the great products, but you still need the great people out there in the field interacting with those like yourselves to to have the conversations and to talk to, hey, how can we solve these these uh issues that we run into, or how can we do this better?
00:35:20.800 -->
00:35:23.360And and we've got people out in the field to do that.
00:35:23.440 -->
00:35:31.840And it's uh I'm I'm glad you mentioned uh Ed, you know, being uh willing and and coming around and and doing that type of stuff for you.
00:35:32.079 -->
00:35:40.559Yeah, I was gonna say he was showing me one of them small inserted drills, the four millimeter ones, and he he was showing me a bunch of stuff, and I took it out and I looked at it, and I I just thought it was a small drill.
00:35:40.639 -->
00:35:41.360I was like, Oh, that's cool.
00:35:41.440 -->
00:35:42.960I said, No, look at it again, look at it closer.
00:35:43.199 -->
00:35:46.239I was like, Holy shit, like how do you how do you get an insert on there?
00:35:46.480 -->
00:35:50.800Believe it or not, because of that key, the human engineering makes it pretty easy.
00:35:50.960 -->
00:35:56.400And you see these tools in Swiss environments a lot, a lot of small spindle machines.
00:35:56.559 -->
00:36:14.639You know, if you think about driven tool stations in your more complex lathe, um, that's where you're starting to see these smaller, these smaller indexables pop up because I mean you think about a driven tool and a lathe, it's really nice not to have to retouch that thing off.
00:36:14.960 -->
00:36:17.920You can just quickly change a head out or something like that.
00:36:18.079 -->
00:36:20.719Maybe right angle heads, the same thing.
00:36:20.800 -->
00:36:33.679You get a right angle head or some type of angled head set up in a complex machine, not to have to worry about fiddling with that thing and retouching it off after you've got it set up and be a big time saver.
00:36:33.840 -->
00:36:34.159Yeah.
00:36:34.400 -->
00:36:37.920Hey, that four millimeter drill, does that have through coolant?
00:36:38.719 -->
00:36:42.000Does wow, that's what I was wondering about.
00:36:43.599 -->
00:36:44.239We'll get into that.
00:36:44.400 -->
00:36:59.840I think we're gonna get into that one here a little bit later, which talks about uh printing technologies and how that's impacting the yeah, because I'm curious, you know, how like what the diameter of that hole would have to be, your your through coolant holes would have to be in order to like maintain the strength and rigidity you'd need in the body of that tool.
00:37:00.000 -->
00:37:00.320Yeah.
00:37:00.559 -->
00:37:29.840Well, the the you know, the beauty of the printing allows us to do whatever it is, and uh and there's there's some pretty complex uh flow analysis and uh computational, I think they call it computational fluid dynamics, is is the technical term for it, which means you've got a nice software that that tells you how much flow um you should have for that tool to not have to worry about you know getting the chips out and things like that.
00:37:30.079 -->
00:37:30.719Yeah.
00:37:31.199 -->
00:37:33.920Well, do you want to uh we should probably get moving along?
00:37:34.000 -->
00:37:35.199Uh do you want to finish this?
00:37:35.679 -->
00:37:40.960Look, I don't want to, I don't want to, you know, avoid the shortcomings side of things.
00:37:41.440 -->
00:37:50.960So you know, look, cutting tools, cutting tool manufacturers, especially like ISCAR, we refer to ourselves as you'll hear us say, hey, we're a full line company.
00:37:51.199 -->
00:38:09.440And when we mean by full line is that you know, we've got pretty much everything you need in terms of whether you're running a mill, a lathe, a multitasking machine, uh, you know, whether it's milling, turning, hole making, parting, grooving, boring, threading, I mean, we've got the basis covered.
00:38:09.679 -->
00:38:16.079But when we say we've got the basis covered, it doesn't, you know, there's there's still some things like I'll give you an example.
00:38:16.239 -->
00:38:36.079Uh, if you're looking at solid carbide drills, you know, if you open up a catalog of some solid carbide drill competitors out there, you'll you'll have thousands upon thousands of options from jobber drills, different lengths, different grinds, you know, even still offering high-speed steel, things like that.
00:38:36.320 -->
00:38:37.760Um, you know, taps.
00:38:38.000 -->
00:38:42.639You know, you got all the different tap companies out there that they do just that one thing.
00:38:42.880 -->
00:38:47.760You know, and I'm not I'm saying this to say that, you know, I don't want you to go to those other companies.
00:38:47.840 -->
00:38:56.320If I'm, you know, I'm touting your scar, but at the same time, you know, our ISCAR reps out there, they know when they've got what you need and they know when they don't.
00:38:56.480 -->
00:39:10.400And there's certain areas, and I would call them, I don't want to call them outlier applications, but they're applications like the threading, tapping, things like that, where we know we got to improve and and we're working to do that as a company.
00:39:10.639 -->
00:39:21.679And uh, but those are like some of those specialty areas, like having all the different thread forms, uh, different thread classes, taps that meet that, thread mills that meet that.
00:39:21.920 -->
00:39:25.280It's uh it's it's uh it's an ongoing process.
00:39:25.440 -->
00:39:32.960And and uh hopefully, you know, if we have this conversation again in three or five years, I'll say, hey, that's not a that's not a shortcoming anymore.
00:39:33.360 -->
00:39:54.559But you know, if you're looking for that, you know, for that that question to be answered, I would say that's what it is on some of the outlier things or some of the specialty operations that we do, like threading, that that could be an area that I'd say, you know, talk to your ISCAR rep and and he'll probably be able to be a good resource to say, I think I know where you should go with that.
00:39:54.719 -->
00:39:56.239Yeah, I'm gonna name names.
00:39:56.559 -->
00:39:57.199Yeah.
00:39:57.679 -->
00:40:01.119I think that that's a pretty important uh thing to do.
