Danish tool manufacturer TN Værktøjsslibning (TN Slib) produces coated, solid carbide milling cutters and drill bits, which can be made to order or can be chosen from more than 50 standard models. The Bjæverskov-based company also offers resharpening services and advice to its customers.

At the beginning of 2020, the company decided to purchase a VGrind 340S tool-grinding machine, which Germany-based sharpening specialist Vollmer introduced to the market a year earlier.

TN Slib is one of Denmark’s leading tool manufacturers and is located approximately 50km south-west of Copenhagen, where it employs 25 people to produce, coat and resharpen solid carbide tools including milling cutters and drill bits.

The company specialises in developing bespoke stepped milling and drilling tools in close collaboration with its customers primarily in Europe, although it is now attracting ever-increasing interest from further afield. To increase the quality and precision of its cutting tools, the manufacturer invested in a new Vollmer VGrind 340S grinding machine at the start of 2020.

Torben Nielsen, founder, owner and CEO, said: “We see great potential in our collaboration with Vollmer, both now and in the future. When we met at EMO 2019 in Hanover, we were very impressed by Vollmer. We particularly liked the friendly, in-depth exchange in which we discussed optimising the grinding machines for our specific requirements.”

Bespoke, solid carbide tools
TN Slib makes around three-quarters of its sales in the production of bespoke, solid carbide tools and it also offers standard tools for cutting metals such as steel, aluminium, cast iron or copper for cusomers in the medical technology, aerospace and automotive sectors.

To improve the performance and operating life of its tools, TN Slib coats them using two dedicated coating machines. The new CNC milling centre was purchased specifically to test different coatings.

Using the VGrind 340S grinding machine, TN Slib is seeking to drive forward the development and production of small milling cutters as well as larger drill bits with diameters of between 0.3 and 8mm.

Delicate tools such as these are experiencing increased demand within the manufacturing industry due to the ever-tighter spaces encountered in mobile equipment, medical devices and automotive technology.

Vollmer designed the VGrind 340S especially for machining small solid carbide cutting tools. With its two vertical spindles for different grinding wheelsets, the grinding machine allows for multi-level machining. This enables TN Slib to increase productivity and further improve tool quality.

Five optimally configured CNC axes achieve interpolation with short travel distances for the linear and rotational axes, which in turn reduces the time required to machine workpieces and allows for incredibly tight tool tolerances.

A key factor in TN Slib's decision to purchase the VGrind 340S was that the machine has the versatility to produce both small and large batches. The proven NUMROTOplus software enables three-dimensional simulation of production processes and makes it possible to carry out collision monitoring in advance.

To allow the company to operate the grinding machine 24/7, TN Slib opted for an optional automation solution. This came in the form of the HP 160 pallet magazine, which allows up to 900 workpieces to be fed in for unmanned machining of tools with different shank diameters.

Jürgen Hauger, CEO of the Vollmer Group, said: “Medium-size tool manufacturers like TN Værktøjsslibning are increasingly using machine tools that are tailored to their specific requirements.

“The basic concept behind our VGrind product family enables us to configure sharpening machines on a modular basis and optionally adapt them to processes that are desirable for tool machining – especially for custom toolmaking.”