Sheffield-based Ceratizit UK & Ireland Ltd recently invited West Pharmaceutical Services Cornwall Ltd (WPS) to its Technical Centre on the Advanced Manufacturing Park. The manufacturer took part in one of the regular technical training days which give customers the opportunity to not only receive in-depth cutting tool training, but also benefit from Ceratizit’s technical expertise.

WPS has been a valued Ceratizit customer for several years and was invited by Iain Tattersall, a technical sales engineer who regularly visits the company, along with his colleague application sales engineer Vince Witham, to provide technical and tooling support. The invitation was extended, not only as a gesture of appreciation for the fact that WPS is a long-standing customer, but also so that it could be brought up to speed on Ceratizit’s latest innovations, advancements in tooling, and be shown the latest and most advanced machining techniques and metal cutting skills which could then be transferred to the shopfloor in St Austell.

More importantly, training days such as these, which Ceratizit run on a weekly basis, help to fill the gap that is present in the engineering industry. Realising the importance of passing on the knowledge that they have learnt from years of industry experience, younger generations are encouraged to take part in these training days so that the technical skills are not lost for the future. Sharing innovative machining techniques, practices and skills, the training ensures that customers get the most from their Ceratizit tooling.

For WPS, the day started off with a morning of in-depth theoretical training which was delivered by Ceratizit’s technical manager Shaun Thornton. Covering everything from materials, tools and sustainability, to speeds, feeds and cutting data, this extensive training equips customers with a solid foundation of background knowledge that will be useful in maximising the performance and profitability of machines. After taking time to answer questions to ensure that everyone that took part had followed everything covered in the theoretical training, the WPS staff were taken down to the workshop in the Technical Centre where they could put all the theoretical knowledge to the test.

Interactive training
With a passion for passing on specialised technical skills, the latest machine techniques and the most up-to-date practices, Ceratizit’s engineers at the Technical Centre planned an afternoon of practical learning whereby WPS could incorporate the morning’s theory with some engineer-led machine demonstrations. After lunch and a chance to recharge, the afternoon’s practical training began with an interactive cutting tool demonstration on the centre’s Mazak Integrex I-250H. After inputting their cutting data, the WPS staff could see how each operation ran and which values of cutting data worked best for the specified machining conditions. Immersing guests in hands-on, interactive training, is at the heart of Ceratizit training days. Furthermore, live video feeds from the machines, played on large screens throughout the workshop, meant that everyone could get a detailed view of how the operations were running and whether their cutting data had been calculated correctly.

After the demonstration on the Mazak, it was time for more interactive demonstrations on the centre’s array of XYZ machines. On the XYZ 800HD and the XYZ UMC 5X, the WPS staff were once again encouraged to work out the cutting data for themselves, before putting their knowledge to the test and running the specified programs. On the centre’s five-axis XYZ UMC 5X, the participants took part in a machine demonstration during which they were shown how their free aluminium pen pots, given out to customers on training days, were made.

This machine demonstration also showcased Ceratizit’s latest cutting tool technology — KOMflex and ToolScope. ToolScope is a process monitoring control system that can be retrofitted to most CNC machines.

Information gathered from monitoring spindle torque can then be used along with live cutting data to optimise
tool wear and prevent tool breakages and collisions. Pairing this with KOMflex, an actuated closed loop boring and probing system, the engineers demonstrated how these technologies streamline machining processes.

At the end of the day the PWC staff were given fully documented training booklets containing information on the tooling, machine demonstrations and cutting data that they had used.

Following on from the training day, Ceratizit helped WPS to implement changes to the current tooling and cutting data back on the shopfloor in Cornwall. These changes, influenced by the training day, had an immediate positive effect on productivity, cycle times and tool life. Continuing their strong working relationship with both Vince and Iain, WPS is regularly visited by both Ceratizit engineers for in-depth technical support and tooling recommendations.