00:40:01.199 -->
00:40:04.880Because I mean, obviously, nobody's gonna be perfect at everything, nobody's gonna be the best at everything.
00:40:04.960 -->
00:40:10.000So knowing where your shortcomings are and being able to be like, hey, like, yeah, we have tools for that, we can do it.
00:40:10.159 -->
00:40:17.119However, I would recommend probably going this route, you know, with whatever other company, uh, because that's gonna that's gonna suit you better.
00:40:17.599 -->
00:40:28.400Yeah, look, if if you know if you then you know the names of certain companies, which I'm sure you do, that you use for threadmills, taps, things like that, you know, it's uh you know, I'm sure you could name them all off.
00:40:28.559 -->
00:40:32.960Um, I don't want to offend any of my competitors by naming the wrong one.
00:40:35.199 -->
00:40:35.840Nice.
00:40:36.960 -->
00:40:37.519Yeah.
00:40:38.079 -->
00:40:42.960No, being able to admit that to a customer is you're definitely gonna gain some trust there.
00:40:43.039 -->
00:40:50.960You know, if I if I know that I can talk to somebody and be like, hey, here's what I got, and they're gonna they're gonna tell me whether they've got the right or wrong thing for me, then I'm gonna keep coming back to them.
00:40:51.519 -->
00:40:58.719I you know what I think that's just the you know, just being uh I guess a good human being, you know.
00:40:58.800 -->
00:41:05.039If you can help somebody by like I can tell you, we we I've seen iscar reps do it, I've done it myself.
00:41:05.199 -->
00:41:37.119There's times where, as you know, we've we get to take part in so many applications, we might see something inside a cam system where it's like if you toggle that one button, it's gonna smooth out that tool path and it's gonna make your tool life go up, it's gonna make your part quality go up, and just that like so sometimes we can even solve yeah, you know, the the the issue at hand by just being knowledgeable in a different area that we happen to be part of, uh, like like a cam system, for example.
00:41:37.440 -->
00:41:38.960There's so much to learn.
00:41:39.280 -->
00:41:39.840Oh, yeah.
00:41:40.079 -->
00:41:48.159Well, that's why I feel like I'm pretty confident that that artificial intelligence is not gonna it might help us, but it's not gonna take our place.
00:41:48.320 -->
00:41:49.119Yeah, for sure.
00:41:49.280 -->
00:41:49.599Exactly.
00:41:50.159 -->
00:41:50.480Okay.
00:41:50.800 -->
00:41:57.920Um Manufactured Precision asks, what are the benefits and future of 3D printed indexable bodies?
00:41:58.079 -->
00:42:00.159So we were just kind of hitting on that.
00:42:00.639 -->
00:42:16.800We were, and uh the the biggest thing for me, my belief is that it's gonna be getting coolant pinpointed to the cutting edge and maximum flow and volume, maximum flow rates and maximum volume rates.
00:42:17.119 -->
00:42:32.719Uh, you know, coolant is not always the best thing for tool life, but a lot of times it can be a problem solver if you're having chip evacuation issues, if you got in a pocket or maybe deep hole drilling, undrilling, things like this.
00:42:32.800 -->
00:42:38.800That's always a must to have coolant with oil or something to flush the chips out.
00:42:38.880 -->
00:42:48.639But um to me, the biggest thing is uh getting that coolant right through the cutting edge with multiple at multiple angles.
00:42:48.800 -->
00:43:01.679You'll see you're you're seeing already the first drill bodies and milling cutters and turning type tools that are being produced using 3D printing.
00:43:02.000 -->
00:43:07.519And all of those have unique uh coolant ports that you can't see.
00:43:08.000 -->
00:43:21.599Uh it allows the you know us to generate these free-flowing uh just pockets or areas internally that allow the coolant to flow the way it needs without the sharp turns and things like that.
00:43:21.760 -->
00:43:31.519If anybody's uh you know a professional in uh you know fluid dynamics, they know that if they take a 90 degree return that you know things things change.
00:43:31.599 -->
00:43:34.639And so we're trying to avoid those types of situations.
00:43:35.360 -->
00:43:41.679And uh, you know, I think that that's probably the biggest area that it's gonna uh uh impact.
00:43:41.920 -->
00:43:44.719Uh and uh it's gonna impact all areas.
00:43:44.800 -->
00:43:52.800Like we we have an interchangeable quick change system for Swiss now that we just introduced within the last couple of years.
00:43:53.280 -->
00:44:03.280And uh it's called Neo Swiss, and it has different types of heads that Use different types of inserts and it's quick change.
00:44:03.360 -->
00:44:12.880And there's four coolant ports that start on the outside and then they flow around and come right out, pinpointed either above or below the insert.
00:44:13.119 -->
00:44:16.559So it's uh it just it's changing the game quickly.
00:44:16.719 -->
00:44:19.920And I actually were talking about ISCAR's history a little bit.
00:44:20.079 -->
00:44:39.360Um, I haven't had a the pleasure of seeing it yet, but when I was over in Israel uh a few years back, I I got to see the ground groundbreaking of uh what was gonna be uh a building that was only gonna be used for for 3D printing of cutting tools.
00:44:39.519 -->
00:44:44.639And the unique part about that was it was gonna be pretty much completely unmanned.
00:44:45.360 -->
00:44:45.599Okay.
00:44:46.079 -->
00:44:48.159The level of automation nowadays is insane.
00:44:48.320 -->
00:45:03.760Like I'm nowhere close to having any relevant knowledge on it, but you know, you go to like IMTS, for example, and you see the stuff there, and that's just a fraction of what's actually happening in the real world, and it's mind-blowing when you're there looking at all the robots and automation options there.
00:45:04.159 -->
00:45:04.800Yeah, 100%.
00:45:05.360 -->
00:45:06.800Yeah, it is for sure.
