Toda Seiki launches ICC toolholders that can machine square holes

Toda Seiki (Headquarters: Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture) will be exhibiting at the '25th Japan International Machine Tool Fair (JIMTOF2010)' (October 28 to November 2, 2010, Tokyo Ariake International Convention and Exhibition Center). A shank 'ICC shank' capable of machining square holes with a drill-based cutting method. The tool holder can be installed on common machine tools such as milling machines and machining centers. The company plans to demonstrate the scene of machining square holes at the exhibition venue. [Fig. 1] A square hole machined with an ICC shank. A tool with a triangular cross-section is installed on the ICC holder for cutting. Each vertex of the triangle is a tool, and the tool at one vertex always rotates along the peripheral part of the square hole. The other two vertices do not pass through the corners of the square hole, but pass through all sides other than the corners. [Figure 2] ICC tool holder and special tool. The knife has 3 blades. That is to say, while the triangular tool rotates, its rotation axis is always changing. This action is achieved by relying on the ICC tool holder. While transmitting the motion of the machine tool spindle as the rotational motion of the tool, the change of the rotation axis in conjunction with the rotation of the cam mechanism is realized. At the exhibition venue, square holes can be machined in acrylic plates by using a combination of ICC shanks and triangular cutters. According to Toda Seiki, in principle, it can also be applied to metal materials such as aluminum alloy and steel. A specific production date has not yet been determined, but the Prime Minister will rent the handle and knives to interested parties, and then let them evaluate. The advantage of machining with an ICC tool holder is that, unlike electrical discharge machining, it can be performed on the machine tool like other parts of the cutting process. As a method to realize square holes such as square holes, plunging and broaching can also be used, but both methods require reserved holes, and broaching is limited to plated through holes. Machining with ICC shanks is basically drill machining, so it can be machined even without reserved holes, not just plated through holes.