WEINIG MACHINERY FAQs: Powermat moulders & Oertli Excellent tooling
- PWT
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The WEINIG Rondamat 980 offers:
Fully automatic grinding
Wide range of applications
High precision grinding
Coordination of machine technology to customer requirements
High level of user-friendliness
Featuring answers to common questions from Weinig UK and Oertli UK users, this guide to the Excellent tool system describes how it works in conjunction with Powermat moulders
Q: What’s the link between Weinig UK & Oertli UK?
A: In a nutshell – nothing formal. However, there’s a combination of products from both manufacturers that complement each other. Together, they offer Powermat users the potential for significant productivity gains compared to other tool systems.
Q: What is an Excellent tool?
A: An Excellent tool is a solid profile tool manufactured to a specific shape with extremely high tolerances. Once produced, the profile is fixed and can’t be altered, making it ideal for repetitive profiles rather than one-off jobs.
Q: What makes an Excellent tool different?
A: It’s a solid profile-tipped tool. The main body is heat-shrunk onto the PowerLock shaft, eliminating any tolerance between tool and adaptor. The tool is then finish-ground on a CNC grinding machine, allowing the HSS or carbide-tipped teeth to be ground within a concentric cutting circle of 0.005-0.007mm (5-7 microns) – similar to a jointed tool but without the drawbacks of a ‘heel’. This results in a finer surface finish and longer tool life.
Q: Why should I invest in an Excellent tool?
A: Thanks to its high manufacturing tolerances, the Excellent tool allows for faster feed speeds on the moulder compared to unjointed serrated-back tooling. While surface finish requirements vary by customer, experience shows that in softwoods, feed speeds around 35m/min are achievable with Excellent tools – compared to approximately 22m/min using conventional tooling – with equal surface quality. That’s a 60% productivity boost just by switching tooling systems.
Q: Is an Excellent tool ready to run when delivered?
A: Yes. It comes ready to use, complete with a tool drawing and setting data for the Weinig Machine Control (WMC) system or PowerCom.
Q: Is tool change any different with Excellent tools?
A: No. With HSK-equipped Powermat moulders, simply press the tool release button, remove the tool, insert the new one and lock it in place. As always, handle sharp tools with care, follow all safety instructions in the machine manual, and, most importantly, don’t drop the tool!
Q: What servicing is required for Excellent tools?
A: Maintenance is carried out via face grinding, which must be performed to tight tolerances in order to preserve concentricity. A basic manual grinder – like the Rondamat 168 – isn’t precise enough. A Rondamat 980 with the solid tool package is essential. The grinding program must include several ‘spark-out’ cycles, which restores the tool to like-new condition.
Q: What if I don’t have a suitable grinder?
A: You have several options. Tools can be sent to Weinig UK for servicing on a Rondamat 980. Alternatively, Oertli Holland or qualified local servicing companies with PowerLock-equipped face grinding facilities can handle the work.
Q: Are these tools only suitable for ‘slow-speed’ Powermats?
A: Not at all. Excellent tools are suitable for the full range of Powermat moulders. Surface finish is determined by the number of cutting edges in the block. Thanks to their high concentricity, these tools can be configured with 6, 8, or 10 knives for feed speeds of 50-100m/min, working seamlessly with machines like the Powermat 3000.
Q: Does this mean I don’t need to use jointers?
A: Correct. Profile jointers take time and expertise to set up. For high-speed applications requiring both quality finish and quick profile changeovers, the Excellent tool system is a strong alternative. However, straight jointers may still be useful in certain cases.
Q: I'd like to find out more – who should I contact?
A: While Weinig and its sales partners cooperate with Oertli UK, only Oertli can provide in-depth technical details on the Excellent tool system. Please contact Oertli UK directly for further information – see details below.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Michael Weinig (UK) Limited
T: 01235 557 600
Oertli Tooling UK Ltd
T: 0116 286 3409
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