00:45:07.039 -->
00:45:15.119Would you say, Tom, that um like 3D printing versus machining uh drill body or something like that?
00:45:15.360 -->
00:45:16.880What's the cost breakdown?
00:45:17.039 -->
00:45:19.119Would you say one's cheaper than the other?
00:45:19.599 -->
00:45:22.000Uh well, it depends.
00:45:22.239 -->
00:45:37.280It depends on, you know, if it really depends on if you're trying to do things with different, I guess, machines and like adding coolant through technology and in both types of drills.
00:45:37.760 -->
00:45:51.119Um I would think that it could, uh I would think that 3D printing could drive down cost overall, um, or at least keep them from inflating too much.
00:45:51.599 -->
00:45:57.440Uh, but you know, it's uh to say that it's gonna be a cost benefit 100%.
00:45:57.840 -->
00:46:14.719I don't I don't think that's the case because like, for example, these four millimeter drills that we were just talking about, they would not even exist if it didn't if it didn't uh if we didn't have 3D printing technology to to incorporate and to do safe.
00:46:15.119 -->
00:46:15.679I see.
00:46:15.840 -->
00:46:20.880It's more of a increase in capability than cutting cost or that kind of thing.
00:46:21.039 -->
00:46:44.800Yeah, and and so the the interesting part about that is it where I'm going with that is if you compare like say you have a half-inch drill that's been produced with traditional production methods given cost, it might be cheaper in that sense to to 3D print that drill body, and you maybe you can pass that benefit on to a customer.
00:46:44.960 -->
00:46:51.440But if you get into a like the four millimeter drill at that point, there's nothing to compare it to other than a solid carbide.
00:46:51.519 -->
00:47:09.599And in that case, I think I can say right out of the gate that if you're comparing what we can give you in that that sumo cam versus what you'd have to purchase in a solid carbide body, it that's that that comparison is clearly going to be much less cost.
00:47:10.880 -->
00:47:11.679That's a good point.
00:47:11.840 -->
00:47:12.559It makes sense, guys.
00:47:12.719 -->
00:47:13.280Yeah, it does.
00:47:13.440 -->
00:47:14.000Absolutely.
00:47:14.239 -->
00:47:19.840Um, if you're if you're wondering why we were laughing, whenever you said it depends, that's a uh thing we have going on around here.
00:47:19.920 -->
00:47:23.599I'd say probably 10 or 15 times at a minimum per episode.
00:47:23.840 -->
00:47:25.280We're saying it depends on something.
00:47:26.320 -->
00:47:27.679The unknown unknowns, right?
00:47:27.840 -->
00:47:38.079I think there's a uh author that coined that phrase in one of his books I read, but I I love that because everybody always wants this definitive answer on our teams.
00:47:38.159 -->
00:47:41.039That well, how long is this gonna take and how long is that gonna take?
00:47:41.119 -->
00:47:49.760And I'm like, Well, this is doesn't this go back to everything takes at least twice as long as what you think it's it seems like we prove that every day.
00:47:49.920 -->
00:47:52.960So anyway, I just Brad, what you got?
00:47:53.199 -->
00:47:59.199Let's go with what new technology do you see coming into the world of cutting tools in the future, in the near future?
00:47:59.440 -->
00:48:33.840Oh, you know, I we we as internally uh we were just having a conversation like this a couple days ago, and and I I made the comment like we were talking about milling, and it seems like on the milling side, we've we've taken you know all the single-sided indexable inserts, and we've come up with a way to make them double-sided, you know, getting eight edges now out of a cutter where you used to have four on a single-sided version, and or four where there used to only be two if you're talking about Hila mill.
00:48:34.079 -->
00:48:40.719And we're we're just we're talking about all this in the sense of is there anywhere else to go?
00:48:41.119 -->
00:49:21.039And you know, I think right now the the ability to use 3D printing and and a lot of the innovations that take it has taken place, I think right now what I'm seeing in the near future is the subtle things that you may not always see with the naked eye, like coding, coatings making a difference, uh edge prep, little microgeometry, like if you hone the edge a certain way or use certain um there's certain technologies, machines that are capable of doing different shaped hones.
00:49:21.199 -->
00:49:36.480It's not just something that you know you you take an end mill and put it in a media and spin it around and it kind of breaks it, breaks the edge, you know, or the old toolmakers trade where you take a penny and you're rubbing it across the cutting edge to break the sharp uh edge that you know was just created.
00:49:36.639 -->
00:49:55.599I'm just saying that it's these little things that I think in the near future, like we're trying to come up with that next best uh tool that that lasts, and I think it's gonna come from substrates, like new, you know, new elements or different elements uh in the composition.
00:49:56.079 -->
00:50:12.320Um, and the reason I'll I'll give you some background on the reason why I'm saying this is um it's kind of a teaser, but you also got to verify it to make sure that it what you initially see is actually you know true for you know most cases.
00:50:12.480 -->
00:50:22.320And we just received an end mill to do some testing, and we're told that it should do 30 or 40 percent better than any end mill that we have.
00:50:22.960 -->
00:50:38.000And it's mainly due to a substrate change and a little bit of a geometry change on the the microgeometry on honing the cutting edge using technology that we didn't have or didn't exist before.
00:50:38.159 -->
00:50:40.239Wow, so that's pretty much all I can say.
00:50:40.400 -->
00:50:44.159You know, keep it on a you know on the surface, you know, as far as that.
00:50:44.320 -->
00:50:45.519But just something like that.
00:50:45.679 -->
00:50:50.639Think about if you're using an end mill today, and then I come in and I am like, hey, I want you to try this.
00:50:50.800 -->
00:50:53.280I think it's gonna do 30 or 40 percent better.
00:50:53.440 -->
00:50:54.960That'd probably get your attention.
00:50:55.119 -->
00:50:55.840Yeah, definitely.
