New Vollmer QXD 250 Produces Made-to-Measure Diamond Tools

3 October 2013

Vollmer, the global specialist for grinding and eroding machines, received an excellent response to its new eroding machine, the QXD 250 at the recent EMO exhibition. Launched in May at the Ligna International Trade Fair for Forestry and the Wood Industries, the metal processing industry proved as excited about this new machine as the wood cutting sector.

Thanks to the new Vpulse EDM generator technology, the QXD 250 can produce PCD tipped (polycrystalline diamond) tools up to 30% faster than has been possible up to now. With targeted eroding impulses, the Vpulse EDM can increase the surface fineness by a factor of two or more. This gives the QXD 250 more flexibility in terms of tool production, which allows Vollmer to offer tailored-made solutions to the different demands of the marketplace.

“PCD tipped tools have a significantly higher service life than any comparable hard metal tools when it comes to working on highly abrasive materials,” says Dr. Stefan Brand, Managing Director of the Vollmer Group. “With our QXD 250, we are making the production of made-to-measure diamond tools cheaper and faster when produced in large quantities while still maintaining the highest quality standards.”

The Vollmer eroding machine QXD 250 makes it possible for tool manufacturers to process more than 30% more PCD cutters in the same amount of time as has been the case up to now. This milestone in production is made possible by the new generator technology Vpulse EDM, which sets the eroding beat at the heart of the QXD 250. Depending on the demands, the Vpulse EDM can increase the speed of the tool production or increase the surface fineness. The Vpulse EDM achieves these advances when processing PCD surfaces by using individually cycled eroding impulses. This corresponds to two-fold improvement and more in comparison to the eroding technology that is currently available from competitor machines.

The QXD 250 gives greater flexibility and opens up a wide range of new possibilities for PCD tool manufacturers when processing PCD cutting tools, allowing manufacturers to react in a targeted way to the demands of their customers and markets. Apart from the newly developed eroding generator Vpulse EDM, the Vollmer universal machine also offers a simultaneous track interpolation in six CNC controlled axes. As a result of the increased tool track distance and swivel range, PCD tools with diameters of 320mm and lengths of 250mm can be precisely processed. In one single clamping fixture, the QXD 250 measures, grinds, erodes and polishes diamond tools in just one combined process. The Vollmer automation technology allows 24-hour production without the need for an operator to be present, during which the loading and emptying of the workpiece reservoir can take place simultaneously by automatic operation. The integrated tool changer for up to six eroding, grinding or polishing discs makes the processing of different work piece variants possible.

“The QXD 250 eroding machine makes it possible for our customers to completely process PCD tools. Diamond tools such as face milling, groove milling or slot milling cutters can be exactly sharpened and can now be tailor manufactured for an ever increasing number of industrial sectors,” concludes Dr. Stefan Brand.