b'Speed is the main advantage.ing rings and inserts, which meetproductivity and helps produce ac- achieved easily with thread whirling.the needs of a large number of slid- curate threads by tilting the whirlingSpeed is the main advantage, ing-head machine types. The ringsring toward the helix angle. Also,Laprade said.and inserts can thread long, slen- good chip control enables continu- He said whirling can produce der components from rough stockous machining, and finishing treat- long threaded parts accurately and at high speeds without use of ament is not required. Finally, deepefficiently with exceptional surface dedicated thread whirling machine,thread forms, such as Acme, can befinishes, whereas traditional single-said Patrick Loughney, who handles business development for small part machining and is product spe-cialist for indexable drilling tools.He said most thread whirling is performed on a sliding head on a Swiss-style machine.These machines offer the most stable cutting condition due to the bar stock being supported by aStar Cutter Small Diameterguide bushing that is in the ma- Solid Carbide Performance Drillschines spindle/chuck, where the material is fed through the guide The answerbushing, allowing for the cuttingto machiningtools to be very close to the ma-terial being machined, Loughneysmall partssaid. The machine must have a c-axis that the thread whirling unit is Designed anddriven by. The thread whirling ringbuilt for eachfits into the unit. The rings consist ofapplicationmultiple indexable carbide inserts with up to three cutting edges de-Maintain tight tolerancespending on the pitch of the thread. for concentricity betweenmachined diametersAdvantagesAchieve excellent tool lifeThread whirling offers several ad-Reduce cycle timevantages over single-point thread-ing. First, users can machine high-Lower cost per holequalitythreadsonlong,slen-Coolant-thru: 0.035" (0.90mm) diameter rangeder components without the risk of bending or vibrating. Single-Non-coolant: 0.025" (0.64mm) diameter rangepass threading from stock diam-eter reduces cycle time, increasesFor more informationDeep hole or to request a quote, drills alsogive us a call at availableabout the author248-474-8200 orYesenia Duran isvisit star-su.coma Chicago-based freelance journal-ist who covers cutting tools and248-474-8200technology. Shewww.star-su.comcan be reached at [email protected]/cteguide.com41Threading.indd 41 6/17/21 11:30 AM'