00:50:56.159 -->
00:50:57.360Oh, absolutely.
00:50:58.320 -->
00:51:01.519So I've got a I've got a question about coolant.
00:51:01.599 -->
00:51:09.760You know, earlier you were talking about 3D printing geometries where you can blast coolant directly to the insert, and then and sometimes it's not the best for tool life.
00:51:09.920 -->
00:51:14.800And I feel like there's always a debate about whether you should run coolant, not run coolant, run air.
00:51:15.199 -->
00:51:24.000What have you noticed whenever it comes to whether you should run coolant or not run coolant and when it's entirely material and application specific.
00:51:24.079 -->
00:51:33.039You have to look at every every opportunity and and say, okay, this there's certain materials where you have to run coolant.
00:51:33.199 -->
00:51:33.840Bottom line.
00:51:34.000 -->
00:51:37.119You know, you if you're machining aluminum, you're gonna run coolant.
00:51:37.199 -->
00:51:45.679If you're machining, you know, titanium, incon L, you're gonna run coolant, even though we do tests where we try to not run coolant.
00:51:46.079 -->
00:52:07.920Um, but you know, then and then there's the features, like if you're gonna get into a deep pocket, even though let's say you're in a uh ISOP 4340 material, I would tell you in most applications on a milling machine running that material, if you're milling, I would tell you you'll get better tool life if you just leave the coolant off for most applications.
00:52:08.159 -->
00:52:15.199But if your cycle times start getting long, meaning you're let's say you're running a feed mill for like 30 minutes.
00:52:15.519 -->
00:52:21.760Well, that heat, even though you're getting most of the heat in the chip, that heat will start propagating through the part.
00:52:21.920 -->
00:52:25.920It'll start propagating even through the cutting tool up into the tool holder.
00:52:26.159 -->
00:52:36.559You can even, you can even get the the taper if you're running a cap machine, you know, that that taper can even start to heat up if your cycle time is long enough and you're generating enough heat.
00:52:36.800 -->
00:52:48.880And if you get into that situation, even though your tool life's probably better when you're not applying coolant, chances are you're gonna say, hey, I need to run coolant here because heat's my enemy.
00:52:49.039 -->
00:52:50.880Yeah, that's I don't want to warp my part.
00:52:50.960 -->
00:52:51.360What's that?
00:52:51.599 -->
00:52:53.440That's definitely a scenario that I've ran into.
00:52:53.519 -->
00:52:59.360Um and and in that in that situation, would you if you have through spindle air, would you recommend doing that instead?
00:53:00.639 -->
00:53:02.480Uh air can be a problem solver.
00:53:02.559 -->
00:53:02.719Yeah.
00:53:02.960 -->
00:53:18.079I mean, it can it can keep the the heat from propagating on the part because let's face it, a lot of times when you're running a long cycle, the reason the heat starts propagating throughout the part is because those hot chips, they just start sitting there on top of the part.
00:53:18.320 -->
00:53:27.360And and you know, when you got 1100, 1200, whatever the temperature is sitting there like uh a bed of charcoal, it's gonna, it's gonna heat up.
00:53:27.440 -->
00:53:27.760Right.
00:53:28.000 -->
00:53:33.119And uh, but yeah, I think air, air would be a first go-to solution if you have that.
00:53:33.360 -->
00:53:34.079Funny you say that.
00:53:34.159 -->
00:53:36.880We just ran into that with our machine and our tech center this week.
00:53:37.039 -->
00:53:41.599We don't have air, uh, the option for air, so we had to run coolant.
00:53:41.679 -->
00:53:50.320Yeah, because we were getting some uh chips uh staying in the cutting zone and we were starting to recut chips, and as you know, that's not desirable.
00:53:50.719 -->
00:53:54.400Just gotta open the door and stick your hand in there and hold the air nozzle for a little bit.
00:53:54.880 -->
00:53:56.400I'm curious about something, Tom.
00:53:56.480 -->
00:53:58.719You mentioned uh your testing facility.
00:53:58.960 -->
00:54:02.639What kinds of machines do you have at your testing facility?
00:54:02.960 -->
00:54:05.679It well, it depends on which which facility we're talking about.
00:54:05.840 -->
00:54:21.280If you're over in Israel, we've got a huge tech center, and that tech center has anything from like one of the largest uh milling machines that DMG Mori makes to down to a robo drill.
00:54:21.679 -->
00:54:45.440We might I I don't know what the uh current count is off the top of my head, but we might have 30 or 40 machines, you know, from Turning, Swiss, large milling, you name it, in our tech center over there to do the RD on our product designs, and and sometimes get into customer testing and things that we do for for projects or on a project base for customers.
00:54:45.840 -->
00:54:55.760Um, but in uh in our USA facilities, we have our Texas location in Arlington, Texas, and we're in North Carolina in Charlotte.
00:54:55.920 -->
00:54:57.679Uh, we have a location there.
00:54:57.920 -->
00:55:06.400And uh in Charlotte, we have a robo drill, uh you know, for milling, small milling applications, things like that.
00:55:06.480 -->
00:55:09.199And we have a Sugami Swiss machine.
00:55:09.360 -->
00:55:13.119Um, I think it's an S206 model, is what we have there.
00:55:13.280 -->
00:55:16.400We have a twin spindle twin-turret lathe.
00:55:16.800 -->
00:55:19.119Um, a for it's a force one machine.
00:55:19.199 -->
00:55:38.880It's a little bit older, but it it it uh, you know, because it's twin spindle twin turret, it allows us to do some some one and done type scenarios, and then we have uh uh methods uh machine uh vertical milling center, um standard three-axis mill, uh kit with the cat 40 spindle there.
00:55:39.039 -->
00:55:41.679So that's our Charlotte facility in Texas.
00:55:41.760 -->
00:55:43.760We're in a little bit of a rebuilding phase.
