Modern, high-performance materials make road vehicles safer, aircraft lighter and engines more efficient. Machining materials such as high-strength steels, alloys of aluminum, magnesium and or titanium, plastics and composite materials nevertheless places the highest possible demands on the tool technology.

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Over 250 experts attended the GETPRO Congress in Würzburg at the beginning of March to talk about developments in gearbox production. It was the sixth time such discussions have been held within this framework. Experts from LMT TOOLS were also present and we spoke with Thomas Falk, Head of the Gear Cutting Segment at LMT, about the latest trends in gearbox manufacturing.
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Aluminium is experiencing a boom – its use has doubled in the last 15 years. While only 20 million tonnes of the lightweight metal were required worldwide in 1996, the total rose to roughly 45 million tonnes by 2011.
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The German machine tool industry was able to begin the new year after a highly successful 2012: according to a recent report by the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW), production increased by 9% last year.
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Just over 5.5 million vehicles were produced in the United States in 2009. Only three years later, this number had almost doubled. This year, too, manufacturers reckon with high single digit growth rates.
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LMT tool experts will be presenting the SpeedCore cutting material alongside other innovations during a live video transmission on 26 April – as part of a LMT GROUP ACADEMY Web seminar on gear cutting.
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The smallest vibrations during milling have a big impact on surface quality. That’s why the experts at LMT FETTE decided to optimize the cutting edges of the DHC Premium. The result is an extremely smooth-running tool that offers high material removal rates and perfect surfaces.
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Developers of electric vehicles (EVs) are caught in a catch-22 situation. If they adapt existing standard models, the new electric model is too heavy and its range reduced. On the other hand, if they develop separate models, safety is usually reduced because they do without (heavy) safety components.
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According to a new study, one third of the wind turbines installed worldwide last year are located in China. In all, they have a peak output of roughly 15.9 gigawatts – that corresponds to twice the output of all the wind turbines operating in France.
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Effective from 1 January 2013, Jochen Eichert joined the Executive Board of LMT TOOL SYSTEMS.
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Large components, high feed rates and maximum cutting depths take machining tools to the very limit in heavy-duty cutting. In light of the extreme pressures involved it is crucial that the cutting material and blade geometry as well as the coating perfectly match the application at hand. LMT alliance partner Boehlerit has the necessary metallurgical know-how and a great deal of experience in this specialized field.
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Innovative materials demand innovative tools. LMT experts have developed a tool offering exceptional levels of performance and efficiency for the machining of fibre-reinforced thermosetting plastics such as GRP and CFRP. The HPC Router guarantees significantly higher feed rates and longer tool life in this area of application.
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A German chemical company estimates that 15% of a car consists of plastic materials. The general trend towards using lighter materials in automotive engineering will increase this proportion even further. As a result, the machining of plastics will become a more important factor in the production process.
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The LMT GROUP is now represented on the Internet by its own website: www.lmt-group.com recently went online. Users will find a wide range of information about the company, its structure, career opportunities and much more.

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Forty market leaders in the metalworking sector will be presenting their latest developments and products at the 5th MAV Innovation Forum in Böblingen. Representatives from LMT TOOLS and LMT alliance partner Boehlerit are using this established discussion platform to present their latest tool innovations.
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Achieving the main goals of high-speed milling – reliable processes, high productivity and optimum surface quality – depends crucially on the tools used. What are the latest trends in this field? On 15 February the next LMT GROUP Academy Web seminar will be examining this question live on the Internet.
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Thread rolling and forming with LMT tools offer the highest possible thread stability and extremely short processing times. They also facilitate the highly efficient production of API threads. The requisite rolling systems and formers are now part of the standard LMT programme for the first time.
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Economic prognoses are difficult: forecasts regularly have to be corrected in the course of a year. Nevertheless, they are important indicators of things to come. That’s why we are venturing a look into the coming year and have collected some numbers from sectors in which LMT tools are being increasingly used – from automotive to aviation.
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Tools have a major influence on the efficiency of a production system. However, many different factors play a role: the optimum machining strategy, the selection of the right tools or the machine tool and its programming. Against this background, the seminars of the LMT GROUP Academy focus on manufacturing processes in a holistic way. The new programme for 2013 is now available.
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According to a new study by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the Oliver Wyman management consultancy, the division of labour in the automobile industry between OEMs and supplier companies will undergo massive change in coming years. It also forecasts that suppliers will take a steadily increasing share of production. This also applies to the research and development field.
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High-tensile steel presents a challenge. LMT developers’ answer is the ACU-Jet Double 6 milling system. The tool remains stable even under maximum loads.
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Wind turbines, construction vehicles and ships have transmission systems that use large gear wheels to move very large masses. The gearing experts at LMT FETTE know exactly what kind of challenge is involved in producing these components. LMT gear cutters and hobs also offer considerable advantages in demanding finishing applications.
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The largest component offers the largest savings potential: car bodies illustrate just how rapidly the development of lightweight construction is progressing in automotive engineering. In particular, high-strength steels are increasingly being used. Ultimately, that also presents a challenge for the development of precision tools.
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Measured in terms of the pure procurement costs, precision tools only play a small role in automobile production. However, their influence on production efficiency is very great. An interview with Jürgen Freund, Head of LMT Tool Service, about the advantages of intelligent tool management.
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According to the German federal government’s GreenTech Atlas, green technology will be one of the growth drivers of the future. The report says the value of the global environmental technology and resource efficiency market will more than double by 2025 - from today’s total of 2 trillion to more than 4.4 trillion euros. Wind power will be at the centre of this dynamic development. The sector is profiting from the boom in renewable energies. Its growth will also lead to a dramatic increase in the demand for carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP).
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Processing a component using LMT FETTE thread rolling heads and rolling taps takes less than two seconds. These chipless forming processes generate both internal and external threads. On 7 December, LMT thread rolling experts will be presenting innovative new product developments, including tailormade API tools for the oil industry.
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Innovation is continuing in tools for the production of gearwheels: a new coating, specially developed for the LMT SpeedCore hob, ensures up to 40% longer tool life. As a result, user’s tool costs fall dramatically.
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According to the organizers, this year’s AMB in Stuttgart ended with a “record result”. Not only did the number of visitors rise, but more exhibitors also appeared in the nine halls. In its Excellence Workshop LMT TOOLS demonstrated how excellent performance can be achieved in production when tool experts and users from various industries work together in a targeted way.
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Lightweight construction using composite materials is one of the most interesting industrial success stories of our time. According to a new VDMA study, the use of high-strength CFRP components will increase by 17% a year until 2020. Some of the main demands of the authors are especially interesting here: for example, it will be important for the relevant engineering sectors to massively reduce production costs.
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Harder steels and faster and faster cutting speeds constitute a major challenge. In our Web seminar on “Turning” LMT experts will inform you about tool innovations that immediately deliver more productive processes in this field.
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This innovation is aimed at an especially important job in die and mould making: SpeedLift delivers efficient milling of fitting and guide surfaces.
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