00:55:43.920 -->
00:55:56.719We currently have a DMG Mori uh NTX, I think NTX 1000 lathe, and we have a Herco uh VMC uh 50 taper for our mill.
00:55:57.199 -->
00:56:05.199Do you ever notice a difference between say cat 40 and HSK, like as far as tool life or accuracy rigidity?
00:56:05.519 -->
00:56:06.800HSK better?
00:56:08.159 -->
00:56:14.239In in my in my opinion, the HSK is a better overall system.
00:56:14.480 -->
00:56:18.239Yeah, that's what I've never ran an HSK machine, but that's what I've always suspected.
00:56:18.559 -->
00:56:28.400Yep, you and you'll have people that make arguments based on applications like now you have the uh the cat 40 and cat 50 with with now with face contact.
00:56:29.599 -->
00:56:30.880But yeah, do it on time.
00:56:31.199 -->
00:56:46.480To me, that still doesn't I I I go back to my toolmaker days, and when we were running electrodes, sometimes we would get too busy and we would try to run electrodes on machines that really didn't have the RPMs to do it.
00:56:46.639 -->
00:56:57.519So we'd have to pull everything back on the feeds, and we'd have to max out max spindle uh speed on these machines at like say 12,000 rpm.
00:56:57.760 -->
00:57:23.920And when that machine was running for 45 minutes to an hour or more at max rpm, that that taper would heat up and that tool holder would pull up a little bit into that taper, and then our you know, our our automatic tool changers a lot of times would hang up because we'd lock together, lock the taper, you know, and lock the holder in the taper.
00:57:24.079 -->
00:57:24.719Yep.
00:57:25.199 -->
00:57:46.719And so these new face contact tool holders kind of mitigate that on the cat 40 face contact and cat 50 face contact, but you know, with HSK, that HSK is designed to be able with that thin wall to be able to expand and maintain contact.
00:57:46.880 -->
00:57:51.760Uh and I just don't see how the cat system you know is duplicating that.
00:57:52.000 -->
00:58:08.000And I'm not saying everybody gets into that scenario where you're running max RPMs for a really long time, but when I say HSK seems like the better overall system, I'm also referencing I'm referencing bending moment data that I don't have off the top of my head.
00:58:08.159 -->
00:58:16.480But I all I know is that when you start making comparisons and bending between cat and HSK, the charts look like this.
00:58:16.559 -->
00:58:18.960Yeah, HSK is up here, cat's down here.
00:58:19.119 -->
00:58:24.880So it's uh I've always suspected that because I mean when you look at a cat 40 holder, for example, I mean, it's really not big.
00:58:25.039 -->
00:58:28.320Like that taper is not big, the retention knob's not very big.
00:58:28.480 -->
00:58:40.480And I mean, maybe size isn't the only identifying factor on whether it's going to perform well, but you know, that's not a lot of taper contact, and that one retention knob is, you know, there's not a whole lot holding that in.
00:58:41.039 -->
00:58:58.320And so whenever you really start putting some forces on there, and you think about you know, like heavy side cutting with an end mill, you know, down at the tip of a holder or down at the tip of the end mill in a holder, sticking five inches out of the spindle, and all you have is a small taper with that one retention knob holding it in, it doesn't seem like the best idea, you know.
00:58:58.480 -->
00:58:58.800Yeah.
00:58:59.119 -->
00:59:01.599Well, let me let me give you a cutting tool perspective.
00:59:01.679 -->
00:59:08.639Okay, just uh simple 101 on why I like HSK versus uh versus cat.
00:59:09.199 -->
00:59:15.199You know, ever since I was young in math, they were telling us that we were gonna convert to the metric system, right?
00:59:15.360 -->
00:59:18.159And we're we're still doing it one inch at a time.
00:59:19.199 -->
00:59:26.400So if you take HSK, HSK is it's ubiquitous, it's global.
00:59:26.559 -->
00:59:45.039Uh, you can find HSK holders that are end mill holders for holding a metric uh shank end mill, and you can find HSK holders to hold Imperial shank uh cutting tools.
00:59:45.599 -->
00:59:58.800Um I dare you to go try to find a cat holder, end mill holder, for example, where you got the weld inside lock that is uh like say you got an eight mil, for whatever reason you want to run an eight millimeter end mill.
00:59:58.960 -->
01:00:14.559I don't know why you can't say why you would, but if you wanted to in your cat machine, you'd have to go get a DIN 69871 type holder, and that has a little bit of different uh like uh V flange design.
01:00:15.039 -->
01:00:21.199And not all machines are incapable of running a DIN 69871, but some are.
01:00:21.519 -->
01:00:32.159And I can tell you that that sum makes me take pause because I'm sitting there going, Well, you want to run this metric tool and you got a cat 40 machine.
01:00:32.239 -->
01:00:44.000I'm like, we can get a Dix DIN 69871 holder, but I don't know if it's gonna fall out of your ATC when you go to do a tool change.
01:00:44.239 -->
01:00:45.119Can you look that up?
01:00:45.199 -->
01:00:53.199And then so you get into this like this unknown, and when anytime there's unknown in manufacturing, it's like that's not a good thing, right?
01:00:53.360 -->
01:00:57.440Right, no, and so I've been for yeah, yeah.
01:00:57.599 -->
01:01:10.400So the reason why I like the the HSK is because it really it gives you more degrees of freedom, so to speak, in terms of uh the cutting tools you're gonna apply and what you can do with the machine.
01:01:10.639 -->
01:01:14.639Yeah, I've never looked into the cost comparison between HSK and Cat for you.
01:01:15.039 -->
01:01:20.480Are they similar or you know I believe they're pretty close if they're not?
01:01:20.639 -->
01:01:40.559I mean, it I I could see maybe HSK uh because of the you know the the work you do internally, and it might be a little more uh manufacturing intensive and might be a little higher, but um I can uh I could definitely get back to you on that one and maybe yeah, give you some insight into that.
01:01:40.880 -->
01:01:42.239Yeah, I will yeah.
01:01:42.480 -->
01:01:43.760That's just my own curiosity.
01:01:43.840 -->
01:01:55.679Obviously, we don't have any HSK machines, and that's not really a practical thing to do with you know vertical mills, anyways, to try to get an ASK machine, but uh but yeah, no, I've always been curious about that.
01:01:55.920 -->
01:02:04.480Um, so another question that we have, which I think should be a pretty good one, it's from assuming it's from Instagram, a guy named One Pissed Off Terminator.
01:02:04.960 -->
01:02:10.480Oh, uh you walk us through a real-world example where an ISCAR solution dramatically improved efficiency.
01:02:10.719 -->
01:02:11.280Yeah.
01:02:11.519 -->
01:02:18.559Uh, and I'll I'll walk you through the best, the best project I've ever been a part of, actually, too, at the same time.
01:02:18.800 -->
01:02:27.280And this is gonna be an outlier application that we don't apply often enough, in my opinion, which is plunging and milling.
01:02:27.440 -->
01:02:33.679Okay, and the reason why we don't apply plunging and milling too often is because it's a pain in the butt to program.
01:02:34.159 -->
01:02:40.960There's not a lot of cam systems that help you optimize plunging routines uh easily.
01:02:41.519 -->
01:02:57.840And you what it ends up being is an endeavor, and yeah, you create a bunch of points and you put you put the points where you need them, and then you got to manually trace to each point the way you want the tool to run, so it can become a problematic thing, a time-consuming thing to program.
01:02:57.920 -->
01:03:03.119And that's the main reason, the main bottleneck why people don't apply plunging very often.
01:03:03.679 -->
01:03:12.800And but I'm I'm going all the way back to my my earlier days in mold making, uh, or as the mold making uh specialist for ISCAR.
01:03:13.280 -->
01:03:23.039And I was working with a company called Husky Injection Molding, which, if you look them up, if you're not familiar, Husky Injection Molding is one of the largest mold makers globally.
01:03:23.519 -->
01:03:26.159Um, I think the largest in North America.
01:03:26.480 -->
01:03:29.280They were at the time, I think, if they are not still.
01:03:29.679 -->
01:03:48.960Um and but anyway, uh I met them at a conference, uh, a mold making conference, and they they saw me doing a presentation on productivity, you know, using ISCAR cutting tools for mold making, and they approached me afterwards.
01:03:49.039 -->
01:03:59.119And long story short, I got involved in a project with them, and it was unique from the perspective of I'll I'll say this the benchmarking was done.
01:03:59.519 -->
01:04:01.599They knew where they were at.
01:04:02.000 -->
01:04:16.239And a lot of times in simple projects, or if somebody brings you a cutting tool, that's one of my pet peeves, is if the homework hasn't been done up front, how do you know you can make an improvement with for your customer?
01:04:16.880 -->
01:04:24.239So they had done the benchmarking, they actually applied lean and sick sick lean and sick sigma practice within their company.
01:04:24.320 -->
01:04:27.920So they had a very structured way of going about process improvement.
01:04:28.639 -->
01:04:36.880And they they came to us with a project, uh, and it was really large mold-based cavity machining.
01:04:37.119 -->
01:04:49.840So deep pockets with a lot of complex uh complexity because of the it wasn't just one big open pocket, it had all kinds of bosses throughout the pocket.
01:04:50.320 -->
01:05:02.480And as I sat down and I processed this part, uh they were using traditional Z-level, you know, using a 90-degree cutter to mill out that those pockets.
01:05:02.960 -->
01:05:15.440And as I was looking at what to do, I was thinking about applying high feed technologies because high feed has been something that is really trans, it's been transformational throughout the my time at ISCAR.
01:05:15.599 -->
01:05:19.599And the first feed mill was introduced right when I joined ISCAR 2003.
01:05:19.760 -->
01:05:21.920And I was like, what the heck is a feed mill?
01:05:22.400 -->
01:05:29.679And I we went from what the heck is a feed mill to I mean, feed mill, high feed milling for rough milling is so common from.
01:05:29.760 -->
01:05:34.079I mean, you look at any cutting tool manufacturer, they're they're offering feed mills.
01:05:34.159 -->
01:05:37.599But to get back to the story, sorry, I got a little off in the parking lot there.
01:05:37.679 -->
01:05:39.519That's a lean to six sigma term.
01:05:39.599 -->
01:05:42.559My friends at Husky would be uh proud of me there for recovery.
01:05:43.280 -->
01:05:50.159Um they getting back to this pocketing, they were using traditional 90 degree, and I'm like, do I use a high feed mill?
01:05:50.400 -->
01:05:50.960Do I use this?
01:05:51.039 -->
01:05:51.840Do I use that?
01:05:52.000 -->
01:05:54.559And look, I let the math speak for itself.
01:05:54.639 -->
01:05:59.599And what I mean by that is I started looking at the volume of material, the metal removal rates.
01:06:00.079 -->
01:06:14.320And because this pocket had so many bosses and inconsistencies, there was a lot of inefficiency in the tool path that was created because the cam system couldn't compute a good solution to navigate where it needed to go.
01:06:14.639 -->
01:06:17.360So I said, let's simplify this and let's go plunging.
01:06:17.519 -->
01:06:18.320Plunging's easy.
01:06:18.400 -->
01:06:21.599You start here, you go there, you come back out, you do it again.
01:06:22.079 -->
01:06:28.480And if I remember correctly, it was something in the neighborhood of 30 or 40 percent.
01:06:28.960 -->
01:06:46.639Uh, but going from the traditional milling approach to plunging at that time provided provided them with a significant uh savings in their rough pocketing routines for a certain uh mold uh like dimension that they did.
01:06:47.039 -->
01:06:56.800You know, they they're a big, you know, they're a big mold maker, so they they had kind of I want to say they standardized on different mold sizes.
01:06:57.119 -->
01:07:03.119So they had a certain mold size, you know, overall width, length that was common.
01:07:03.199 -->
01:07:14.880And for whatever that that particular mold uh size was, it was giving them about a 40% reduction just by going to the plunging over traditional Z-level machining.
01:07:15.280 -->
01:07:22.079Yeah, plunge milling has always seemed like a pretty cool thing to try out, but I've also always been kind of terrified by it.
01:07:22.400 -->
01:07:25.840Yeah, just yeah, look, it's it's really a problem solver.
01:07:25.920 -->
01:07:34.480It goes back to that problem solver statement of because it's such a pain in the butt to program a lot of times, yeah, people only revert to it when they have to.
01:07:34.719 -->
01:07:46.079And it's usually in a production environment when you're doing the same thing over and over and over again, because that way, all that time that you spent programming, at least once you get it set up and established, you're like, Man, I'm glad I don't have to do that again.
01:07:46.239 -->
01:07:46.559Yeah.
01:07:46.719 -->
01:07:50.000So yeah, I just think about an insert giving out whenever you're plunge milling.
01:07:50.079 -->
01:07:57.840Because I've had an insert on a high feet mill give out with just traditional roughing, and uh it ended up cutting with the cutter body for a little bit, you know.
01:07:58.079 -->
01:07:59.599I mean, maybe like 15 seconds.
01:07:59.920 -->
01:08:07.519And that was enough to skip the belt for the spindle motor and actually bend the shaft for the uh that the spindle motor.
01:08:07.599 -->
01:08:09.440And you know, obviously that wasn't good.
01:08:09.760 -->
01:08:10.880Um yeah.
01:08:11.119 -->
01:08:20.239So thinking about going from you know, a third or I think that was a 60,000 step to cut uh with a high feed mill to plunging in an insert given out.
01:08:20.640 -->
01:08:21.600I don't know.
01:08:21.920 -->
01:08:24.399Was it a was it an ISCAR high feed mill cam?
01:08:24.720 -->
01:08:25.279No, it wasn't.
01:08:25.359 -->
01:08:26.159Uh there's your problem.
01:08:27.119 -->
01:08:28.479Ah thank hey, thank you.
01:08:28.640 -->
01:08:29.439There you go.
01:08:29.680 -->
01:08:30.800Appreciate it, Patrick.
01:08:31.039 -->
01:08:36.720Tommy, you got anything else you want to share about Iscar, if there's anything you want to hit on?
01:08:37.119 -->
01:08:42.000Well, as far as uh just Iscar in general, you know, we're uh we're a solution provider.
01:08:42.079 -->
01:08:43.680Um we like projects.
01:08:43.840 -->
01:08:54.399We've we've got uh we've got a lot of internal teams from the engineering side and from like uh project side where we want to engage with our customers.
01:08:54.640 -->
01:08:59.359So if you have something that you want to throw our way and say, hey, you know, how would you do this?
01:08:59.520 -->
01:09:00.800Uh keep us in mind.
01:09:00.880 -->
01:09:02.399Uh it's easy to find us.
01:09:02.560 -->
01:09:23.680Uh, you know, we've got uh you know all kinds of information on our website about how to contact us and and we've got, as I mentioned, 300 300 reps in the US alone that are external sales customer facing, uh, as well as the internal support you know mechanisms that we've got in place.
01:09:23.840 -->
01:09:30.560Uh I I did see something uh that there was a question that came out of Canada about how to uh how do I purchase tools?
01:09:30.720 -->
01:09:45.279And I don't know if that was a question you wanted to touch base on, but I did call my friend from uh I did call my friend from ISCAR Canada this morning and uh the general manager, his name's Tom Hagen, and him and I go way back because we were both milling specialists, and uh now he's managing Canada.
01:09:45.359 -->
01:09:50.560And I asked him, I said, Hey, do you guys have any e-commerce uh set up for for customers?
01:09:50.720 -->
01:09:53.680And it's it's not such a simple answer, but it's a quick one.
01:09:53.760 -->
01:09:55.279The answer is yes and no.
01:09:55.520 -->
01:10:08.560Um, if you are a direct customer, if if ISCAR Canada sets you up as a direct customer, you can there's uh a software that's been established, it's uh called logic e-com.
01:10:09.520 -->
01:10:14.159And they would set that that customer up if they go direct.
01:10:14.399 -->
01:10:24.399Now they won't they don't set every customer up direct just because they ask, it has to make business sense because it's it's uh kind of it's it's time consuming, right?
01:10:24.479 -->
01:10:29.920It's all you know, you're dealing directly instead of using uh you know traditional distribution.
01:10:30.159 -->
01:10:42.079But anyway, if you if ISCAR Canada did set you up direct, they would set you up with this logic e-com portal, and then from that point you can go in and you can manage all of your purchases directly.
01:10:42.399 -->
01:10:50.079Um, for most customers, though, we in the US and Canada, we work through industrial distributors.
01:10:50.239 -->
01:11:02.319We have uh select distributors that are set up to represent the product for the most part, but we do work, we try to work with everybody uh uh on a site specific basis if we can.
01:11:02.479 -->
01:11:13.520So if you're buying cutting tools from you know from a certain industrial distributor that's not an ISCAR uh distributor, but you want to, I mean, don't give up on it.
01:11:13.600 -->
01:11:18.399You could always ask the distributor to say, hey, could you could you get site specific?
01:11:18.479 -->
01:11:28.239And and distributors are creative, they have ways of getting their hands on on uh products that they don't have on their line card uh when they need to.
01:11:28.399 -->
01:11:37.680So but that I hope that kind of touches base on most most of our purchases, especially in the US, are handled through uh local industrial distribution.
01:11:37.920 -->
01:11:40.319And how oh, so it's a second part of that question.
01:11:40.399 -->
01:11:43.039How do you how would someone find an ISCAR rep near them?
01:11:43.199 -->
01:11:45.119Is there is that on your guys' website?
01:11:45.359 -->
01:12:04.880It it is on our website, uh, but you can you can send an email to uh our our ISCAR marketing team, and that marketing team will will point you right directly to your local uh sales rep or even a technical specialist, maybe even the regional manager for that area.
01:12:05.760 -->
01:12:07.359Okay, good to know.
01:12:07.600 -->
01:12:13.600Well, Tom, um I say that you've got a note here for your uh tip for this episode.
01:12:13.920 -->
01:12:17.520Uh it it goes back to my military days, that's where its roots are.
01:12:17.600 -->
01:12:25.199And uh one of the things that was drilled into my brain from day one uh in boot camp in the Navy was attention to detail.
01:12:25.840 -->
01:12:35.680And with cutting tools, if you want to maximize your investment and be as productive as you can be, pay attention to the details.
01:12:35.840 -->
01:12:37.680Are you utilizing the tool?
01:12:37.920 -->
01:12:39.520Are you keeping up with the tool?
01:12:39.600 -->
01:12:40.640What do I mean by that?
01:12:40.880 -->
01:12:46.079Simple example is you buy a milling cutter, it has screws that hold the inserts in.
01:12:46.319 -->
01:12:50.159Those screws are under a lot of force, a lot of pressure.
01:12:50.479 -->
01:12:59.119If you just simply change them out, maybe every time you go through a pack of inserts, change out the screws, you're gonna protect your investment longer.
01:12:59.199 -->
01:13:00.319It's gonna last longer.
01:13:00.479 -->
01:13:06.880Hopefully, you know, in the case of the feed mill, Cameron, maybe that would have uh, you know, saved you there, or maybe not.
01:13:07.119 -->
01:13:08.079The screws were still in.
01:13:08.239 -->
01:13:09.840I just didn't have there yet.
01:13:11.439 -->
01:13:15.600But yeah, that's that's my message is you know, attention to detail.
01:13:15.760 -->
01:13:21.119I see far, I've seen far too much carbide just laying around that didn't get utilized.
01:13:21.279 -->
01:13:24.159It's it's sitting in a corner on a shelf.
01:13:24.319 -->
01:13:32.479It's there's all there's much better, you know, more elegant ways to manage the the cutting tools that you're investing in.
01:13:32.720 -->
01:13:34.960And uh we'd be happy to help out with that.
01:13:35.039 -->
01:13:42.479But if you just pay attention to those details, you're gonna do a lot better for yourself and a lot better for uh your company or the companies that you work for.
01:13:43.199 -->
01:13:44.000Very good tip.
01:13:44.159 -->
01:13:44.880I like it.
01:13:45.199 -->
01:13:47.039Big fan of attention to detail myself.
01:13:47.199 -->
01:13:48.000All right, Tom.
01:13:48.239 -->
01:13:52.239Um, where can people find you and Iskar online?
01:13:52.720 -->
01:13:55.680Well, we've got it's www.iscar.com.
01:13:55.760 -->
01:13:58.239If you want to go to the global, the global site.
01:13:58.399 -->
01:14:05.760Uh, we do have uh an iscar USA specific site, which is pretty much a mere image of the iscar global site.
01:14:06.000 -->
01:14:11.439So if you want to make things simple on yourself, you know, bookmark that www.iscar.com.
01:14:11.760 -->
01:14:28.399And uh from there you can always go to whatever subsidiary that you know you would be in, whether it's Canada, US, you know, almost every you know major country has its uh domain for for iscar listed on on the iscar.com website.
01:14:28.640 -->
01:14:35.039And for myself, uh I did post uh uh a LinkedIn uh information there.
01:14:35.119 -->
01:14:43.199If you wanted to reach out, connect, you know, ask me any further questions, I I'd be happy to uh to uh to answer those for you.
01:14:43.279 -->
01:14:49.039So if you you know search Thomas Ron on LinkedIn, look for the guy that works for Iscar, yeah, that's me.
01:14:49.359 -->
01:14:49.760Alright.
01:14:49.920 -->
01:14:50.960Sounds good, man.
01:14:51.119 -->
01:14:53.039Well, Tom, thank you for joining us.
01:14:53.199 -->
01:14:57.039And uh we certainly appreciate your your insight into the world of Iscar.
01:14:57.760 -->
01:15:04.159And uh I hope everybody, you know, make sure you look into Iscar as a source trigger that'll working needs.
01:15:04.399 -->
01:15:07.359That's all for this episode of the Impractical Machinists Podcast.
01:15:07.520 -->
01:15:15.840I hope you enjoyed this episode, and be sure to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the Practical Machinists YouTube channel so you never miss an episode.
01:15:16.159 -->
01:15:19.199Also, give us a like or a five-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
01:15:19.279 -->
01:15:24.720Drop a comment down below what you learned from us, or Tom, or to share your own experience and spread the word.
01:15:24.960 -->
01:15:30.079Let your fellow InstaMachinist, uh the not instant machinist, any machinist, know.
01:15:30.720 -->
01:15:45.439If you have any follow-up questions, you can DM us on Instagram, the Practice Machines Forum, or the Discar Discord in our Instagram bios, and check out our Instagram as well at jobshopperTn at machining iscool and at Marvel Machining.
01:15:45.520 -->
01:15:50.800And you can also find Iskar's Instagram at Iskar CuttingTools.
01:15:51.680 -->
01:15:53.920Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.
01:15:54.079 -->
01:15:55.840Keep those chips flying.
